Difference between revisions of "Livorno"

Revision as of 02:43, 10 February 2013

Livorno is in Tuscany.

Understand

Livorno is on the Tyrrhenian sea in Italy. It is the third-largest port on the western coast.

Get in

By plane

Pisa airport (code: PSA) Galileo Galilei.

By train

Main train station is Livorno Centrale. Take bus number 1 to go to town center and then to the port in about 20 minutes.

By car

By bus

From Pisa, Piombino, Florence and other cities.

By boat

Direct ferry routes exist to Barcelona, Bastia, Golfo Aranci, Olbia, Palermo and Porto Vechio. It is best to book early to avoid over booking.

Many cruise ships stop here for at least a full day to allow guests to tour Florence and/or Pisa. Guests not taking cruise ship arranged tours can take a shuttle (supplied by the port) to the the downtown area. It offers a decent shopping experience, but not compared to Florence. A further 10-20 minute walk (or another bus ride) gets you to a train station. There you can take frequent departures for either Pisa or Florence. Many experts advise seeing Florence or Pisa on a one-day port visit by cruise ship. Though some tours claim to cover both, you'll get no more than a rushed look at a few icons...and if you're too early or late for any, it may well be closed.

If hoping for maximum time in Florence...

• Take an early cab (perhaps shared with another couple) from your ship to and from the Livorno train station.
• At the station, ask for a train that goes to the Firenze Santa Maria Novella. Locals will happily help.

Get around

Bus number 1 is a shuttle from train station to the port and vice-versa. Ticket for one hour of travel is 1,00 Euros, daily ticket is 3,20 Euros. For self-reliant cruise passengers, this is part of the most economical way to reach trains to Pisa and Florence.

See

• Quattro Mori
• Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori [1]
• Old English Cemetery (Oldest in Italy, open on reservation). For info call Misericordia: 0586/897324 or write an email to [2] Association Livorno delle Nazioni.
• Acquario Comunale "D. Cestoni" [3] (closed: work in progress)
• Tuscan islands [4]
• Other museums: [5]
• Funicolare di Montenero [6] one of the few cable railways still in service (another one is in Montecatini Terme near Pistoia.

Do

• The Venice Neighborhood ( La venezia in Italian ).

Spas

• San Giovanni's spa [7]: the San Giovanni Spa, overlooking the Gulf of Portoferraio, stands on an area of 5 hectares of marshland which yields a silt with high therapeutic potential, making this spa establishment the only Thalassotherapy centre in the Western Mediterranean.

• Venturina's spa [8]: the thermal waters Venturina were known by the Etruscans and Romans, hence the name "Aquae Populoniae. Flow in 45 ° Celsius throughout the year, with constant flow, and are classified as calcium-magnesium-sulphate-bicarbonate-alkalines.

Learn

Work

Buy

Eat

• Cacciucco - fish stew

• Riso Nero - Black Rice -(Risotto darkened with squid ink)

Budget

Mid-range

• Trattoria Sottomarino, Via dei Terrazzini 48/50 - ph. +39 0586 887025 - Close to Piazza della Repubblica and Fortezza Nuova (Venezia District). Fish cuisine, don't miss the gorgeous cacciucco - Closed on MO and TU.
• Cantina Senese [9], Borgo Cappuccini 95 - ph. +39 0586 211604 - famous for Caccuccio and Black Rice

Splurge

Drink

"Ponce alla livornese" is optimal to finish a meal (warm drink with coffee and rum).

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

• Hotel Hermitage, Via dei Melograni 13 57020, Marina di Bibbona, Tel. +39.0586.600218 Fax +39.0586.600760. [10]. 4-star modern and comfortable Hotel Hermitage in Marina di Bibbona near the splendid Etruscan coast

Splurge

Stay safe

Contact

Cope

Get out

Livorno is a good starting point and base for a tour of Tuscany. You can reach Pisa in half an hour, Lucca and Florence in somewhat over an hour. (See note under "Get in" "By Boat" above). In a well-organized day you can tour from a hotel in Livorno you might sample Chianti-side, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Siena and Volterra and be back for dinner. However, return before by expected time for a cruise ship departure could be quite problematic.