Europe Day 7: Pisa

Thursday, November 11th, Florence to Pisa (morning – mid afternoon) & Florence (mid-afternoon – night)

07:30 - 8:00 - Breakfast at hotel.
08:00 - Travel from Florence SMN to Pisa Centrale by train. Time varies from 1 to 1.5 hours.

This day we actually reversed to route and walked to the Leaning Tower and took the bus back to the station.

09:30 - Take Bus 4 heading Duomo (buy tickets and validate them on boarding, tickets can be bought at tobacconists, bars and newsagents. Consider 4 ticket booklet if necessary).
10:00 - 10:10 - Follow the signs to the ticket office and buy a combined ticket for the number of museums you want to visit.

10:10 - 12:30 (Add one hour if you will see all the museums plus time to climb the tower)

• Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles, UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Torre Pendente (Leaning Tower) (open 930-1730, E$15 to climb it)
• Duomo di Pisa (Cathedral) (Free admission from 1 Nov to end of Feb, otherwise E$2). See surviving bronze doors and carved pulpit.
• Battistero (Baptistry) to see another carved pulpit
• Campo Santo Monumentale (Cemetery) for collection of ancient Roman sarcophagi and splendid medieval frescoes by the "Master of the Triumph of Death"
• Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (statues, frescoes, bronze doors)
• Museo delle Sinopie (damaged frescoes)

12:30 - Lunch and walk around. Suggested route:
Piazza Cavalotti
Piazza dei Cavalieri / Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo dell’Orologio
Borgo Stretto (an old street with lots of shops)
Palazzo Garibaldi
Ponte di Mezzo (bridge)
Piazza XX Settembre
Corso Italia
Piazza Vittorio Emanuel II
Stazion Pisa Centrale

13:30 - Leave Pisa and return to Florence (Stazione Firenze SMN) by train

Florence

15:00 - Take bus 12 (from S around the corner from hotel, direction Il David). Get off at stop 20 (2nd last)for Basilica San Miniato al Monte or the next stop (Piazzale Michelangelo) for a sunset view of the city.
17:00 - Take bus 13 or 12 (direction Park Stazione) to return to the train station.
18:00 - 19:00 - Have dinner, early night, and return to hotel.

See gallery Europe Day 7 - Pisa

Europe Day 6: Florence

Wednesday, November 10th - Rome -> Florence (LP276-277)
07:45 - 08:45 - Check out of hotel, go to Roma Termini station. Grab breakfast if not eaten.
08:45 - 10:20 - Train ESI 9404 departs 08:45 Roma Termini to Firenze SMN (Santa Maria Novella) 10:20.

• Pick up a map and bus schedule at Tourist Information Center.
• Buy 6 70-minute bus tickets (E$1.2 each)

10:40 - 11:15 - Arrive and settle down at Florence Room Bed & Breakfast (Via Fiume, 1 - 50123 - Tel.: 0039 055 212617).
11:15 - 11:45 - Walk to the Piazza della Stazione and take bus 1 outside McDonald’s to Piazza di San Marco (3rd stop, called #4) OR Walk 1km to Galleria dell’Accademia.
11:45 - 12:45 - Visit Galleria dell’Accademia (E$610, open 815am to 650pm, David and other masterpieces). Photography not allowed.

12:45 - 13:00 - Walk 500m S along via Ricasoli to the Duomo.
13:00 - 13:30 - Grab a quick lunch.

13:30 - 14:00 - Visit the Duomo (Cathederal)

14:00 - 14:30 - Go across to the Baptistery of San Giovanni on the S side of Piazza del Duomo to see Gates of Paradise (a set of three doors, free) by Ghiberti.

14:30 - 15:00 - 200m S to Piazza della Signoria (a public square with statues and fountains)

15:00 - 15:30 - SW 200m to Ponte Vecchio (bridge with overpriced tourist items)
15:30 - 18:30 - return NE to Galleria delgi Uffizi (book ahead, collect tickets at Gate 3, closes 6:50pm, many rennaisance masterpieces). Photography not allowed.
18:30 - 20:00 - Immediately N of the gallery is Piazza della Signoria. Then, from the NW corner go N 100m on third street on the right is Cantinetta dei Verrazzano (a bakery on the outside but tables inside). 50m NW is Piazza Repubblica with shopping nearby. Multiple Choice:

• grab take away foccacia and go shopping
• sit down and eat and hope shops still open afterwards
• shop and hope restaurants still open after shopping and not starving

20:00 - 20:30 - Walk 1km back to hotel.

See gallery Europe Day 6 - Florence