Livorno/Florence

Upon reaching the port of Livorno (Leghorn) during an MSC cruise in the Mediterranean, you will find a lively town with a glorious past; its name it thought to derive from liburna, an ancient Roman vessel.

Boasting some historical monuments – Old Fortress, New Fortress, Marzocco Tower – that have survived Fascist demolitions and Allied bombings, the city is a good starting point for a discovery tour of the Tuscan food and wine culture: fruits, vegetables, typical dishes of the traditional sea and land cuisines and, of course, wines such as Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, a wine of great regional importance. One of the excursions proposed by MSC Cruises will take you to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. Along its streets strolled great artists and writers such as Dante, Brunelleschi and Donatello, among others. Let yourself be enchanted by the beauty of its historical buildings, such as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower or Duomo), a clear example of Gothic art with its pink, white and green marble exterior and an interior decorated with frescoes by Giorgio Vasari. The Uffizi Gallery, on the other hand, is one of the most important museums in the world, housing masterpieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raffaello and Tiziano, to name a few. It is impossible not to be enchanted by the magic of Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge), the majesty of Piazza della Signoria and the elegance of the Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross). Another excursion is dedicated to Pisa, the birth city of Galileo Galilei. The city is famous for its Tower, a leaning bell tower of white stone facing Piazza dei Miracoli, which also hosts the Cathedral and Baptistery.

The former was designed by the architects Buscheto and Rainaldo and completed at the end of the 12th century, while construction of the latter began in the second half of the 12th century. Its architectural lines are similar to those of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.