Florence/Pisa

It's probably one of the most recongizable symbols the world over, and maybe the iconic symbol of Italy, and certainly that of Tuscany, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

When I discovered on our first Mediterranean cruise that our ship would be docking in Livorno, the gateway to Florence and Pisa, I knew I had to climb the Leaning Tower.

I know, some people say it's cheesy. Some people say it's not worth the money. Many people told me that my time was better spent in Florence. But I didn't listen. Couldn't listen. Climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of those things that I had always wanted to do.

So, I arranged for a private company to provide us a full day's tour of Florence and Pisa. One of the main reasons I opted to go with a private company was that this was the only way I could arrange to climb the Leaning Tower. With a ship shore excursion, none of them allow for, or provide enough time, to be able to climb the tower.

Once my tour was booked, I went online months before my cruise and booked my ticket for climbing the Leaning Tower.

The climb itself was pretty simple. Only a limited number of people are allowed into the Tower every 30 minutes. The climb takes about 30 minutes in total. It's not strenuous, but it is interesting. While climbing in a circular motion, you can definitely "feel" the lean of the tower itself. Additionally, the steps you climb are pretty much worn out as the marble has been worn away through the years of people climbing the Tower. Once at the top, there are actually 3 different sections from which you can stand atop the Tower. I will say that it was definitely worth the detour we took in order to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

From Pisa we headed off to Florence. As I was there on a Monday, I knew that the Accademia Galleria would not be open; therefore seeing the original Statue of David would not be possible.

Our first stop in Florence was the world-renownd Duomo. This structure is huge. After waiting 15 minutes to get inside, it was quite a sight to behold the gorgeous, and spacious interior of the Duomo. Outside on the piazza also sits Giotto's Bell Tower and the the famous "Gates of Paradise" bronze doors on the Baptistery. The green, pink, and white marble buildings were just gorgeous.

After this little stop we made our way over to Mercato San Lorenzo where there is an outdoor shopping market along with the Medici Chapels. This is where our tour guide took us to a small family operated outdoor sidewalk cafe for lunch. I ordered penne pasta with cherry tomatoes and marinara. It was to die for. I don't think I've ever had such wonderful pasta before in my life.

Just as lunch ended, the sky opened up on us. I saw lightning and heard thunder and felt rain the likes of which I've never experienced before in my life. From Mercato San Lorenzo we headed off to the Church of Santa Croce where some of Florence's greatest and most distinguished men are buried: Michelango, Machiavelli, Dante and Gallileo. While we were inside of Santa Croce, the rain poured down in buckets and the thunder outside boomed so loud we though that the church was being hit with bombs. It was actually quite scary.

Our last stop of the day was to drive past the famous and historic Ponte Vecchio bridge and up to Piazza Michelangelo. Piazza Michelangelo is located high atop a hill. From this vantage point you get an amazing view over Florence. It is from here that you can really tell that the Duomo dominates over all else in Florence.

This was really a wonderful day. A bit of whimsy, mixed with lots of history, and a lot of religious sites.