Cruise Buzz

Pisagram:  port recap for Livorno via Royal Princess

Royal Princess arrived to the port of Livorno early this morning. For some on the ship, the arrival marked another opportunity to leave the ship early for an entire day of visiting Florence – the cradle of the Renaissance, and nearby Pisa. Although spending 12 hours out-and-about in Tuscany sounded like a good idea, I opted to keep my shore-leave simple: I headed to Pisa. And I am very glad I did. The town is easy to explore with limited time in port and I even had time to have some pizza.

Field of Miracles & Leaning Tower of Pisa

Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli is home to the Duomo, Baptistery, Campo Santo, and the famous Leaning Tower,  which took over 177 years to build and has been leaning since construction began in 1173.  Entrance to the Duomo is free (you need tickets though, which are easy to get the day you arrive). The Baptistery costs 5 Euro extra, and anyone wanting to climb to the top of the tower might not make it due to time restraints.

Livorno

Cruise passengers sailing on Royal Princess could also use a shuttle bus service that was available at the pier. Since my tour returned to the ship with plenty of time to spare, I paid 5 Euro (good for unlimited rides between the ship and town) to explore the seaside town of Livorno.

If I had not scheduled a tour to Pisa, I might have been disappointed with Livorno since it lacked some of the culture and architecture I found charming on my tour. Taxis were hard to come by and those going it alone ran the risk of missing out if they did not book a tour in advance or make arrangements for a ride ahead of time.