|
Livorno, Italy Port Reviews
Florence and Pisa On-Your-Own Shore Excursion
By Tom Ogg
Florence's Duomo
Just about everyone on
your cruise will be taking a shore excursion to
Florence. This involves riding a motor coach from the
port to Florence and will take about two hours each way
barring any unusual traffic problems.
When you get to Florence you will take a walking tour of
the city with a bit of time left over for shopping. If
you take the shuttle only, you will need to adhere to
the motor coach's schedule. A much better way to visit
Florence it to do it on your own. It is easy to do and a
very enjoyable day. Here is exactly how to do it.
Taking the train is much
more preferable than a motor coach because of the heavy
traffic in and around Florence. The train only takes
about one hour and twenty minutes total time and the
train station in Florence is right in the heart of
things. You can walk everywhere from the train station.
You not only have much more time to explore Florence,
but it will be much less expensive to boot. Plus, you will
find the train much more comfortable than riding in a
motor coach with 44 of your closest friends.
Getting to Florence
Depending on where your ship is docked, you will either
walk into Livorno or take a shuttle into town. In either
case, you will make your way up to the main town square.
If you have taken a shuttle, you will be dropped one
block from the square and it is hard to miss. If you
want to take a taxi to the train station, there is a
taxi stand on the right hand side of the square. Many of
the taxis inside the port will not take you to the train
station, but want to sell you a tour to Florence instead.
Catch the Bus Here
You will see the bus stop in front of the
main square and the church. You can purchase your bus
ticket at the tobacco store located in the building just to
the right of the bus stop pictured above (just behind
the first car)
Buy Your Bus Tickets
Here
You will see the Tobacco
Store sign as you near the store.
Purchase Your Ticket
here.
Purchase your bus ticket
at the counter and just let the clerk know that you want
to take the bus to the train station.
The Train Station Bus
#1
Wait for the bus #1 with
this sign to appear.
The #1 Bus to the Train
Station
While the bus will
continue on past the trains station, it will be obvious
when you arrive at the train station and it is time to
get off of the bus.
The Livorno Train
Station
Once you are at the train
station, purchase a round trip ticket to Florence. The
fare is around 8 to 10 euro each way.
Do Not Forget to
Validate Your Train Ticket!
Once you have purchased
your ticket, head out to the track that your train will
depart from and be sure to validate your train ticket
before boarding the train. Just insert the ticket and
the machine will time stamp it for you. If you do not validate the
ticket and your are caught, you will pay a heavy fine
with no exceptions for tourists that don't know better.
The Street into the
Center of Florence
Once you arrive into the
Florence train station, you will exit onto a large
square. The street that leads into the heart of Florence
where the Duomo is directly across the square. Look for
the church tower and take the street just to the left of
it named Via de Panzani. After the second block, the
street will merge with two other streets and change its
name to Via de Ceritanni. It is only about a 10 minute walk and it will
be crowded. While it is almost impossible to miss, you
can always ask someone which way the Duomo is and they
will point you to the right street.
Your First View of the
Duomo is Impressive
When you near the end of
the street after a few blocks, the Duomo comes
into view. It is an overwhelming site that most people
are not prepared for.
The Duomo's Detailed
Carved Marble Exterior
The Duomo started
construction in 1230 AD and was built over centuries.
The structure is almost unbelievable in scope.
The Duomo's Dome
Visiting the Duomo is a
highlight of Florence. Its dome was added to the
structure in 1264 and has no supporting beams
whatsoever.
Carved Out of Ivory
Pictures cannot capture
the beauty of the carved Ivory facade and the elegant
nature of this overwhelming structure.
Michelangelo's David
Florence is also home to
Michelangelo's David. Housed in the Gallerie of
Accademia on Via Ricasoli just 2 1/2 blocks from the
Duomo, you should visit this early in the day, as the
line become quite long as the day progresses. You will
find Via Ricasoli by walking past the front of the Duomo
(not the Baptistery) and it will be the next street on
your left. You can arrange to purchase tickets so that
you can gain entrance to the museum at a specific time
by visiting the office of the Gallerie of Accademia. It
is located just beyond the museum on the very next
square, the Piazza San Marco. You can purchase your
ticket and then sightsee, shop or just hang out until
the time to gain entrance arrives. You simply walk past
the line of people waiting to get in, present your
ticket and go into the museum. While there are other
works, David is the main event. Also, there are no
pictures allowed to be taken once inside, so you must be
sneaky if you want to get one.
Piazza della Republica
From the Duomo, you can
walk down the street to the right where you entered the
plaza itself. The street name is Via Calimal and this is
the main shopping street in Florence. It is lined with
department stores, designer boutiques, shops and
restaurants. The first Piazza that you come to (above)
is home to an extensive flea market that offers tons of
bargains. NOTE: You will see many Nigerians selling
knock off purses in this area. Do not buy them! They are
illegal and if you are caught buying them, the police
will fine you. Avoid the temptation.
Shopping on a Side
Street
Virtually all of the side
streets offer more shopping and dining opportunities.
There are museums on virtually every block in this area.
The Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is
world famous and offers a wealth of fine art to its
visitors. The resident artwork is always available for
viewing, but the gallery also feature special showings
of some of the world's most famous artwork. Built in
1581, this is a "must see" for any art lover. It is
located just two blocks to the left where the street
changes names from Via Calimal to Par Santa Maria where
the street turns to the right somewhat.
Ponte Vacchio
Continuing down Par Santa
Maria a few more blocks, one finds the covered bridge
known as Ponte Vecchio. This bridge dates back to the
900s and was built by the Romans. The bridge is still an
active market, as both sides of the bridge feature tons
of jewelry and other other stores.
Ponte Vecchio is
Florence
Across the river on the
other side of the bridge is still more shopping, but
from this point most people decide to return to the old
section and continue their exploration of the fabulous
piazzas, shopping, architecture and overall beauty of
Florence.
The Arno River
When it is time to return
to the ship, simply head back to the Duomo and retrace
your steps to the train station.
The Leaning Tower of
Pisa
If you want to stop at
Pisa on your return trip, it is very easy to accomplish.
The last stop before Livorno will be Pisa. Simply get
off the train and find a taxi. The best solution is to
have the taxi take you to the area that the tower is in
and wait for you. In all honest, about 10-minutes is all
that you need here unless you have someting specific
that you want to accomplish. The taxis will park outside
of the complex and you then can walk in, take some
pictures, maybe do a little shopping from the siewalk
vendors that are there and then make your way back.
Pisa is very close to the
port, so it makes more sense to have your taxi driver
take you directly to your ship, rather than back to the
train station where you would have to return to Livorno
and either take the bus / shuttle or take a taxi from
the train station to the port.
|
