Day 2,078 of Traveling the World | Livorno, Italy | October 7, 2023

Jan and Mike

When we first started taking cruises and saw the ports of “Florence, Italy,” or “Paris,” or even “Los Angeles,” we thought that is where you docked – even though some locations listed are not on the coast. For Florence, you actually dock in Livorno, with Florence being 90 minutes away by car or bus, and Pisa being about 30 minutes away. Cruises stopping in Paris dock in Le Havre, more than two hours away. Los Angeles cruises dock in San Pedro – one cruise worker we were friendly with was absolutely crushed when we pulled into San Pedro and he couldn’t see the Hollywood sign! He asked where it was, and we told him we were a good 45-minute drive from LA. He thought he’d be able to walk out into Hollywood! We are surprised the cruise companies don’t yet advertise cruises to Las Vegas or Kansas City (docking in San Pedro).

All of this to say – we have visited Florence and Pisa before, so didn’t feel the need to pay for a tour and spend the time and hassle in the heat to get there (yes, it’s October, but still hot here). So, we docked in Livorno and stayed in Livorno, even though we have also spent several days in Livorno in the past as well. So this time we were in the downtown shopping area of the city, and we walked through the covered arcades and down to the port area. Showing the effects of the heat, the people who were out and about were sluggish as they walked around. Luckily, the covered arcades do provide some shade in which to cool down. We took photos of whatever was in front of us for a few hours – as always, we give you the best of the photos. There aren’t as many as usual, since there weren’t any bona fide tourist attractions in the area. We just wandered about, happy that we hadn’t had to get up early, didn’t have to travel any distances, and most importantly – didn’t have to be on a tour, feeling like sheep tethered to a guide, being led to the slaughter.

So many masts! The verticality is interesting in itself.
There were boats for every use in Livorno’s harbor.
“Fortezza Vecchia” – the Old Fortress, formerly guarding and protecting the city from pirates.
Livorno is called “Tuscany’s Venice,” as it is dotted with canals.
A very pretty eatery on a canal, with multiple Welcome signs and a good number of customers.
Who wouldn’t want to eat at Quo Vadis – food and a movie title all in one.
“Quattro Mori” (meaning four Moorish pirates) dates to the early 17th century. The statue is dedicated to Grand Duke Ferdinand I d’Medici. The Mori are shackled, prisoners for their piracy. It is fascinating to see the top of the statue, the Grand Duke, in white Carrera marble, contrasted with with the captured Mori cast in bronze. The top and bottom halves of the statue were sculpted about 25 years apart, and their joining is an example known as “discordant concordia.”
This arcade is sponsored by…La Cittadella Caffe.
A very high-roofed arcade on the main thoroughfare.
An arcade with an especially pretty mosaic marble floor.
This gorgeous building now houses…a post office! We wonder what it was in its previous life.
There were towers everywhere in Livorno.
The expression on the demon’s/flying monkey’s face is terrific! No subtlety there. A great fountain!
One of our favorite stores throughout Europe is Flying Tiger, with inexpensive items that we sometimes need, like those in a dollar store. We were marveling that this is a Danish store, in Italy, selling cards that are all in English. What?!?

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