Livorno Travel Forum

Hi,

I have been told emphatically that driving in and around Naples is a no no, unless I am interested in a coronary or for my blood pressure to explode. I am heeding the advice of those who have gone before and those that might live there. My question here is, what is it like to drive from Livorno to Florence, then to Pisa and then maybe to some small village or town in Tuscany. Is the traffic negotiable and resonable or will I regret it. I will be in the area for one day (off a cruise ship) and I would like to see Florence and Pisa for sure and then maybe if there is time,( I know there probably won't be), maybe squeese in a Tuscan town. If it can be done, which Tuscan town would you recommend that is charming and quaint?

i saw 2 accidents in half an hour when i was in livorno - but they don't drive as madly as they do in rome

I don't drive and actually prefer not to be driven out on an autostrada in italy

but i am a big scaredy cat

when it comes to quaint towns everyone says Lucca is quaint - but i have not been there yet

suggest that the biggest problem with going on your own into Tuscany in a rental car is that if you get lost and arrive late, the cruise ship will leave without you. With a definite time by when you must return, suggest hiring a knowledgeable local driver or taking some sort of tour. Only the ( usually expensive and not so good) cruise - sponsored tours are the only ones for which the ship will delay departure.

It takes 1h30 to drive from Livorno to Florence, largely on the SP40 (via Empoli), and possibly another hour driving around it trying to park.... then presumably you actually want to see something in the city, which if you want to include San Miniato and the view over Florence, should surely eat up at least 3 hours even if you wouldn't be going into any museums.
You can return to Livorno on the A1 via Lucca and Pisa, which would take about 2 hours if you didn't stop: otherwise, 1h06 from Florence to Lucca, then 30 minutes from Lucca to Pisa, and another 30 from Pisa to Livorno. However, if you wanted to see anything of Florence, I don't see that you have the time: out of your day you would have more than 3h30 driving (more if you end up in any traffic jams), plus time for finding your way and parking, and walking from wherever you manage to park to whatever you want to see.. I don't know exactly how much time you will have but doubt that you could manage even an hour in each place if you go to 3. Is it really worth it?
By the way, Florence and Pisa are both Tuscan towns, as is Lucca. If you mean one of the hill towns, San Gimignano is also 1 1/2 hours from Livorno, turning off the road to Florence at Empoli. As regards whether traffic is negotiable, sure, on the motorways; but many Italian cities are medieval, you will have to cope with narrow streets and one-way systems, or park a long way out of the centre and walk in, all of which reduces the time available for actually seeing anything.

I drove one day in Tuscany and spent way too much time lost and trying to return the rental car - way too much time. It really was not worth it. I would suggest going to Pisa and then taking the train to nearly Lucca for the day. Lucca is one of the most charming places you can find in Tuscany - it is a real hidden gem. You can easily spend the entire day in the wall-enclosed old town. Rent bikes and ride around the walls or walk them. I loved Lucca and it is so close to Pisa and Livorno that you will not be stressing out and you don't even want to have a car there.

Well, it certainly will be easier/safer to drive in Tuscany than in Naples. However, the other VTers make some good points. You don't have the time to see Pisa and Florence and another Tuscan town...not if you actually want to see anything.

Personally, I would drop Florence off your list - not that it isn't deserving, but that it deserves far more time than you have to give it.

Many people think Pisa is a waste, but they don't realize how many people equate 'Italy' with 'the Leaning Tower'. The Italians are particularly puzzled on why Americans especially fixate on the tower - but Italians don't realize that the Leaning Tower is painted on the walls of every Italian restaurant in America(!). Anyway, the whole Piazza dei Miracoli is actually quite pretty (the tower, the basilica, the duomo, and the museum), especially if the authorities still keep the trinket sellers on the other side of the street.

So, if you really want to drive in the country, do this:
1. rent the car in Livorno.
2. Drive north to Pisa - about 30 minutes if you don't get lost.
3. While parking, look for municipal parking lots as opposed to the street. The city has a number of poorly marked no parking areas (they apparently make a lot of money from parking tickets), but the municipal lots are close by.
4. When finished, drive to San Gimignano. This will take about 1.5 hours, again, if you have no unplanned detours.
5. You will probably have to park outside of town...it's been a long time since I was there (and I was in a bus at the time), but it is typical of these hilltowns that there are municipal lots just on the edge of town, so you can park and walk in.
6. Apologize to Lew (Nicolaitan) who thinks that San Gimignano is just a tourist trap...oh, well ;-)
7. Eat a late lunch in San Gimignano, then get back on the road and drive to Volterra. This is NOT the direction you came, but through rural highways in Tuscan back to the west. This will take about 45 minutes.
8. Walk around and have a something to drink in Volterra - look up on somebody's web pages what to do (I haven't been there but because it has Etruscans, I want to go).
9. Hop in the car and drive back to Livorno. You will proceed west to about Cecina, then head north to Livorno. This will take about 1.5 hours.

So, you have driven a large circle through Tuscany; however, there is about 4.25 hours of driving time above. You need to figure out how much time you actually have, how much you want to do in various venues, and how much risk you are willing to undertake (since the ship will leave you if you're late)...

Bill

Agree it will be a bit easier/safer than in the Naples area. But all the points about time taken to do paperwork/navigation/very different style of driving etc still hold true.

Public transport in Italy is excellent, but you cannot see everything in a day. Either spend the whole time in Florence or miss it entirely, as Bill suggests, and concentrate instead on Pisa and (perhaps, if time) one of the hill towns. Lucca, for example, is only 30 minutes from Pisa by train.

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

But remember the ship will not wait.....and there can be delays....

Hi,
I drove already a lot in Tuscany and around Livorno/Pisa, but would rather forget the whole thing and book one of the offered tours or rent a cab plus driver!
You won't have much more than 7 hours maximum (usually you cannot leave the ship before say 10am and will have to be on board again at least by 5-6p.m.)
Renting and returning the car, finding the autostrada , finding the right exit for Florence, seeking a parking-lot, getting to the city center (where all the monuments are)will end up in a kind of rat-race and strain your nerves! Let alone your idea of visiting also Pisa and another Tuscanean village !
Stay at the safe side!

look honestly these cruises with their tantalising offers of a quick taste of the many flavours of italy

the slow food movement started in italy - for a good reason

and so many of the questions in the italian forum are about cruises which stop in Rome (ha ha cittavecchia long way from rome) and in Livorno - only someone whose nonna came from Livorno (like me) would be interested in Livorno

they are a total big have and rip!

oh it is so hard to spell - Civitavecchia

Port rental takes about 10 minutes, car is at the dock. Agencies have rental cars available at the dock with agents who have maps. they will get you out with a full tank of gasoline. Pisa and Lucca are very easy to get to and the traffic is only light heavy around the port. Just remember the way out to get back in to the right dock. Florence is a bit much,unless all you want to do is walk the Ponte Vecchio and around the main Piazza and straw market. Parking lots do exist in Pisa, just outside the major attraction, the leaning tower, and Parking is all around Lucca's walls. I did both in plenty of time to have lunch and shop and walk the walls of Lucca in a relaxed manner and still got to Pisa to have a late afternoon pizza and visit the grounds of the Pizza dei Miracoli with the leaning tower and got tickets to go inside the cathedral, and baptistry. Back in time for the car return at the dock of my ship and board the ship 3/4 hour before sailing.