Florence
Getting There
Some of this is from the Pisa entry, but you may decide to visit Florence first. Cruise shuttles take you about a block from the town center (Piazza Grande). At the town center, the number 1 bus will take you to the train station (Livorn Centrale) for 1 Euro. Remember tickets are purchased at tabacconists and newspaper kiosks and must be stamped (small blue machine on the bus) when you get on the bus and are good for 75 minutes from the time they are stamped. Buy enough for the return trip too. (If you opt for a taxi to the train station, the cost is roughly 20Euros which can be split with other tourists). Trains to Florence (Firenze SMN (Santa Maria Novella) the second of three stations in Florence) run about every hour (8:11, 9:11, 10:11,etc) and it takes about 1 1/2 hours. (If you take the 10:00 train, you would need to change in Pisa and get to Florence at noon). Second class train fare is about 13 Euros round trip. Remember to validate your ticket (yellow machine) before boarding the train. Note: train doors are open for a short time - 2 minutes - so be prepared to get on or off quickly.Watch your time for the return trip, especially from Florence. Allow a minimum of 30 minutes for travel time to the port (ship) from Livorno Centrale. Leave one train earlier than you think that you need to. RETURN: There are trains from Florence at 3:27 (arriving Livorno 4:50), and 4:27 (arriving Livorno 5:50).
Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore
The Duomo or Cathedral. Our Lady of the Flower or 'of' Florence. The Cathedral we see today is the result of 170 years of work. The first stone of the facade was laid on September 8, 1296. The church's noisy neo-gothic facade from the 1870's is covered with pink, green, and white Tuscan marble. We will be in Florence on Thursday and the Cathedral is open from 10 am - 3:30 pm. Free admission. Entry through left door of façade. (Cool and shady.)
Entering the Cathedral, one is struck by the building's vastness and the sobriety of its furnishings. The color and rich patterning of the exterior, which serve to relate the mass of the structure to the smaller scale of surrounding buildings, here give way to a simplicity that underscores the titanic dimensions of this church (the largest in Europe when it was completed in the 15th century; 153 meters long, 90 wide at the crossing, and 90 meters high from pavement to the opening of the lantern). The enrichment of the interior with splendid pavements in colored marble, and temple-niches on the walls, belongs to a later period, under the patronage of the Grand Dukes in the 16th century.
The Dome
The Duomo was built with a hole awaiting a dome in its roof. This was before the technology to span it with a dome was available. (I think Jack could have figured it out.) The inside of the dome is decorated by one of the largest paintings of the Renaissance, a huge Last Judgement. For a grand view into the cathedral from the base of the dome, a peek at some of the tools used in the odme's construction, a chance to see Brunelleschi's "dome-within-a-dome" construction, a glorious view from the top, and the equivalent of 463 plunges on a StairMaster, climb the dome. 8 Euros. Open 8:30am - 7pm. Entry at the Porta della Mandorla (the Almond Door) of the Cathedral (north side - left as you face the front but back toward the dome).
Giottos's Tower
The Campanile. If you're not interested in experiencing dome-within-a-dome architecture, you can climb Giotto's 270 foot tall bell tower. It's 50 fewer steps, faster, and offers the same view plus the dome. 6 Euros. Open 8:30am - 7:30pm.
Baptistry of S. Giovanni
Open 12:15pm - 7pm. 4Euros. Entry through the north door. The Baptistery is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were done by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east pair of doors was dubbed by Michelangelo "the Gates of Paradise". The old baptismal font, with its octagonal enclosing wall, stood at the center of this interior space (the outlines are traced in the pavement). Until the end of the nineteenth century, all Catholic Florentines were baptized here. The Baptistery is crowned by a magnificent mosaic ceiling. This mosaic cycle depicts in three sections above the high altar; the Last Judgment with a gigantic, majestic Christ and the Angels of Judgment at each side, the rewards of the saved leaving their tomb in joy (at Christ's right hand), and the punishments of the damned (at Christ's left hand). This last part is particularly famous: evil doers are burnt by fire, roasted on spits, crushed with stones, bit by snakes, gnawed and chewed by hideous beasts. Enjoy your visit!
Shopping
Located in Mercato Centrale. Rub the wild boar's nose as you drop in a coin and you'll return to Florence.
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River. It is noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. Vasari Corridor, the "Prince's Passageway" is fortified covered walk, almost a kilometer in length, an overhead passageway that connects the Palace Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery with the mighty Pitti Palace to which the city leaders could flee in times of attack. The meat market on the bridge was transferred elsewhere, so as not to offend the Grand Duke's sensitive nose with unpleasant smells on his walk, and replaced (from 1593) with the goldsmiths who continue to work there today. The passageway is open to the persisten by request only. 8 Euros. One can enjoy some magnificent and little-known views over the city from its round windows and the passageway contains over 1000 paintings.
Phew! The port of Livorno has a lot to offer. Pisa? Florence? Both? And I didn't even get to the museums of Florence. I think we better find that boar.
Next port: Villefranche!
Happy Passport Day
