NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE

As you disembark your cruise ship in Livorno, meet your private driver and enjoy a full-day excursion to two world-renowned Tuscan towns.

Pisa, with its 3,000 years of history, record-breaking academic and scientific achievements, culinary feats and artistic wonders is an obligatory stop on every trip to Tuscany. Your guide will be waiting for you in the city centre ready to lead you back down the centuries on an exciting discovery journey of this once powerful maritime republic, feared ruler of the Mediterranean Sea and Italian trade routes. You will retrace the history of Pisa, from its Etruscan origins, through its development and growth as a Roman port, to the city’s rise and expansion in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, when many of its striking, much praised monuments were built and the city’s commercial and military might reached an unprecedented pinnacle.

As you wander through the UNESCO-listed Field of Miracles, your attention drawn to the four magnificent buildings, your guide will paint a vivid scene of life in Pisa in medieval times and explain to which gifted artists and enlightened patrons the city owes this celebrated complex. You will take a peek inside the 11th century Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta to admire the precious mosaic of Saint John the Evangelist by Cimabue and Giovanni Pisano’s skilfully carved pulpit, a true masterpiece of Gothic sculpture. You will also explore the grandiose Baptistery of St. John, the largest in Italy, graced by Bigarelli’s splendid baptismal font and Nicola Pisano’s proto-Renaissance pulpit. Another not-to-be missed sight is the Monumental Cemetery, according to tradition built on soil carried back from the Holy Land, famous for the ancient Roman sarcophagi preserved here as well as spectacular 14th century frescoes. The beauty of these sparked Pisa’s fame in the 1700s and led the city to become a must-see destination for Europe’s Grand Tour visitors.

But what draws thousands of enthusiasts to Pisa every year is the 12th century Leaning Tower, the town’s most cherished jewel, one of Italy’s most iconic monuments and an authentic miracle of statics known worldwide for its extraordinary tilt. Who’s up for a climb to the top of its 251 spiralling steps? From here, 55 metres above the ground, you’ll have earned a privileged 360-degree view over this remarkable city which has itself become a monument to human genius and creativity.

In the afternoon, after some free time for lunch, set off for Lucca. Originally an Etruscan settlement, the town was later conquered by the Romans and evidence of their influence can still be perceived today. The Church and Piazza di San Michele stand on the remains of an ancient Roman Forum while the outline of a long-lost Roman amphitheatre is still discernible in the shape of the exquisite Piazza dell’Anfiteatro whose buildings retrace the oval form of foundations and masonry from an earlier age. Lucca’s fortunes waxed in the Middle Ages when a booming economy, largely driven by the production of silk, led to a building expansion and a series of towers, erected by ambitious families wishing to make a show of their wealth, sprung across the city. Although only two still stand guard today, it only takes a tiny step of the imagination to picture the approximately 130 towers that used to loom over Lucca in its medieval heyday, each heralding the prominence and ambitions of the household that lived here.

Several Renaissance masterpieces attest to the town’s growth as a thriving artistic hub in the 15th and 16th centuries and to the prime role occupied by Lucca in nurturing some the most brilliant talents of the time – from military engineers to sculptors. Among the enthralling sights you will encounter on your tour are the imposing, perfectly preserved Renaissance era walls; the Romanesque Church of San Frediano, adorned by a 13th century golden facade mosaic; the Cathedral of San Martino housing the much venerated wooden crucifix of the Holy Face, which according to legend authentically represents Christ’s real features. The exquisitely carved funerary monument of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia and works by renowned Italian Renaissance painters such as Ghirlandaio, Tintoretto and Fra Bartolomeo are also among the cathedral’s cherished treasures.

After a pleasant stroll through the enchanting streets and squares of Lucca, rejoin your driver and return to the cruise ship in Livorno.