Battistero di Firenze

This was not our first time porting in Livorno!

In fact, we’ve called on Livorno three times before. Though it is considered the port for Florence — 1.5 hours away by car — we’ve always opted to explore other parts of Tuscany that are closer to the port. That changed today.

Though we prefer exploring on our own, we decided that the distance — and the fact that going it alone would cost us more in €’s and time — warranted a ship’s tour. Not a guided one, mind you. We booked a hosted transfer designed for those who prefer to explore on their own.

Our bus departed the port exactly at 8:00a. Though our route was via the less-than-scenic highway, it was fast … hardly any traffic to hinder our progress. Arriving in Florence at 9:30a, we stayed with the group just long enough to get to Piazza Santa Croce … our meet-up point at the end of the 5½ hours we were given to take a look around the city.

Mui had been to Florence before. It was my first time. The city has a number of must-see places. But for this short day, we had decided not to visit any particular place … not to battle the crowds and long queues at the iconic locales. Rather, we would just meander around at will. That’s not to say we didn’t have any idea of what we wanted to do. We did. And it worked out perfectly.

Hopping in a cab from Santa Croce, we headed across the Arno River to San Miniato al Monte … aka St Minias on the Mountain. This beautiful Romanesque style basilica — I overheard a guide saying that construction of the church began in 1013 — has a white marble façade that is inlaid with green marble. The geometric design, which is believed to date back to 1090, was the first time such a dramatic style was used in Florence … but not the last time as we would later see when we walked by the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Though we did wander around the grounds at Miniato and took a peek inside before mass commenced, the reason we started our sightseeing here was the postcard-view of Florence. Truly amazing.

We later saw a slightly closer view of the same scenery from a bit further down … from the Piazzale Michelangelo Terrace. But that first glimpse of Florence laid out at our feet from Miniato was perfect. It was the view from here that helped us appreciate just how much Brunelleschi’s dome at the cathedral dominates the center of Florence. No wonder it is referred to as the “Red Hat of Firenze.”

From the terrace, where we also saw the bronze version of Michelangelo’s famous “David” … which our bus hostess referred to as “David #3,” we took a meandering path down to the Arno and slowly made our way towards the Ponte Vecchio, stopping often to take photos.

Just before we arrived at the “Old Bridge,” we spotted a small balcony jutting out over the Arno. We figured it would make a good spot for a selfie since it had a perfect view of Ponte Vecchio. Turns out that the balcony was part of a wine bar/restaurant … Signorvino … cantina con cucina.

The manager — Katerina — allowed us to go on the balcony for a selfie op, so there was no reason for us to stay and have lunch there afterwards. Except that it was the perfect spot from which to enjoy a meal-with-a-view … Ponte Vecchio ahead … the Uffizi across the Arno to the right. And the wine and food were very good, too.

After lunch, we strolled across — or more accurately, battled our way through the crowds packing Ponte Vecchio, which spans the Arno at its narrowest point. The most widely recognized icon of the city, it is also the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed during WWII. Historians believe that it is situated at the spot where a bridge has always stood … from as far back as the Roman Period. The current bridge has been there since the 1340s.

Meandering our way through narrow, crowded streets, we made our way to Galleria dell’Accademia at Piazza della Signoria. We had no plans to go inside. But Mui wanted to show me the copy of David that stands in the piazza — described by the bus hostess as “David #2.” One day, when we return for an extended stay, we’ll get to see “David #1.”

Next on our stroll, we came to the jaw-droppingly beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore … with its intricately designed marble façade and red dome. The Baptistery of St John stood nearby. Awe inspiring would be a good description of the collection of structures that make up the cathedral complex.

After wandering around the Piazza del Duomo, we stopped at an artisanal gelateria to pick up a delicious treat to enjoy as we gazed in wonder at the cathedral and the buildings around us. Having now seen the Brunelleschi Dome from every direction, I recalled how our bus hostess told us that he had destroyed the plans for it once the construction was completed. To this day, it remains a wonder of architecture.

We returned to Piazza Santa Croce shortly before 2:30p and found our meeting point, the leather goods shop named Michelangelo. Since we had time, we went inside for a quick look-see … the prices already having determined that we would not be shopping there.

The bus was on the move as scheduled at 3:00p, though a detour up to the Michelangelo Terrace for a “look without getting off the bus” delayed our departure from Florence. Luckily, Mui and I had stopped at the terrace on our own, so we didn’t share the disappointment experienced by our tour mates when they were not allowed off the bus.

The return ride to Livorno was accomplished just as smoothly as the morning ride out to Florence. No real traffic to hinder us. We arrived at the port and were getting off the bus by 5:00p.

This was our last port of call in Italy … onto France next.Les mer