Saturday August 4, 2012 Day two of our cruise brought us to some realizations: The biggest problem with booking a last minute cruise is only focusing on the great deal of the booking price and forgetting the extras – in this case, the price of shore excursions. It wasn’t until we sat down and looked at our itinerary that we realized many of the cities we were supposed to be seeing aren’t “port cities.” People don’t typically set out to see the ancient, beautiful and historic cities of Europe and include the Italian port of Livorno. We learned that at this port we’d have to fork up some extra cash for bus and train tickets if we actually wanted to see Pisa and Florence. Can you really put a price on seeing either of these extraordinary cities when you’re only a short ride away?
We got off the ship and headed into the heart of downtown Livorno, following the crowds to the tourist center where people were snatching up maps and bus passes. Here we learned that a bus to Pisa cost €12 a person (cash only) and took roughly 45 minutes, and a train to Florence was €16.40 roundtrip and an hour and a half of our time each way. Forfeiting the idea of spending three hours on a train we got excited talking about Pisa and taking pictures like every other tourist pretending to hold up the leaning tower. Because we had spent all but a few Euros in Toulon we had to find an ATM if we were to buy the cash only passes, which meant first finding a café with Wi-Fi to locate said ATM and check our account balance. Two cafés and an hour later we learned that we had only $38, yes American dollars, in our bank account – leaving us just short of pulling out the necessary €40 to buy bus tickets to Pisa (exchange rate). Walking away from the bank with our heads held low we made our way back to the tourist center to see what there was to do in Livorno. We learned the hard way that answer happens to be “yes,” you can put a price on seeing Pisa and Florence.
By the time we got back to the information center the mob of tourists had cleared out and only a few lonely tellers were left restocking brochures and tidying up. We talked with a teller about buying all day Livorno city bus passes for €3 each that came with FREE entrance to four of Livorno’s best museums, what a deal! He sold us the tickets, presented us with a map a few “must see” destination points and directions to the museums. His sale also came with the warning – certain museums are only open parts of the day, it seems that they take siestas in Livorno too. At the local McDonald’s we came up with a plan of attack to squeeze in all museums before they closed and make it back to the ship early enough to get a seat by the pool before everyone else got back from their excursions.
We hopped on the first bus and headed to destination number one – Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori, although we had no idea who Fattori was we were excited to see the museum and the price was right! Walking from the bus stop down the back streets to the museum was exhausting in the humid 32ºC (90ºF) heat. Coming upon an old gate surrounding pitiful looking trees and an unkempt dirt path a small sign let us know that we had arrived at the right place. We walked to the entrance of a tall yellow building and proceeded to head inside as an old man started talking to us sternly in Italian. Looking at each other confused we tried to pick apart what he was saying and got as far as “museum closed in 15 minutes.” Frustrated by the path the day was taking and the tiring walk to the museum, Megan actually proceeded to argue with the old man and insist he let us view it, regardless of the time situation – we once sprinted through the Seattle Art Museum, and “saw everything” in just under thirty minutes. Finally after deciding Megan would not let up about entering the museum, the man showed us around, and a tour that he claimed normally took an hour took us ten minutes. The museum was a weak collection of war paintings and sculptures; nevertheless it gave us something to do.
The decrepit Fattori museum left a lot to be desired, but we still had three more free museums and hours to kill before we had to return to the ship. Wandering around looking for the bus stop to the next museum, “Museo Provinciale di Storia Naturale del Mediterraneo” (Natural History Museum of the Mediterranean) we happened upon Terrazza Mascagni a terrace and gazebo by the seaside. The rich blue waters of the Med were welcoming; we could barely resist splashing around in the sea, but the overabundance of jellyfish kept us out. Foregoing hope of finding the bus stop we decided to take the short 3km walk to the next destination. Trash, graffiti and abandoned buildings lined the streets as we made our way to the museum, which we found closed upon our arrival. Hot, discouraged, and fed up with our day we drug ourselves to the nearest bus stop that would take us back to the ship - we’d had enough of Livorno.
Finally making it back aboard the ship it seemed as though we had everything to ourselves, we were able to eat, swim and catch a movie before the masses of passengers returned. Luckily the day wasn’t a complete waste, we had learned some valuable lessons. All in all the realizations we made in Livorno helped us approach situations better for the rest of the trip, it was a bummer that we missed two of the most remarkable cities in Italy – but we have already decided another trip dedicated to Italy is a must, especially because we have two great friends there now, Yara and Eros! And if you’re still curious about Giovanni Fattori, click here.
Xo, M&K
