The Monument of the Four Moors (Monumento dei Quattro Mori) stands at the Piazza Micheli near the old harbour, and it is arguably one of the most striking public sculptures in Tuscany — which is saying something. The central figure is Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici on a high pedestal; at the base, four bronze figures of chained Moorish slaves sit in postures of resignation and defiance.
The composition was originally intended to celebrate Livorno's role in the Order of Santo Stefano's campaigns against Barbary pirates, but the artistic power of the Tacca figures overwhelms the triumphalist message. The work has generated considerable debate about slavery, empire, and the treatment of captive peoples in early modern Europe, making it a genuinely thought-provoking monument rather than mere civic decoration.