USA-Cruise-Europe-Day 27

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Day 27 - Livorno, Florence & Pisa

Livorno is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno and the third-largest port on the western coast of Italy, having a population of approximately 170,000 residents.

By 7am we were docked in the port. We could see other cruise ships, The Independence of the seas & a Moby vessel featuring big pictures of Bugs Bunny, Sylvester & Tweety.







Further along the port we could see a sailing boat anchored at the Marina.







We were thinking about taking the bus & the train to Florence & Pisa, but in the end we hired two taxis for the day. This turned out to be for best - it made for a more relaxing day & the drivers were able to get us right to places we were visiting. They even gave us their own map of Florence, with attractions marked. The trip to Florence took about one & half hours.

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. Florence was founded in 59 BC as a settlement for former Roman soldiers, being named Florentia, allotted by Julius Caesar to his veterans in the rich farming valley of the Arno. It is the most populous city in Tuscany and has a population of 364,779.

The taxi drivers gave us a time to meet back at parking spot. We proceeded down the street where we could see the Cathedral Santa Maria del Flore & The Bell Tower. The Cathedral is the 2nd largest in the world, capable of holding 3000 people. Begun in 1296 it took 140 years to complete.









The Bell Tower is a free-standing tower adjacent to the Cathedral. It dates back to 14th century. There are 414 steps to the top.
You had to join a line & pay to go up-only Joan & Riza went in the Tower. As the photo's below show, the views must have been worth the climb. There was also a Bell on display up top. The staircase appears to be quite narrow in places.



















While the girls were up in the tower, we had a walk through Piazza D. Giovanni & the surrounding streets. We had intentions of going into the Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo's Statue of David. The queue to go inside was very, very long. Roger volunteered to stay in the queue while we looked for conveniences. By the time we came back he had already reached the entrance, but as he was not allowed to buy multiple tickets he had to just drop out & we gave up on the idea of a 2nd attempt.







The families decided to separate until we had to meet back at the Taxi. We made our way to the Piazza Santissima Annunziata. There were a number of Statues in the Piazza & a fountain, as well as the Basilica della Santissma Annunziata. The Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor church in Florence and the mother church of the Servite order. The church was founded in 1250 by the seven original members of the Servite order.













Next we saw Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi. This is a religious complex which includes a church and a former convent. It is located in Borgo Pinti. It was built in the 13th century.







Next we saw Sant'Ambrogio Church. Sant'Ambrogio is named in honour of Saint Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan. The first building is thought to date from the 8th century.







The Franciscan Church of Santa Croce was built, except for a modern facade, in the 13th and 14th centuries. This church, with an interior of classic Franciscan simplicity and decorated with frescoes by Giotto and other masters, is called the Pantheon of Florence because it contains the tombs of Michelangelo, the statesman and political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, the poet and dramatist Conte Vittorio Alfieri, and the operatic composer Gioacchino Antonio Rossini, as well as monuments to many other noted Italians. The church was huge inside & it appeared to be undergoing renovation.













Outside the the church in the Piazza there was a market, we had a look around & then continued walking. Went past the National museum around 12:35 on our way to Piazza della Signoria.







Piazza della Signoria is the City's largest square & represents the historical & commercial centre. Palazzo Vecchio dominates the Piazza, with a copy of Micheangelo's David out front. Completed in 1314 the palace is today the City Hall, containing many significant works of art. There are other statues around the palace.













Opposite the Palazzo Vecchio is Loggia della Signoria, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery. It consists of wide arches open to the street, three bays wide and one bay deep. It was built between 1376 and 1382 & is effectively an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art.













Next I decided to walk towards the Arno River passing the outside of The Uffizi Gallery. The gallery is one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world, it is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi. Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates. Construction was continued to Vasari's design by Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti and ended in 1581. Saw statues of Leonardo Da Vinci & Donatello.













I reached the Arno River at 1pm. The river was a yellowish/brown colour. From from my vantage point I could see Ponte Vecchio.
Ponte Vecchio is is a Medieval bridge noted for having shops built along it - the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers.







We were due to meet back at the Taxi by 2pm so we had to move a bit faster. We next reached the Piazza della Repubblica. It is one of the main squares in Florence & marks the centre of the city since Roman times.







Feeling a bit hungry, we stopped & bought ice-creams. We then passed the San Lorenzo Church. The church is one of the largest churches of Florence, situated at the centre of the city’s main market district. I was still feeling hungry, so I bought a packet of chips from a stall in the market.







After 2:30 pm we left Florence bound for Pisa. We arrived at Pisa around 3:50 pm. As soon as we were out of the Taxi we were approached by Africans trying sell fake brand name watches.

The Leaning Tower is located in Pisa's Piazza dei Miracoli. The Tower of Pisa was built in three stages over a period of about 177 years from 1173. There are about 296 steps to the top.

We walked down the street & could see the leaning tower. In the first picture below, it does not appear to be leaning so much. The 2nd picture taken further down the street, the lean is more obvious. We did not have time to go up the Tower.









Other religious edifices include the Baptistry of St. John & Pisa Cathedral.

Construction of the bapistry began in 1152, in replacement of an older baptistry, and completed in 1363. The structure is 54.86 m high, with a circumference of 107.24 m, and is the largest baptistry in Italy.

Begun in 1093, Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa) is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. The main architect was Buscheto, who is buried in the last blind arch on the left side of the facade.








The Piazza is bordered by a high wall. I went for walk outside the Piazza & saw stalls beside the wall. I bought a few souvenirs.







I went back under the wall & bought a Leaning Tower T-Shirt from one of the stalls inside. Took picture of a fountain featuring 3 cherubs & then headed back to the Taxi, trying to avoid the watch seller once again. We left for Livorno just before 5 pm.

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