bluemooseband

4 adults, cruise is stopping in Livorno, but we've already done Florence and Pisa.... best options seem to be day trips to Lucca, OR, Cinque Terre, OR Siena/San Grimignano.... we would likely use a local tour company or the ships tour offering.....

I would appreciate recommendations as to which of the 3 options is best , and if there are any recommendations for tour companies out of Livorno ? cheers

sandralist

Some of it depends on what time of year you are going, and what the rest of your cruise experience is offering you. (Meaning, if you are mainly stopping in scenic seaside places like Capri or Taormina, etc, do you really want another scenic seaside village?)

Something else to bear in mind is that Lucca is absolutely flat, while your other options require navigating steep slopes or plenty of stairs.

Finally, if your cruise company is offering a Siena/San Gimignano excursion, presumably they take responsibility for getting you back to the ship on time. I would be cautious about trying to arrange that for yourselves unless you get a rock solid recommendation for a driver.

In the end, what constitutes "best" for 4 adults is hard to guess since you haven't described your group's interests (not even whether you all liked Florence or Pisa). I've been to all the places you're considering, and if it were me, I'd stay in Livorno and go to the food market and eat a great lunch and poke around, because I actually enjoyed my time in Livorno more than any of the other places on the list.

bluemooseband

yes, I agree, more info would help ! mid Sept is the time frame, and we have a 12 hour stay in port.... we've done several private tours in the past, with no problems getting back to the port in time, and worst case, our last port is Rome if we missed the boat. (some tour companies guarantee return or will pay for getting to next port) We loved Florence, Pisa, Rome, Naples/Pompeii/Amalfi, and like history, architecture and natural sites. While we're not the "fittest", we are fairly mobile for early 60's....

I found your last comment interesting, in that several travel sites do not speak well of Livorno itself, noting it's mainly commercial, not a lot of history (heavily bombed during the war) and not recommended as a tourist site ?

bobthenavigator

You will like Lucca--read about the history with Napoleon and his sister.

bobthenavigator

Here is a good article on Elisa.
http://www.beyondtheyalladog.com/201...uscan-history/

Jean

The ship has a 12-hour stay in port, but that doesn't mean you have 12 hours.

Personally, I think the Siena/SanG excursion is too far from Livorno unless you'd be happy spending almost half of your time in transit (about 4.5 hours). The CT is only slightly closer.

In contrast, Lucca is about an hour from Livorno. I would arrange transportation and not DIY by train. If you couldn't board a 9:30a or earlier train to Lucca, you'd have to wait almost 2 hours, and journeys in both directions involve one change. If you had your own driver, you could consider also seeing Montecatini Terme which encompasses a lower Belle Epoque/Art Nouveau spa town, an upper medieval village and a funicular connecting the two.

sandralist

I'm really surprised Jean didn't mention she's not a fan of Lucca, which she usually does. I can't recall why she doesn't usually recommend it, but I do remember she mostly doesn't.

I have no idea why Bob the Navigator is certain you will like Lucca. Jean ceretainly isn't alone on Fodor's is being someone who often comments the town doesn't do much for them. I would say regular posters about Italy are about 50-50 as to whether they enjoy spending time in Lucca. I doubt anybody hates Lucca, but a lot of people are just "meh" about it. However, this is true of just about every part of Italy people ever discuss. I am sure people have told Bob the Navigator, "you will like the Chianti" and he repeatedly steers people away from it (he's yet to convince Jean, who really prefers it to the places Bob likes).

Please be aware than I am not encouraging you to go to Livorno. (However, it has one of the most interesting local cultures of any city in Tuscany, wonderfully untouristy and some of Italy's most delicious food, and you can combine it with a trip up the historic cable car for scenic views from Montenero -- Byron used to live there -- or trip to Bolgheri wineries for Super-Tuscans.) I am not alone in enjoying our time in Livorno, but we are definitely in the minority among tourists (but that is equally true of those of us who enjoy Naples). I only brought up Livorno as an example of how unreliable advice is when it comes to Italy. I eagerly went to Lucca, Siena and San Gimignano on the recommendation of guides, and while it is obvious to me why they are recommended -- they all have unique things to see -- I have to say that these 3 places pretty much go to the bottom of places I would return to in Italy -- whereas I have already enjoyed returning to Rome, Florence, Naples, Pisa, the Italian Riviera (where I live now), little Tuscan towns like Pistoia or beautiful places like Arezzo.... So people vary.

If you do go to Lucca for its connections to Napoleon's sister, please realize not much of that history is visible in Lucca and that you will need a driver to see the villas and gardens connected to Elisa, which are outside of town and not easily reached by bus. Elisa's legacy within Lucca (as the article states) was mostly tearing historic buildings down and destroying things to replace them with Napoleonic pomp, typical of how the too-large Napoleon family behaved everywhere in Europe.

In mid-September, no reason not to consider le Cinque Terre. I love the Riviera, and the only reason I didn't much like le Cinque Terre is that the villages get crowded. You can easily take the train to le Cinque Terre from Livorno. No need to pay a guide and driver. I would say the same of Lucca if you aren't interested in Napoleon-era villas. If you go on your own excursion, you can wait until you actually dock to see what the weather is and make your choice

Sometimes the way I decide these things is: What do I want for lunch? For me, the pesto and seafood of September on the Riviera beats the very meaty fare of Lucca. However, if you like your shore excursions to have a lot of architectural and historic interest rather than just be a beautiful, sweet-smelling idyll, then Lucca -- which is most notable for its visible Roman underpinnings and medieval walls -- has the edge for sure.

If it all possible, I would research the independent travel options and make up your minds on the day you arrive and go with your mood. Or hire a driver who is willing to go to either place.

Have a lovely time whereever you go.

bvlenci

I've been to Lucca several times, and like it quite a lot, but not so much for the things to see there, which are admittedly not numerous, as for the relaxed life of the town, which you wouldn't see on a cruise day.

I wouldn't go to the Cinque Terre as a day trip. As Sandra says, the towns get very crowded (mostly with other day trippers). The main attraction (at least in my opinion) is the opportunity for hiking, and the relative peace and quiet when the cruisers leave.

San Gimignano is another town that gets very crowded during the day. I've been there several times, and would prefer to go in late autumn. Once, in April, we were turned away on the approach road because all parking spaces near the town were full.

If you have a private driver, you might want to visit some less-well-known place, maybe Volterra. I've also always wanted to visit the Alpi Apuane, just north of Livorno, which I've heard are very beautiful. You could combine that with a visit to the marble quarries above Carrara (where Michelangelo was a good customer). (Since I've never been there, my opinion about the area is only from what I've heard from other people.)

The walls of Lucca are later than the medieval period. There were medieval walls but they were torn down, although there are a few remnants, such as a medieval gate, which is now right inside the centro storico. The construction of the present walls was started in the 16th century, but greatly modified in the 17th century to protect against "modern" weapons of that time. That's why the walls were built so thick that the top has now become a park. In medieval times, walls were not so massive.

Dukey1

It should not take 4 hours to get to Siena since it is only about 50 miles from Livorno.

bluemooseband

wow, lots of good comments, which is the whole point of these forums ! we are not 100% firm on these 3 options, but they seemed to be the most obvious... we just want something other than Florence and Pisa for the day... thanks again to all commenters !

Jean

"I'm really surprised Jean didn't mention she's not a fan of Lucca, which she usually does. I can't recall why she doesn't usually recommend it, but I do remember she mostly doesn't."

Please don't speak for me. The OP put forth the three options under consideration, asked which is "best," and I commented on the travel times. I neither recommended nor discouraged Lucca because my feelings about the town in this situation are not relevant. If the OP had presented other choices, I might have expressed a preference to another town over Lucca. Or not.