So before we jumped on this cruise, I was on cruise critic and was on the roll call boards. I met a good friend on it, Terri, and we chose to split up some different planning areas. She did the Livorno Port--I did Rome--and then we went with her on Sicily as well. Well we decided to not do Carnival excursions only because you do not get the bang for your buck! You may say, yeah, but you don't have the guarantee of holding the boat for you and things like that. Sure.....but this is not the first rodeo for these companies who provide these services. There are many cruise ships who go through the port each day and have been for many years! They understand the importance of getting back to the boat on time!! So we took the "risk" in Europe as we do on any cruise in the caribbean. We picked them through trip advisor or cruise critic.
Terri booked with Sunflower Tours which had to be my favorite tour of the entire cruise. My husband would say Rome....but this tour was outstanding! Giovani was our tour guide and when we were picked up we were whisked away to Florence. We had reservations at The Accademia at a certain time (10am?) and so we went to The Duomo first. I had been to Florence before, so seeing The Duomo again was not high on my list, however, it was just as beautiful again!
We were also given some shopping time here which was nice--so there is a market right by this area which was convenient. At one point, Giovani had said we may not be able to do Piazza Michelangelo---I said no, that is a MUST! So we spent time shopping and headed back on the comfortable van! There was a group of 8 us by the way--and paid VERY good prices compared to Carnival. I can find them for those who may be interested in the price difference, but I can also tell you that no one did as much as us that day!
So we headed to The Accademia and saw the infamous David. It was also entertaining for the 2nd time--but I am not going back for a third people! Here is a fake David---obviously not the real thing:
I was so happy we had made a reservation for at 10am--they just let us in! We stood in a not so long line compared to everyone else who showed up that day and were whisked in very easily. Once we were done, we drove to Santa Croce---which was another beautiful church, where Michelangelo and Dante are buried, we were not able to go in due to time restraints, however it was beautiful from the outside!
We then headed to Ponte Vecchio, which is just a beautiful bridge area where you can do some gold shopping. This is really nice at sunset, however we were there in 90 degree weather!
We then headed to my must-see Piazza Michelangelo. I am not sure what it is--but it is peaceful and gorgeous views! IT IS A MUST PEOPLE!! GO! It is a great photo spot and I clearly like pictures.
By this time, we are getting hungry and we are ready to start our adventure to Tuscany. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. We were taken to this winery where we had a tour of the winery and then we were sat down to do wine tasting, eat bruschetta, beef carpaccio, salami, cheese, and honey. It was so much fun! The eight of us had an excellent time and it was the perfect thing to do in Italy!
We all bought some wine and olive oil which was fabulous by the way! Then we were headed off to Pisa and we took the long way. Giovani asked if we wanted to drive around Tuscany or go straight on the highway, we of course said Tuscany! I fell asleep about 5-10 minutes in it! Now, last time I was in Florence area, we did the Cinque Terre which I still also recommend! However, Pisa is actually something neat to see at least once! We were given an hour to explore here and we had a great time! We had some gelato like we did in most cities at least 2-3 times a day. It was so hot that gelato really just saved the day!
Be careful of the McDonald's there and trying to use the bathroom, you must buy something and there is a code on the receipt that you use in order to use the restroom. They were filthy---so beware!
It was a GREAT day with Giovani---and he is highly recommended! http://www.sunflower-tours.com/
Next stop: When in Rome...
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