Livorno

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

Autostrada A12, uscita Livorno; for maps and tolls see: [1] (no pages in English as per 14 November 2004).

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. For a complete article see [2].

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. A map is online [3].

See

• Quattro Mori
• Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori [4]
• Acquario Comunale "D. Cestoni" [5] (closed: work in progress)
• Tuscan islands [6]
• Other museums: [7]
• Funicolare di Montenero [8] one of the few cable railways still in service (another one is in Montecatini Terme near Pistoia.

• San Giovanni's spa [9]: 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.

Do

Spas

• Venturina's spa [10]: 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.

Eat

• Cacciucco - fish stew

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

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 in Borgo Cappucino famous for Caccucio and Black Rise

Drink

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

Sleep

Mid-range

• Hotel Hermitage, Via dei Melograni 13 57020, Marina di Bibbona, Tel. +39.0586.600218 Fax +39.0586.600760. [11]. 4-star modern and comfortable Hotel Hermitage in Marina di Bibbona near the splendid Etruscan coast

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 by car from a hotel in Livorno...you might sample Chianti-side, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Siena and Volterra and be back for dinner. However, return by expected time for a cruise ship departure could be quite problematic.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!