Among the first examples of summer homes, the complex known as the “Granducali Casini di Ardenza”, built to a design by the architect Cappellini in 1844-1845, was used by families of wealthy tourists who enjoyed the plentiful services and a direct private access to the bathing beaches opposite.

The original “omega” shaped complex consists of a series of elegant neo-classical style houses, with the central block containing the most prestigious apartments. The colonnaded terrace, the central triangular tympan and the Doric columns of the three porticos are typical elements of neo-classical style.

The Casini had large, magnificent reception rooms, a chapel, a trattoria, games and billiard rooms, a ballroom, stables and an English-style garden at the back. They were originally connected to the “Bagnetti d’Ardenza” by a long, elegant pier with wooden arches which provided an easy walk from the Casini to the bathing beaches. The pier was later re-built in stone at the beginning of the nineteen hundreds.

The Casini reached the height of their splendour when they were inhabited by Grand-Duke Leopoldo II and his court, and for this reason were called the “Casini Granducali”.

The Casini bear witness to a touristic Livorno between the eighteen and nineteen hundreds, when it was a favoured destination for holidays during the bathing season.