Today we are docked in Livorno, Italy which is known as the gateway to Tuscany. We are very fortunate that we have two days here to explore the region. Last time we did a tour with Rome In Limo and it was fine. But we felt that the places we wanted to visit which is namely Florence and Pisa, you could just as easily do it on your own using the train. So that is what we have decided to do. Florence today and Pisa tomorrow. Our research initially indicated that we should take the port shuttle bus to Piazza del Municipio and then take a local bus to the train station. However Teresa saw on the Norwegian Epic Facebook group that you could get a taxi from the port to the train station for thirty Euros for up to eight people. After we finished breakfast in the buffet, we all headed outside to our meeting point. We managed to secure two taxis since we had a big group … Karen, Darlene, Nana, Dave, Cathy, Michael, Liam, Donna, Teresa, Jon, Marie, Brodie, Terri, Dan, Paul and Jen.
We got to the train station with plenty of time and when we walked over to the platform, we were surprised that there was a train already there. But we still had about twenty minutes before our departure at 10:12am. One thing that we have noticed is that the trains usually arrive just before departure. We were pretty sure it was our train so we all got on and because it was early, everyone managed to get a seat for the one hour and twenty minute ride.
The entire day was spent walking all around Firenze as it is known in Italian. From the train station, we walked to Piazza della Repubblica where a couple of the kids rode the carousel. We then headed over to Piazza del Duomo which has Florence’s iconic cathedral.
While walking the streets, we would get separated from time to time. But we always managed to meet back up. After having lunch at Il Tocco di Bacco Ristorante Firenze, we headed over to Ponte Vecchio which is a bridge lined with jewelry shops. You can not believe how much gold and silver can be in one place. With all of that walking, we made sure to stop a couple of times for gelato during the day. Today I had stracciatella (chocolate chip) and peach.
Leather is a popular souvenir so we made sure to go to Mercato del Porcellino which is one of Florence’s leather markets. I did manage to buy a beautiful leather case for my glasses and a bracelet. I know that others did get purses. At the entrance of the market, there is a bronze fountain of a boar and you are to rub it’s snout if you want to ensure your return to Florence. And yes, I did rub the snout. We finished up the day of sightseeing in Piazza della Signoria which has a copy of Michelangelo’s David and the Neptune Fountain.
As we were walking to the station, I could see using Trainline that the next available train was at 6:28pm an so I bought the tickets (22.70 Euros for two people which also included a 1.10 Euros booking fee). It was really nice to sit and rest for the ride back to Livorno.
Once we arrived back at Livorno Centrale, it was a bit of a struggle to get a taxi back to the port. When a taxi would arrive, people would just jump in front of you and take it. There were a couple of drunk girls that tried to get into a car that was not a taxi. They were really mad that the person would not drive them. Finally a taxi came and Nana pushed her way through and got it for us. This morning’s ride was thirty Euros for eight people but tonight it was forty Euros. We had a late dinner in the buffet and then ended the evening finalizing our plans for Pisa.
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