Livorno Shore Excursion: Pisa & Florence in One Day

Meet your guide or driver at coach parking/bus terminal (the "scambiatore") and depart for Pisa and Florence.

This plaza, high above the city and dedicated to the Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo, gives the viewer a breathtaking panorama of Florence and is the perfect way to start your visit. You will get a birds-eye view of all the famous landmarks -- the Arno riiver traversed by Ponte Vecchio, the splendid duomo dominating the cityscape, the church of Santa Croce, the Medieval tower of Palazzo Vecchio,

In the centre of the piazza is a bronze copy Michelangelo's masterpiece, the colossal sculpture of David, surrounded by copies of the four allegories from the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo.

Santa Croce is perhaps best known for who is buried there -- its interred include such illustrious figures as Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and Rossini. The basilica, which is the largest Franciscan church in the world, is also known for the frescoes that decorate its many chapels.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the church is the gigantic star of David adorning the facade. The neo-Gothic restyling was undertaken around 1860, with Jewish architect Niccolò Matas in charge of the design. Matas had wanted to be buried in the cemetery of Santa Croce with his distinguished peers, but, because of his faith, his body was laid to rest instead under the entryway to the church.

The very heart of Florence is found at Piazza del Duomo -- Cathedral Square. Here you can view the spectacular Duomo, the Baptistry, and Giotto's Bell Tower in their delicious hues of sage green, white, and dusky pink. The sheer magnitude of the cathedral is sure to amaze you, as is the beauty of Brunelleschi's cupola, the dome that is yet a testament to the engineering genius of the architect and the daring patronage of the Medici family.

Piazza della Repubblica today is filled with chic terraces, sumptuously decorated cafès, upscale hotels and shopping, and a glittering merry-go-round -- a far cry from its two centuries as the Jewish ghetto that started in the mid-1500s. The spot is a bustling pedestrian crossroads of the city, recalling its ancient origins as the site of the Roman forum.

Piazza della Signoria was and still is the center of Florentine life. The handsome plaza, with Palazzo Vecchio as its focal point, is a striking presentation of the city's Medieval and Renaissance past. In the center of the piazza is a plaque commemorating the execution of Savonarola after his brief reign of cultural desecration in the late 15th Century, and to the side, in brilliant juxtaposition, the loggia containing an assembly of sculptural masterpieces by some of the most celebrated artists of the Renaissance. Passing between Palazzo Vecchio and the loggia, you enter into the courtyard of the Uffizi gallery, where 44 rooms house a priceless collection of paintings and sculpture by such masters as Cimabue, Giotto, Botticelli, Raphael, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Titian, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Ponte Vecchio is truly the poster boy of Florence. Now famous for its pricey gold shops, the "Old Bridge" was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence not destroyed by the Nazi's during WWII. The shimmering shops on Ponte Vecchio today are a vast contrast to the butcher shops of its origins, but it is undoubtedly one of the most iconic images of the city.

Our stop in Pisa is Campo dei Miracoli, which literally means "Field of Miracles" in Italian, but to tourists it basically means "the Leaning Tower"! The beautiful bell tower, which had already begun leaning by the time builders got to the third storey in 1178, is today appreciated more for the fact that it is about 15 feet off perpendicular than for its aesthetic qualities. But speaking of aesthetic qualities -- all the monuments on the Field of Miracles are splendid examples of Romanesque architecture (according to towerofpisa.org, the Campo dei Miracoli is "the most splendiferous assemblage of Romanesque architecture in Italy.") You'll have time to admire the hulking cathedral, the almost-Islamic baptistery, and the graceful cemetery in addition to taking creative pictures of your friends "holding up" the Leaning Tower.

The bell tower of the cathedral of Pisa is known to visitors as simply "the Leaning Tower of Pisa." It is by far the most famous of all the magnificent structures on the Field of Miracles. After a feat of engineering in recent years that prevented the tower from toppling over, the world's most famous inclining monument can be enjoyed from the ground or by climbing the 250 steps to the top, where you'll get amazing views of the surrounding countryside.