Our first port was in Livorno. The choices for the day were generally Pisa, Florence or both. Pisa was just 14 km away, while Florence was quite a distance. The kids were with us and a long tour was not an option, so we chose the Leaning Tower as our destination. We skipped the pricey tours and figured out how to use public transport to get there. We took a cruise shuttle from the dock to Livorno, then a local bus to the Livorno train station, then a train to Pisa, and then a cab to the tower. We were pretty impressed with ourselves that we actually got there! We were warned that there was nothing really in Pisa but the tower, but decided that it was worth it just to get a picture with the famous tower. It was very touristy, but we enjoyed it anyway.
The "Square of Miracles" is a walled square with three main buildings: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Bell Tower (aka Leaning tower). Hugh climbed the 294 steps to the top of the famous tower. We had reserved a spot ahead of time and knew that the kids were too young.
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| Self Portrait at the top |
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| View of Miracle Square from the top |
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| Half the fun is taking the pictures |
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| People were all over the lawn in various poses |
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| That is a leaning tower lollipop :) |
Our kids both passed out on the way home. It was hot and we did have quite a lot of transportation to deal with. This worked in our advantage. They actually asked to not get off the ship again for the next two stops in Italy. They happily checked in to the kids club and we happily went to Rome and the Amalfi Coast.
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Public bus getting back to the ship. It was packed. Liam is asleep in a stroller somewhere in this mess. A fight even broke out between an 80 year old Italian woman and half the bus. |
GREAT pictures!
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