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Italy

Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Livorno: Your Gateway to Florence, Pisa, and Tuscany

Livorno is a Medici-era port city of canals and fortresses, and it is where cruise passengers set out for Pisa and Florence. If Florence is the plan, book gallery tickets before you sail and check the day of the week, because the Uffizi and the Accademia both close on Mondays.

Good to know

What Cruise Travelers Should Know

Cruise ships at Livorno berth in the port, and passengers not on ship tours can ride a shuttle provided by the port to the town center. Livorno Centrale, the station for trains to Pisa and Florence, stands on the eastern edge of town, well away from the center.

  • From the center it is a further 10 to 20 minutes on foot, or a bus ride, to the station.
  • A taxi straight from the ship to the station saves time if you are heading for Florence.
  • Once you reach the center, almost everything in Livorno can be seen on foot, and the town is flat.
  • Italian police can ask to see identification at any time, so carry a photo ID ashore.

Livorno on Your Own

Livorno's own sights are within walking distance of the center: the Medici harbor with its old fortress, the Monument of the Four Moors and the canals of the Venice Quarter. Pisa or Florence on your own is possible by train, but Florence in particular is a long transfer, so leave a wide margin for the return.

  • The Old Fortress: The Fortezza Vecchia was built for the Medici between 1518 and 1534, and the only remains of medieval Livorno, parts of two towers and a wall, are inside it.
  • The Four Moors: In Piazza Micheli, Pietro Tacca's four bronze figures of chained prisoners, installed in 1626, sit at the base of a statue of Grand Duke Ferdinando I.
  • The Venice Quarter: This small district of canals lies between the city and the sea, and from the top of the New Fortress you can look out over the canals.
  • Florence by train: Take a taxi to Livorno Centrale and ask for a train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, the main station on the northern edge of Florence's historic center. The journey takes more than an hour each way, so a day in Florence means long transfers at both ends.
  • Pisa by train: The train ride to Pisa Centrale is short, and from the station, bus line 1+ runs every 10 minutes to the Torre 1 stop by the Leaning Tower; on foot it takes about half an hour.
  • Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, and Italian transport strikes are sometimes called at short notice.

Getting to Florence and Pisa

Buses link Livorno's port area, center and station, and regional trains from Livorno Centrale reach Pisa and Florence. Pisa's center is small enough to see on foot.

  • If you buy a bus or train ticket at a kiosk or machine, validate it before you travel, because inspectors issue on-the-spot fines for unvalidated tickets.
  • In Florence, almost all trains arrive at Santa Maria Novella, and bus tickets are sold at tobacconists and newsstands showing the Autolinee Toscane sign.
  • Pisa Centrale is just south of Pisa's center, and the walk from the station to the Square of Miracles runs along a pedestrian street with shops and restaurants.
  • Use only licensed taxis, which carry a roof sign and a company name and number on the side, from a rank, by phone or through an app.

What to Eat

Livorno's own dish is cacciucco, a stew made with many kinds of fish and shellfish, and by one tradition it should contain five, one for each c in its name.

  • Riso nero: This is risotto blackened with squid ink.
  • Ponce alla livornese: A hot drink of coffee and rum is the local way to finish a meal.
  • Bistecca alla fiorentina: Florence's T-bone steak comes from young cattle of the Chianina breed and is grilled until rare.
  • Picnics: In Florence, the Mercato Centrale is the place to buy food for a picnic or a snack.
  • Where you eat: In some Italian cities you can be fined for eating or drinking beside major churches, monuments and public buildings.

Tipping in Italy

Italy has no strong tipping custom. Most restaurants outside Rome add a cover charge, the coperto, so waiters do not expect a tip, though they will not refuse one.

  • A large tip is never expected in a restaurant.
  • Leaving the change is quite common with taxi drivers, and hotel porters may expect a little something.
  • Italy uses the euro.

Culture & Local Life

Florence's galleries and Pisa's Square of Miracles are easier with tickets booked ahead on a port day, and the Leaning Tower is climbed only at the time printed on your ticket.

  • Michelangelo's David: The original has stood in the Galleria dell'Accademia since 1873. The gallery is closed on Mondays and has no cloakroom, so large bags and backpacks are not allowed in, and reservations are strongly advised.
  • The Uffizi: Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera hang here, and like other state museums it is free on the first Sunday of each month.
  • Florence Cathedral: Entry to the cathedral is free, but climbing the dome needs a ticket booked in advance for a set time.
  • The Leaning Tower: It was built as the cathedral's bell tower, never for defense, and it stands 58.36 meters high. Your ticket is for a fixed time slot, and the visit takes about 30 minutes.
  • The Square of Miracles: Partly paved and partly grassed, the square around Pisa's cathedral, baptistery and tower has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, and any ticket includes free entry to the cathedral.

Medici Seaport and the Renaissance

Livorno was a small fortified harbor until the Medici rebuilt it in the late 16th century as a planned town and a free port. Its trading laws of 1593 offered religious freedom, merchants of many nations and faiths settled there, and it became Tuscany's main port.

  • 1017: The first written mention describes a small coastal village with a port and a ruined Roman tower.
  • 1103 and 1284: The Republic of Pisa took Livorno in 1103, and Porto Pisano, its harbor nearby, was destroyed after the Pisan fleet's defeat at Meloria in 1284.
  • 1421: The Republic of Florence bought the town.
  • 1518 to 1534: The Medici built the Fortezza Vecchia.
  • 1577: Bernardo Buontalenti planned a new fortified town in the shape of a pentagon.
  • Late 1580s to 1593: Grand Duke Ferdinando I declared Livorno a free port, and in 1593 the laws known as the Leggi Livornine protected trade and gave public freedom of religion, drawing Sephardic Jews, Greeks, Armenians and others.
  • 1606: On March 19, 1606, Ferdinando I raised Livorno to the rank of city.
  • 1861: Livorno became part of the Kingdom of Italy and lost its status as a free port.
  • 1921: The Italian Communist Party was founded in Livorno.
  • Second World War: Allied bombing destroyed many historic buildings, among them the cathedral and the synagogue.
  • To learn more ashore: The Museo della Città di Livorno, in the Bottini dell'Olio cultural center on Piazza del Luogo Pio, covers the city's history and art and is closed on Mondays.

Families and Children

Pisa is the easier day out with children: the train ride is short, and the Leaning Tower has a clear age rule you can check before you book. Florence's galleries suit older children who can manage the long transfer.

  • Younger children: Children can climb the Leaning Tower only from the calendar year of their eighth birthday, so younger ones wait at the foot. Visitors under 11 accompanied by an adult enter Pisa's cathedral free.
  • School age: A child may climb the tower from the calendar year of their eighth birthday, with a paying adult and proof of age, and anyone under 18 must go up with an adult.
  • Teenagers: In Florence, see Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, and note that at the Uffizi minors must also book a visit, although it is free for them.

Accessibility

The Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence is fully wheelchair accessible from its entrance at Via Ricasoli 60, with an accessible toilet near the lift. The Leaning Tower is a different matter: its steps are uneven and slippery, and people with heart or mobility problems are strongly advised not to climb it.

  • The Uffizi rents out wheelchairs and walkers and has accessible ticket offices.
  • In Pisa, visitors with a registered disability enter all the monuments and museums on the square free if they write to the accessibility office at least five days ahead with proof.
  • In Livorno, the Museo della Città has a step-free entrance, lifts to both floors with braille buttons, and a wheelchair to borrow at the front desk.
  • Ask your cruise line whether the port shuttle can take a wheelchair.

What to Buy

On Florence's Ponte Vecchio, a decree of 1565 reserved the shops for goldsmiths and jewelers, and jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers still fill them. Leather is the other Florentine buy, and in the better shops near the center prices are sometimes open to bargaining.

  • The San Lorenzo Market is now aimed mostly at tourists.
  • Buying from unlicensed street traders is illegal in Italy, and buyers can be fined.
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