Day 5 of our Mediterranean Cruise began as a rainy morning in Livorno, Italy. Our plan for the day was to go on an excursion to Florence and Pisa.
We joined our group for the day and got on our bus that would take us to Florence and Pisa. The drive from the Port of Livorno to Florence was about an hour and a half so we stopped about halfway for a restroom break. Our drive took us through beautiful Tuscany with vineyards on either side and mountains in the distance.
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| The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore on the left and Giotto's Bell Tower on the right |
Florence
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| Piazza del Duomo |
When we got to Florence, the rain had subsided, although there were still clouds in the sky. As soon as we exited the bus, multiple 'sales' people swarmed our group trying to sell us ponchos and umbrellas. To be honest the umbrellas were kind of cool, with pictures of different Italian landmarks on them, but be aware when you go that these will be overpriced and aimed towards getting tourists to buy these items.
Our guide then took us on a walking tour around the city. The first big place we went to was the Piazza del Duomo, the historic center of Florence. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore being the centerpiece of the square with its pink and green marble. There were a few armed guards around this area making sure everyone was safe, which I appreciated being in a foreign country at a
very popular tourist destination.
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| Piazza del Duomo |
After a stroll through the square, we continued our walking tour to the Piazza della Signoria, which displays many statues from the Renaissance period, including a copy of Michelangelo's David. We did not get a chance to see the real David as it was in a museum we did not have time to explore.
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| Replica of David |
After this, we looped back to behind the Piazza del Duomo and went in a few shops to look at souvenirs, my dad bought a leather jacket and the rest of us wandered around until we ended up sitting under an awning waiting for the rest of our group to be done. In the mean time, there were a few gypsies wandering around looking begging for money, so be aware and keep an eye on your things.
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| Ponte Vecchio Bridge |
Once our group was together, we made our way to the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Built in 1345, it is one of the oldest bridges in Florence. Our scenic walk along the water, brought us to a beautiful restaurant I can not seem to find the name of,where we would be having our lunch. This place had multiple rooms filled with mirrors, grand chandeliers and paintings on every wall and ceiling! Our meal consisted of wine (of course), lasagna, some type of meat, and veggies, along with tiramisu for dessert.
Pisa
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| The restaurant we ate in |
When we were finished, our group was guided back to our bus, and we started our short drive to Pisa. Many in the group took this time for a nap after an early start and a lot of walking. It was a welcome rest, and I did end up falling asleep for a bit, even though I tried my hardest to stay awake, convinced I would miss something if I fell asleep.
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| #GotTheShot |
The small town of Pisa did not seem to have much in it. We were dropped off in the big parking lot for the leaning tower and told what direction to head to see it. We followed the herd of tourists and found it! On the way in we passed more people selling things. There were many people with stands selling all types of souvenirs. They had different masks, miniature leaning towers, umbrellas again, and many other different trinkets to take home.
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| Leaning tower of Pisa |
When we got to the square where the leaning tower was it was very pretty. The contrast between the white buildings and green grass was beautiful. The weather had cleared up by now so we even began to see sun peeking through! It was unreal to finally see such an iconic landmark in person. I could not believe I was see
THE leaning tower of pisa.
It was great! We didn't have much time here so we could not dilly dally too much but we made sure to find a spot to get the iconic shot to make it look like you are holding the leaning tower. Check! We did that! After we got the shots, we milled around a bit more, reading signs and looking at the other buildings in the square, the Campo dei Miracoli or "Field of Miracles".
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| Pisa Baptistry |
This seemed a bit rushed as it would have been nice to take a look in the other buildings. We had just enough time to get some gelato at a nearby store as well as try and quickly connect to the internet while we waited for our group. After this adventure, it was time to make our way back to the ship!
We had a long day exploring Florence and Pisa, and although we did many of the highlights, we barely scratched the surface. Up next we explored Rome! Just one bucket list city after another! Stay tuned for my post on my experience in Rome!
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| Pisa Cathedral |
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| The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore |
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| The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore |
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