Porto del Gusto food hall, Parco Levante, Livorno – Italy

The new space dedicated to Food&Beverage and leisure is the result of an internal and external expansion of the structure  for the Parco Levante Shopping Centre, the most important shopping destination in the province of Livorno, which Unicoop Tirreno and Unicoop Firenze have owned since 2015, the year of its inauguration to the public. Over 2. 000 square metres of extension, with the integration of two maxi dehors of over 150 square metres each, will host seven bars, specialised food outlets and restaurants, with the inclusion of some leading national and international brands in the catering sector such as Roadhouse, Sushiko and Caffè Pascucci, outdoor themed areas with a spectacular luminous fountain with light and water games, a play area dedicated to children, an outdoor area ready to welcome food trucks, and the new central ‘Mascagni’ entrance, which integrates the food area. The offer proposed by Porto del Gusto is completed by the sandwich-cafeteria Il Bocconcino, the Joylab with its Hawaiian poké bowl proposal, the artisanal piadineria La Pina, and, finally, the pizzeria Pizza Ganza.The operation has generated a positive induced activity for the territory, creating over 40 new direct jobs and expanding the supply basin for suppliers and the induced activity.The ‘port’ is the heart of Livorno. It is the word that better than any other represents the place where the people of Livorno can feel at home.
The combination with the word ‘taste’ expresses the nature of an environment that welcomes and offers many different and delicious gastronomic proposals.The payoff ‘good food & free time’ sums up in a few words the right way to enjoy the food hall.The design idea is inspired by the port city of Livorno, its being dynamic, open and multicultural. With this spirit, the internal and external Food Court was renovated, enhancing it starting from the square, built in an area of the city that did not have one, to give customers the chance to experience Parco Levante in a fluid and continuous extension between outside and inside. Thus transforming this place into a ‘sea of opportunities’ where the Food Court becomes a port, The Port of Taste, in fact, to which one can return to dock to enjoy an experience. Thanks to the extension of the shopping centre with two new volumes that increase its accessibility, the port extends outwards, giving Parco Levante a new, strong identity.