Livorno, Tuscany - A Holland America Port

The traditional, yet refreshing, Tuscan port of Livorno offers travelers on the Holland America Line Mediterranean Cruise an opportunity to experience the whimsical lushness of the Tuscan countryside. The Tuscany port is a great place to stop and see some of the country's most famous landmarks, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

What to See
Livorno's main feature - the bustling Porto Mediceo - is where traditional fishing vessels share space with today's modern cargo ships from around the world. Rebuilt after World War II, the broad Piazza Municipio leads from the port gate into the heart of the city. Piazza Grande, graced by the central Duomo, is the main focus of local life. Its seaward end links to Piazza Micheli, where Livorno's most prized sculpture, the Monnumento ai Quattro Mori, rests. The 1623 monument by Pietro Tacca features images of four Moors, representing the maritime conquest of North America.

If you venture into the Tuscan countryside you'll feel as if you were transported into the Middle Ages. Lucca's Renaissance walls greet visitors with pretty, landscaped gardens. Like Florence, Livorno is filled with public art. The Duomo di San Martino, though never quite finished, serves as the foundation Pisan. A model for all other Lucca churches, its sculptures and paintings include Tintoretto's "Last Supper," works by Fra Bartolomeo, Filippino Lippi and Ilaria del Caretto. Also left unfinished, the façade of San Michele in Foro, was nearly completed before funding for construction dried up. Blending candy stripes and whimsical twisted columns, the design was later copied throughout the city.

San Gimignano, the former seat of power for the Salvucci and Ardinghelli families, is the most unusual of the Medieval Tuscan towns. Of its 79 original towers, 13 remain intact to this day. The structures provide visitors with a uniquely photogenic silhouette. The highest tower, Torre Grossa at Palazzo del Popolo, is open for visitors to tour. Frescoes decorate the walls of its two visual churches, while Pinacoteca offers outstanding paintings on display. The 10th-Century Collegiata is one of the most decorated churches in Italy. Though the exterior is rather plain, the 14th-Century frescoes illustrate exciting Biblical tales.

Rich in art and set in the hillside, Siena is one of Italy's best-preserved medieval towns. Many visitors are drawn by the legend of St. Catherine (1347-1380), who helped bring the Popes back from exile. The Sienese are proud of their immense unfinished Cathedral, with its intarsia pavement and stunning striped black and white marble exterior. Palazzo Pubblico, flanked by the Mangia Tower on Piazza del Campo, offers a splendid view for travelers as well. Siena led Emperor Frederick II's dynamic artistic movement, which resulted in Tuscany's 13th-Century revival.

The Gothic devise of narrative where people appear simultaneously in different parts of a picture, relating a sequential story, reached refined perfection in the Siena School of Painting. The style is brilliantly represented in the Siena Art Gallery. Jacopa della Quercia, the city's most famous architect and sculptor, is responsible for the superb Baptistry of San Giovanni font. Also, a visitor's favorite is the Church of San Domenico, known for its lovely frescoes and paintings.

Just 15 miles northeast of Livorno, is the Roman navel base of Pisa. Later, in the darkest days of the Middle Ages, the base helped keep the coast free of Saracens. A fleet of Pisan ships was said to have sailed off during the First Crusade, and by the 11th Century, the city had developed into a maritime republic that rivaled both Genoa and Venice. At its height, Pisa captured a large portion of Mediterranean territory, including the islands of Sardinia and Corsica.

Galileo Galilei taught at the city's university, while other notables including Percy and Mary Shelley resided in Pisa. Currently, engineers are racing to save the large tourist attraction, the Leaning Tower. Lead weights at the base of the tower balance its heavy mass. The project continues, despite there being little danger of its collaspe. In theory, the Leaning Tower could be set level, but many consider the possibility of changing the city's top attraction unthinkable! The surrounding Camo dei Miracoli (field of miracles) was named after the marble tower began to lean. The Duomo and its Baptistry, both opposite the "main attraction," also remain a bit off-center.

History
The Etruscans, spread across the regions of present-day Tuscany and Umbria as long ago as 750 B.C., and were the first to dominate the Italian land. Neolithic remains have been found throughout the area, though the Etruscans represent the first known communities. Tuscany is a derivation of the original tribal name.

Livorno ("Leghorn") serves as the Tuscan gateway. Though the Romans established the port, it was not fully developed until Florence's Medici family transformed it into a thriving commercial harbor. World War II bombs did destroy most of the ancient city, but it has since been rebuilt into the second largest Italian port - the gateway to Tuscany's magnificent artistic and architectural wealth. Just a few miles away in Pisa, the elegant Leaning Tower tilts precariously as it has for centuries. A little further is Lucca, and the remarkable hill towns of San Gemignano and Sienna. However, the jewel in the Tuscan crown is Firenze (Florence), one of the world's most magnificent medieval cities. Other lesser known, but exciting to travel, gems also dot the countryside.

Read more about the Holland America 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise.