Livorno is the ugly sister of the beautiful Tuscan city of Florence. Many tour itineraries will actually list Florence as the port of call because Livorno itself is a busy, modern container terminal with little to recommend it aside from its location. Within relatively easy reach of Livorno are Florence, the jewel of Renaissance Italy; Pisa, home of the famous Leaning Tower; Lucca, a smaller medieval walled city; the elite beach resort of Forte dei Marmi; and some fabulous discount shopping including the revered Prada Outlet not far from Florence.

How to Get to Livorno
Large ships dock at the container terminal, a working industrial site, so you are not permitted to walk. Shuttle buses will take you to Piazza Grande in the middle of Livorno. From here you can take a taxi or bus #1 to the train station, only five minutes away, and decide between regular trains to Florence and Pisa. Florence will take just over an hour each way; Pisa and Lucca are closer.

Many cruise companies offer a shuttle all the way to Florence which can be the least stressful and also ensure you make it back for sailing time. Taxis will also take you to Florence and back but it will not be cheap. Hire cars are available and should be booked ahead, but Italian driving and traffic are both notorious and unrelaxing.

One Day in Livorno
Visiting Florence is definitely a lifetime experience. The city is jam-packed with history, architectural and art treasures. And once you are there, you can walk the historic center easily, covering many of the highlights in a few hours. Make sure you eat gelati on the Ponte Vecchio crossing the Arno River, and visit either the Uffizi or Accademia Galleries to see the best of Renaissance art, especially Michelangelo.

There are great trattorias for lunch and San Lorenzo market has excellent leather goods and charming, bargaining stallholders. Nearby is the Medici Chapel, one of Michelangelo’s highlights, especially the marble tombs. The distance to Florence does make it quite a long day though, and nearby Pisa also has a wealth of history, art and architecture. Lucca is a less-crowded gem with lovely, narrow streets to explore.

Port Information
In Italy, they speak Italian, fast and with pride so you can sometimes find communicating in English a challenge, especially in taxis. The currency is the euro. If you decide to catch a train, many station newspaper kiosks sell tickets which saves you joining the long queues for the ticket machines; it is a low-cost standard 90 minute ticket to travel from Livorno to Florence.