Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy – Thursday, December 30

Last updated on January 3rd, 2022 at 08:07 am

Florence & the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Witness the splendors of the Renaissance in two of Tuscany’s most renowned cultural centers: Florence and Pisa. A scenic drive through the Tuscan countryside brings you to Florence, where you will enjoy an informative walking tour. From the city’s pedestrian zone, pass the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, with its massive dome designed by Brunelleschi, the nearby Baptistery and the Giotto’s Bell Tower. At the Piazza della Signoria, admire the Palazzo Vecchio, the power center of the Florentine Republic. See the medieval Ponte Vecchio, the city’s only bridge to survive World War II, and the Basilica di Santa Croce, resting place of Michelangelo. Enjoy lunch before exploring more architectural wonders in Pisa. You will see the Square of Miracles and its famous Leaning Tower, Cathedral, Baptistery and the Camposanto Monumentale, called the world’s most beautiful cemetery.

When we didn’t hear from Guest Services, we got ready for our optional tour first to Pisa, then to Florence, a 10 ½ hour tour. The ship docked in Livorno, about a half hour from Pisa and 1 ½ hours from Florence. We drove through the Tuscan countryside toward Pisa, noticing numerous cypress trees, green fields and more water than we saw in Rome. When we arrived in Pisa, we walked about 15 minutes from where the bus the the Field of Miracles. Located to the northwest of the city center, the complex features Pisa’s Duomo, the cathedral Baptistry, Campo Santo cemetery and of course the Leaning Tower. The famous Leaning Tower started life as a campanile for Pisa’s Duomo, begun in 1063, with its four-tiered façade of creamy colonnades. The Baptistry was begun on Romanesque lines in 1152, and completed in a more ornate Gothic style in 1278. The fourth building on the square, the arcaded cemetery, is said to enclose soil brought by the Crusaders from the Holy Land. The Leaning Tower All the buildings of the Campo dei Miracoli lean because of their shallow foundations and the sandy silt subsoil, but none tilts so famously as the Leaning Tower. Begun in 1173, the tower began to tip sideways before the third story was completed, but construction continued until its completion in 1350. More than ten years of engineering work stabilized the tower in 2008, and visitors can now safely climb to the top. The white marble and lime with intricate statues and carvings combined with the green grass of the surrounding field was truly peaceful and beautiful. We opted to use our free time to tour the inside of the Duomo. We did not have time to climb the tower. The Duoma had a beautiful wooden coffered ceiling, intricate smaller stained glass windows with paintings depicting religious events at a time many people were unable to read. The alter was graces with gold, intricate carvings, statues and a mosaic of Christ graced the dome above the alter. 

We had an excellent guide for this excursion. Sam was knowledgeable, gave important timely practical information as well as an accurate agenda for the day. He also knew what to tell us and when not to talk. After Pisa, we drove to Florence. After leaving the bus we walked about 30 minutes to the center of ancient Florence along the Arno River toward Pizzicheria E Canova Di Vini, in Santa Croce Square, where we ate lunch. We ate lunch with Sean, one of the Viking vocalists. We asked him if the reason we weren’t able to go ashore in Malta was the Maltese COVID-19 numbers or the ship’s. He said it was because of the 3 people diagnosed with COVID-19 on the ship. He went on to say when the ship took on new passengers in Rome yesterday, 12 people were denied embarkation when they tested positive on a rapid antigen test. We were disappointed in lunch. We were served bruschetta which was pretty dry, lukewarm spaghettini with very little sauce, lukewarm potatoes and pork, with some type of chocolate mousse that was a little chewy and room temperature coffee.

After lunch we viewed Santa Croce Square. Dating from 1295, the Gothic church of Santa Croce features a magnificent Neo-Gothic façade by Niccolò Mattas, added in 1863. The campanile was built in 1842 to replace the original, destroyed by lightning in 1512. Inside the church are tombs of famous Tuscans, including Galileo and Machiavelli, plus a grand tomb for Michelangelo sculpted by Vasari and outside a monument to Dante. We also really liked Palazzo Atellesi, a palace with medieval origins with a frescoed façade.

We walked around Florence, with our guide Sam, seeing many buildings of Baroque, Byzantine, Romanesque, Classical architectural styles, including then Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiord, St. Mary of the Flowers. Typical of the Florentine determination to lead in all things, the cathedral is Europe’s fourth-largest church. It can hold 20,000 people and to this day remains the city’s tallest building. One of the great Renaissance structures, its foundation stone was laid in 1296, but the Neo-Gothic patterned marble façade, inspired by the decoration of the Campanile alongside, was not completed until 1887. Clad in white, green and pink Tuscan marble, the Campanile was designed by Giotto in 1334 and completed after the artist’s death. Opposite the Duomo stands the Baptistry of San Giovanni; with its celebrated bronze doors and precious mosaics, it holds the octagonal font where many famous Florentines, including Dante, were baptized. The Baptistry may date back to the 4th century, making it one of Florence’s oldest buildings. We walked around to get a better view of the dome and we’re told of the difficulty of constructing the dome without scaffold or supports until it was constructed using an inner and outer dome. 

We walked on to Piazza Della Signoria, Florence’s public living room and outdoor sculpture gallery. The Piazza della Signoria has been at the heart of the city’s political and social life for centuries. The great bell of the Palazzo Vecchio, the city’s imposing town hall, once used to summon citizens to parlament, (public meetings) here, and the square has long been a popular promenade for both visitors and Florentines. The piazza’s statues (some are copies), sheltered by the lovely 14th-century Loggia dei Lanzi, commemorate the city’s major historical events. The original famous Michelangelo statue, David, stood in the piazza until 1873. Damaged during an anti-Medici riot, it was wheeled over to the Accademia for safekeeping and replaced with a replica. On the left side of Palazzo Vecchio is a fountain to Neptune created in 1575 which Michelangelo called “a waste of good marble”. In the Loggia is an original bronze statue of Perseus beheading Medusa from 1554. It was intended as a warning to the enemies of Cosimo 1’s (a Medici) as to their probable fate.

We walked back to Santa Croce square for some free time before heading back to the bus. We were told about the quality of gold jewelry and Italian leather products produced in this area. We went into a leather store and found a leather jacket Joyce thought was perfect for Alan. She eventually persuaded him to buy it after he did some negotiating. We also looked at some 18 ct. gold jewelry, in particular a circle of gold that could be shrunk to wear as a ring, expanded for a pendant or expanded further to wear as a bracelet. It was beautiful, contained a lot of gold and was much more than either of us wanted to spend. It was fun to look.

We walked back to the bus, returning to the ship a little after 8 pm. While looking at the Viking Voyager app on our phones, we discovered we were booked on the Renaissance Treasures of Florence excursion, leaving at 7:15 am the next morning. Not exactly as we wanted it, but we know we will enjoy the excursion. We opted for dinner in the World Café which was quicker and less formal. We returned to our stateroom to watch football bowl games and sleep.