Shore excursions

People who like cruises are increasingly looking for excursions that are different from those offered by the Tour Operator on board. A personalised programme is certainly the best way to discover another Tuscany exclusively, to hear about secret histories and be in touch with local life and philosophy. Being a guide and a private driver, I can offer you competitive prices for driving and tour-guiding in towns for 1, 2, 8 or more people. These excursions can be programmed from the harbours in Livorno and La Spezia.

FULL DAY

THE CINQUE TERRE

I meet you off your ship with a private chauffeured car and we set off for Portovenere (maximum one hour from Livorno) and we’ll explore this little town before setting off for Riomaggiore, the first of the Cinque Terre. We’ll walk along the Lovers’ Road (850 metres on level ground) to the second village, Manarola, and then we’ll set off for Vernazza, the most characteristic of the Cinque Terre with its charming church on the beach. We’ll take a ferry to the largest village, Monterosso. At the end of the day, I’ll take you back to your ship.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 590 Euro including private chauffeured car, my service as tour leader and guide service in the Cinque Terre
  • Boat ticket is not included and costs 20 Euro (for the whole day) per person. Extra: lunch, if required.

 

PISA & LUCCA

I wait with the private chauffeured car for you to disembark; we leave for Pisa (maximum 40 minutes from Livorno) and I give you a running commentary on what you can see as we drive along the road. In Pisa I give you a tour of the Piazza dei Miracoli (Miracles Square) with the famous Leaning Tower. If you want, we can go into the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Camposanto (Holy Cemetery). I’ll also show you another nice place, near Piazza dei Miracoli – Piazza Cavalieri where Italy’s most prestigious university is situated. After some free time (if you want it), we’ll go to Lucca (20 minutes) where we’ll visit the whole town: the Walls, Piazza San Michele, Giacomo Puccini’s birthplace, the Roman amphitheatre, the Church of San Frediano, the Guinigi Tower and the Volto Santo (Holy Face). After some free time (if you want it), we’ll drive back to Livorno.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 680 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as tour leader and city guide in Pisa and Lucca.
  • 600 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as city guide in Pisa and Lucca. The private chauffeured car meets you at your ship and you meet me in Pisa and Lucca.
  • 630 Euro including private chauffeured car, my service as tour leader and city guide service. You choose either Pisa or Lucca.
  • 580 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader. You meet the private chauffeured car and me at your ship and go sightseeing on your own.
  • Entrance tickets for historic buildings are not included and can be bought on site.

 

CARRARA & PISA or LUCCA

Meeting you at your ship with the private chauffeured car and tour leader, and departure for Carrara (maximum 60 minutes from Livorno). I give you a running commentary on what you can see as we drive along the road. You’ll first have the chance to visit a sculpture atelier and then we’ll drive up the mountain roads to Fantiscritti, where you can visit a small open-air museum created by an old marble quarryman who endlessly collected pieces to put in his museum to show the old ways of extracting, transporting and working marble from the time of the Romans to the present day. You’ll also have the chance to see the centre of Carrara with its beautiful Romanesque cathedral and the house where Michelangelo stayed. Then we will go back down the mountains and go to your choice of Lucca or Pisa:
Pisa: In Pisa I give you a tour of the Piazza dei Miracoli (Miracles Square) with the famous Leaning Tower. If you want, we can go into the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Camposanto (Holy Cemetery). I’ll also show you another nice place, near Piazza dei Miracoli – Piazza Cavalieri where Italy’s most prestigious university is situated. Then we’ll go back to Livorno following the River Arno.
Lucca: we’ll visit everything: the Walls, Piazza San Michele, Giacomo Puccini’s birthplace, the Roman amphitheatre, the Church of San Frediano, the Guinigi Tower and the Volto Santo (Holy Face). By then you may want some free time. We then return to Livorno with, time permitting, a stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 680 Euro including private chauffeured car, my service as tour leader and city guide service in Carrara and Pisa or Lucca.
  • 600 Euro including private chauffeured car and city guide service in Carrara and Pisa or Lucca (your choice). You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and the guide in Carrara and in Pisa or Lucca.
  • Entrance tickets for historic buildings are not included and can be bought on site.


FLORENCE

Meeting you at your ship with the private chauffeured car and the tour leader and departure for Florence (maximum 70 minutes from Livorno). I give you a running commentary on what you can see from the car. I take you to the city centre and arrange a meeting point for the return journey. After a short orientation tour together, you’ll go sightseeing on your own. I’ll show how to get to the beautiful Ponte Vecchio, the extraordinary Gothic cathedral and the superb Piazza Signoria. I’ll give you directions to the places you want to see and where you want to go. I can also guide you for an exclusive tour of this magical city. Before going back to Livorno, we’ll go up to Piazza Michelangelo where you’ll have a wonderful, panoramic view of the whole of Florence. On the way back to Livorno, we can add a stop at the Leaning Tower in Pisa.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 580 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader from the harbour to Florence and back.
  • 520 Euro including private chauffeured car and city guide service in Florence (maximum 3 hours). You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and the city guide in Florence.
  • 630 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as tour leader, city guide and city guide in Florence (maximum 3 hours).
  • We can help you in booking access to the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries. These are closed on Mondays.

SIENA

Meeting you at your ship with private chauffeured car and the tour leader, and departure for Siena (maximum 90 minutes). I give you a running commentary on what you can see from the car. I take you to the city centre and arrange a meeting point for the return journey. After a short orientation tour together, you’ll go sightseeing on your own. I’ll show you how to get to the beautiful Piazza del Campo where the Palio is run twice a year, the commercial street and the unique cathedral. I will be available for directing you to what you want to see and where you want to go. I can also suggest an excellent city guide for an exclusive tour of the fascinating city of Siena. On the way back to Livorno we’ll drove up some of the hills in Chianti.
To this full day, we can add a wine-tasting in a castle near Siena or in a wine cellar downtown.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 580 Euro including private chauffeured car and my services as tour leader from the harbour to Siena and back.
  • 540 Euro including private chauffeured car and city guide services in Siena (maximum of 3 hours). You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and the city guide in Siena.
  • 700 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as tour leader, city guide and city guide in Siena (maximum 3 hours).

 


SIENA E SAN GIMIGNANO

Meeting you at your ship with private chauffeured car and tour leader, and departure for Siena (maximum 90 minutes). I give you a running commentary on what you can see from the car. I take you to the city centre and arrange a meeting point for the return journey. After a short orientation tour together, you’ll go sightseeing on your own. I’ll show you how to get to the beautiful Piazza del Campo where the Palio is run twice a year, the commercial street and the unique cathedral. I will be available for directing you to what you want to see and where you want to go. I can also suggest an excellent city guide for an exclusive tour of the fascinating city of Siena. After that, we set off for the wonderful village of San Gimignano, famous for its perfectly preserved, dizzily high towers. San Gimignano is also a large craft centre. Pilgrims stopped there in the medieval period. After some free time (if there’s time), we’ll return to Livorno on country roads with lovely scenery which is also the shortest route back.
To this full day we can add a tasting of Chianti and Vernaccia wines, in a farmhouse near San Gimignano or in a wine cellar downtown.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 600 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader from the harbour to Siena/San Gimignano and back.
  • 560 Euro including private chauffeured car and city guide service in Siena (maximum 3 hours). You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and the city guide in Siena. You go sightseeing in San Gimignano on your own.
  • 720 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader and city guide service Siena (maximum 3 hours).

 


VOLTERRA & SAN GIMIGNANO

I wait with a private chauffeured car for you to disembark; we leave for Volterra (maximum 50 minutes from Livorno) and I give you a running commentary on what you can see from the car. The road we take goes through the hills called the “metal” hills on account of the copper and iron that have been mined there since antiquity. I’ll be your guide in this fascinating medieval town, an ancient Etruscan capital 3000 years ago which inspired the New Moon saga by the writer Stephanie Meyer. It has a wonderfully preserved Roman theatre with a Roman spa behind it, and one of the most important Etruscan museums in Italy. After that, we set off for the wonderful village of San Gimignano, famous for its perfectly preserved, dizzily high towers. San Gimignano is also a large craft centre. Pilgrims stopped there in the medieval period. After some free time (if there’s time), we’ll return to Livorno on country roads with lovely scenery which is also the shortest route back.
To this full day we can add a tasting of Chianti and Vernaccia wines in a farmhouse near San Gimignano or in a wine cellar downtown.

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 630 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader from Livorno to Volterra/San Gimignano and the tour of Volterra.
  • 520 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as city guide in Volterra (maximum 3 hours). You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and you meet me in Volterra. You go sightseeing on your own in San Gimignano.
  • Access to buildings is not included and tickets can be bought on site. Etruscan Museum: 9
  • Euro per person, reduced prices for groups and people aged 65 and over.

 


LUNIGIANA

I wait with a private chauffeured car for you to disembark; we leave for Fosdinovo where we’ll walk round this little medieval village and see the Malaspina Castle where Dante may have stayed in 1308 during his exile. There are wonderful views of the coast and the mountains (the Apennines and the Apuans) from the castle. We’ll then go to Filattiera in the heart of the Lunigiana, to visit the small 10th-century Romanesque Sorano chapel. Next we go to Pontremoli for a tour of the old medieval centre (cathedral, old streets and baroque palaces) and Piagnaro Castle with its stele museum.
We can complete the trip to the Lunigiana with a tasting of local wines and local snacks in wonderful wine cellars of Luni area (extra).

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 580 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader and guide from Livorno.
  • Access to the museum are not included and tickets can be bought on site. Malaspina's castle: 6 Euro per person, reduced prices for groups; Pontremoli's museum: 4 euro.
  • We can change the program and include the visit of the antic Roman colony Luni with the archaeological site (Entrance: 3 Euro).

Useful information
The excursions are very flexible. We could combine a visit to Pisa with exploring Volterra, for example, or San Gimignano and Pisa, or Lucca and Pietrasanta...

HALF DAY

PISA

Pisa-1I wait with the private chauffeured car for you to disembark; we leave for Pisa (maximum 40 minutes from Livorno) and I give you a running commentary on what you can see as we drive along the road. In Pisa I give you a tour of the Piazza dei Miracoli (Miracles Square) with the famous Leaning Tower. If you want, we can go into the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Camposanto (Holy Cemetery). I’ll also show you another nice place, near Piazza dei Miracoli – Piazza Cavalieri where Italy’s most prestigious university is situated. By then, you may want some free time. Afterwards, we’ll go to the riverside for a running commentary on the most important landmarks. We then return to Livorno following the course of the River Arno.

Price for 1-8 people:
• 500 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as tour leader and city guide in Pisa.
• 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and my city guide service in Pisa only. You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and you meet me in Pisa.
• 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and my services as tour leader only. You meet the private chauffeured car and me at your ship, and you go sightseeing by yourselves.
• Entrance tickets for historic buildings are not included and can be bought on site.

LUCCA

I wait with the private-chauffeured car for you to disembark in Livorno; we leave for Lucca (maximum 50 minutes from Livorno) and I give you a running commentary on what you can see as we drive along the road. In Lucca we’ll visit everything: the Walls, Piazza San Michele, Giacomo Puccini’s birthplace, the Roman amphitheatre, the Church of San Frediano, the Guinigi Tower and the Volto Santo (Holy Face). By then you may want some free time. We then return to Livorno with, time permitting, a stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Price for 1-8 people:
• 500 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as tour leader and city guide in Lucca.
• 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and my city guide service in Pisa. You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and you meet me in Lucca.
• 450 Euro including the private chauffeured car and my services as tour leader only. You meet the private chauffeured car and me at your ship, and you go sightseeing by yourselves.

CARRARA

Meeting you at your ship with the private chauffeured car and tour leader, and departure for Carrara (maximum 60 minutes from Livorno). I give you a running commentary on what you can see as we drive along the road. You’ll first have the chance to visit a sculpture atelier and then we’ll drive up the mountain roads to Fantiscritti, where you can visit a small open-air museum created by an old marble quarryman who endlessly collected pieces to put in his museum to show the old ways of extracting, transporting and working marble from the time of the Romans to the present day. You’ll also have the chance to see the centre of Carrara with its beautiful Romanesque cathedral and the house where Michelangelo stayed.

Price for 1-8 people:
• 500 Euro including private chauffeured car, my services as tour leader and city guide in Carrara.
• 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and my city guide service in Carrara. You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and you meet me in Carrara.
• Entrance to the museum is free, entrance to the sculpture atelier is 2 Euro per person and entrance to a quarry is 8 Euro.

LERICI & PORTOVENERE

I wait with a private chauffeured car for you to disembark; we leave for Lerici (maximum 60 minutes from Livorno) and I give you a running commentary on the landscape on the road. From Lerici, a boat ride to Portovenere. You’ll visit this charming little place situated on a promontory with its carugi, the little narrow streets typical of the Genova area. You can sample the delicious specialities of this place such focaccia and pesto. We’ll then sail back to Lerici where you’ll be free to walk along the beach, sit in the sunny square in a café terrasse overlooking the harbour, or climb up to the castle that stands above the bay. After some free time, we’ll go back to your ship..

Price for 1-8 people:

• 500 Euro including private chauffeured car, my service as tour leader and city guide in Lerici/Portovenere.
• 470 Euro including private chauffeured car and city guide service in Lerici/Portovenere. You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and you meet the city guide in Lerici/Portovenere.
• 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader only. You meet the private chauffeured car and me at your ship, and go sightseeing on your own.
• Boat ticket is not included and costs 10 Euro round trip and per person.

 

VOLTERRA

I wait with a private chauffeured car for you to disembark; we leave for Volterra (maximum 50 minutes from Livorno) and I give you a running commentary on what you can see from the car. The road we take goes through the hills called the “metal” hills on account of the copper and iron that have been mined there since antiquity. I’ll be your guide in this fascinating medieval town, an ancient Etruscan capital 3000 years ago which inspired the New Moon saga by the writer Stephanie Meyer. It has a wonderfully preserved Roman theatre with a Roman spa behind it, and one of the most important Etruscan museums in Italy. When we go back to your ship, we’ll take a different route so as not bore you!

Price for 1-8 people:

  • 500 Euro including private chauffeured car, my service as tour leader and city guide in Volterra.
  • 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and city guide service only in Volterra. You meet the private chauffeured car at your ship and you meet the city guide in Volterra.
  • 450 Euro including private chauffeured car and my service as tour leader only. You meet the private chauffeured car and me at your ship and go sightseeing on your own.
  • Admission tickets are not included and can be bought on site. Etruscan Museum: 9 Euro per person, reductions for groups and people aged 65 and over.