Azamara Shuttle Bus In Livono

[tring]

Can I ask if the Azamara shuttles go to Livorno city centre?

 

We will be in Livorno for two days late October and would like to get a train to Lucca on the second day and drop into Piza on the way back.  I see it can be very difficult to get a taxi for a short distance from the port to the station as they want to go for much larger fares, yet cruise shuttles tend to go the opposite way to the city centre.  If so, would it be easier (and probably cheaper) to pick up a taxi to the train station from the city centre, which is an option we are considering.  No probs getting back as we leave port at 10pm on the second day.  We do not want to go the first day as it is the Azamazing Evening that day, which we do not want to miss.

 

We know that a lot of people would recommend Florence, but we want an easy, restful cruise without haring round to tourist venues for that trip as the main point is to experience Azamara as a potential new cruise line to us. 

Edited June 26, 2019 by tring

[Lottie A]

If you berth at the usual Coastguard berth in Livorno it's a pretty easy walk into town...about 10 -15 mins depending on your speed. If the berth is further out then the shuttle bus does drop you in the centre of Livorno. You can then get a local bus to the train station as it is out of town. They go from the side of the McDonalds and are fairly frequent. You have to change trains at Pisa for Lucca. 

I love Lucca ....Florence is packed with tourists and Lucca is not. It is a beautiful walled medieval city. Try to have lunch in Piazza Amfitheatro. 

 

If you could get a tour group together from your roll call then I would recommend the lovely Paolo at www.unforgettabletuscany.com 

He has been taking us to Lucca from Livorno for many years now and both he and his drivers are excellent. He will tailor the tour for you. 

[hrhdhd]

Over on the Italy ports of call board, you can get good directions about grabbing a bus to the train station. The bus stop is just up the road from the ship, and there are newsstands on the way where you can buy bus tickets. Buy two for each person, and then you'll have them when you return to Livorno on the train and can just hop on a bus to get back to the port.

 

 

[tring]

Thank you both very much for those useful replies.  Must admit our only previous visit to Livorno was on the same ship, though called Adonia at the time and we remember docking very centrally and being able to walk into the town.  I also remember the very picturesque view of Livorno as we sailed off into the sunset.

 

Can I also ask how to pronounce Lucca.  I am saying 'luck a', but my husband is saying the more likely 'Luke a', or it could be something different again 🙂

.

[Lottie A]

It's Luka. The residents are called Lucchese, pronounced Lukaysee and the local dish of Pasta Lucchese is delicious.  

[tring]

13 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

It's Luka. The residents are called Lucchese, pronounced Lukaysee and the local dish of Pasta Lucchese is delicious.  

 

Thanks - mind I think that has confused me more now 🙂    The local names are always different to what you expect.

[Lottie A]

4 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks - mind I think that has confused me more now 🙂    The local names are always different to what you expect.

If Italian place names confuse you tring then you had better not come to Wales! We have some of the most unpronounceable place names of all. 

 

For example there is a little town in Anglesey, North Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The residents shorten it to LlanfairPG. 

It literally means:-

The church of St Mary of the pool of the white hazels near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave. 

[Bloodaxe]

6 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

If Italian place names confuse you tring then you had better not come to Wales! We have some of the most unpronounceable place names of all. 

 

For example there is a little town in Anglesey, North Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The residents shorten it to LlanfairPG. 

It literally means:-

The church of St Mary of the pool of the white hazels near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave. 

 

I know it very well Lottie, we lived and worked on the beautiful Island in the 1970s.

Edited June 26, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[Lottie A]

2 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

I know it very well Lottie, we lived and worked on the beautiful Island in the 1970s.

Did you Eric? Anglesey is very beautiful isn't it? How good is your Welsh now? 

I'm speaking Southern Welsh and being very polite! 

 

Gadael diod ar ein mordaith nesaf gyda'n gilydd! 

[Bloodaxe]

36 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

Did you Eric? Anglesey is very beautiful isn't it? How good is your Welsh now? 

I'm speaking Southern Welsh and being very polite! 

 

Gadael diod ar ein mordaith nesaf gyda'n gilydd! 

 

Not good at all, but I could usually make out what my work mates were on about, especially if they were swearing at me.

If we had stayed longer I would have made more effort to learn the language and my Son who was born there would have been fluent

Edited June 26, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[Lottie A]

6 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Not good at all, but I could usually make out what my work mates were on about, especially if they were swearing at me.

If we had stayed longer I would have made more effort to learn the language and my Son who was born there would have been fluent.

So he could have played for Wales! 😄

[Bloodaxe]

7 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

So he could have played for Wales! 😄

 

He could have, he did marry a Welsh girl so our grandsons are also part Welsh but born in York.

Best of both worlds in my opinion.

Edited June 26, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[tring]

2 hours ago, Lottie A said:

If Italian place names confuse you tring then you had better not come to Wales! We have some of the most unpronounceable place names of all. 

 

For example there is a little town in Anglesey, North Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The residents shorten it to LlanfairPG. 

It literally means:-

The church of St Mary of the pool of the white hazels near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave. 

 

I herald from Liverpool - often referred to as the capital of Wales (well when it is not being referred to as the capital of Ireland that is).  We spent many of our summer weekends in Wales as children and my younger brother has retired to Wales, spending much of his time cycling and walking in the hills/mountains and along the coast.  I was brought up in south Liverpool, where there is a large Welsh community and I had lots of Welsh teachers at school as well as a friend who was Welsh.  I can manage the well known welsh pronunciations like Dolgellau, Llandudno and Llangollen along with some other places and try my best with other names or ask locals if the opportunity arises.  Agreed sound nothing like you would expect.  My husband can get quite a complex when exiting a Welsh car park, given that his name is Allan - the instruction "allan out" in the bilingual form, does sound a bit harsh 🙂  

 

The middle third of the long place name eludes me, but I can manage the rest.  I have heard it was given the long name in more recent years, largely to attract attention and visitors.  I do not know if that is true, but given it's location on the main road across Anglesey, it does have a reputation that can encourage stops by people who otherwise would drive straight past.  My grandmother had a Welsh Insurance collector who amused me as a child by reciting that place name if we were visiting Gran.  

 

I do  like Wales and is our main go to day out, or overnight, venue since we live even nearer now, on the Welsh side of the Mersey.

Edited June 26, 2019 by tring

[Lottie A]

Tring..,I don't know why I thought you were American. If you hail from Liverpool then you are an honorary Celt...be it Welsh or Irish! 

Next question...are you red or blue? 😄

[tring]

4 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

Tring..,I don't know why I thought you were American. If you hail from Liverpool then you are an honorary Celt...be it Welsh or Irish! 

Next question...are you red or blue? 😄

 

Most people on this forum seem to be from the US, Canada or Australia, so I tend to think of people being American rather than check their details.

 

My family were more red based, but the only big football fan is my older brother who went to Newfoundland in the late sixties and has raised a family there along with his US born, but Canadian raised, wife.  He is still a big fan and subscibes to a streaming (?site or whatever they are called) and watches all Liverpool matches along with others.  Lots of exciting games lately, which even I have watched if they were on normal TV.  My brother's elder daughter is a soccer player and still plays for a (slightly older) team.  She was selected for N'land when she was younger at one stage, but was unable to take it up as she got an injury soon after selection which scuppered that season for her.

 

My son is actually light blue (i.e. Tranmere Rovers) and has had season tickets some years.  That is the Wirral team which is a load cheaper to buy tickets for 🙂 and is his reason for that.  Sadly they have not done well over recent years, but he did have the chance to see them at Wembly a number of years ago.

 

I have no celtish background going back a fair way, but can claim a Swedish great grandfather.  My husband's father surprisingly mentioned a few years ago that he had a Welsh speaking  grandmother, though he was from the NE and lived in Hampshire after marrying his wife from Portsmouth (who he had met when he was in the Navy in the war).  My husband came to Liverpool as a student.

[hamrag]

9 hours ago, tring said:

We will be in Livorno for two days late October and would like to get a train to Lucca on the second day and drop into Piza on the way back......

That was our intention, on a previous Livorno stop. However, when we walked off there were hire cars available on the pier so we travelled by car. We visited the coastal resort Viareggio, as well as Lucca and Pisa and still had plenty time to return for a 6pm sailaway.

[tring]

12 minutes ago, hamrag said:

That was our intention, on a previous Livorno stop. However, when we walked off there were hire cars available on the pier so we travelled by car. We visited the coastal resort Viareggio, as well as Lucca and Pisa and still had plenty time to return for a 6pm sailaway.

 

Interesting thought, but I have lost my driving licence for medical reasons and DH not that keen on driving in Italy.  The traffic has been pretty busy in areas of Italy we have visited previously, so coupled with driving on the wrong side of the road, is particularly unappealing.

 

Can I ask how you found the traffic and driving though and if you drive a lot when abroad?  The only places we have hired cars in the last 10-15 years is La Gomera and El Hierro which have more or less empty roads, which is a big contrast to the other Canary Islands, but it was great to get to the more remote areas of those islands.

[Melissaghoti]

Tring - Lucca, is a good choice. Delightful city and now I’ll be pronouncing it correctly! Thanks, Lottie.

I have a Cardigan (the one with a tail) Welsh corgi and wanted to give her a Welsh name. That didn’t work out at all!

 

Melissa

 

[hamrag]

10 hours ago, tring said:

 

Interesting thought, but I have lost my driving licence for medical reasons and DH not that keen on driving in Italy.  The traffic has been pretty busy in areas of Italy we have visited previously, so coupled with driving on the wrong side of the road, is particularly unappealing.

 

Can I ask how you found the traffic and driving though and if you drive a lot when abroad?  The only places we have hired cars in the last 10-15 years is La Gomera and El Hierro which have more or less empty roads, which is a big contrast to the other Canary Islands, but it was great to get to the more remote areas of those islands.

 

I honestly cannot remember, although I was probably about 50 at the time and wouldn't have given it a second thought....also I had my usual navigator (DW) and two confident adult child drivers in the car! We do not drive abroad routinely, but have done so a number of times...Florida, Tenerife, Algarve, Majorca, Menorca are the ones which come to mind, but that occasion is the only time I have driven in Italy.

 

If your DH is not keen, I would not recommend it as there will be nervousness from the outset.

Edited June 27, 2019 by hamrag

[tring]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

I honestly cannot remember, although I was probably about 50 at the time and wouldn't have given it a second thought....also I had my usual navigator (DW) and two confident adult child drivers in the car! We do not drive abroad routinely, but have done so a number of times...Florida, Tenerife, Algarve, Majorca, Menorca are the ones which come to mind, but that occasion is the only time I have driven in Italy.

 

If your DH is not keen, I would not recommend it as there will be nervousness from the outset.

 

Thanks for the reply.  I think it would not so much be nervousness, but a feeling of 'I am on holiday and cannot be bothered'.

 

We have driven extensively in some Spanish Islands and The Algarve like you mention as well as Tunisia where the total mileage went into the hundreds over a week as we left our hotel for a few day.  We have usually had time to get used to the car locally without having to make a particular destination the first day though, the only cruise hires being in the places mentioned yesterday and would be very happy to do the same again there.   Although I rarely drove we always considered it an advantage that I could drive if need be as well.  Strange how it was much easier taking our own car to France/Belgium etc. than we had expected, since it is a RH drive of course.

 

We will take the easy option of the train, but with enough Euros to be able to take a taxi if needed.

[Bloodaxe]

10 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks for the reply.  I think it would not so much be nervousness, but a feeling of 'I am on holiday and cannot be bothered'.

 

We have driven extensively in some Spanish Islands and The Algarve like you mention as well as Tunisia where the total mileage went into the hundreds over a week as we left our hotel for a few day.  We have usually had time to get used to the car locally without having to make a particular destination the first day though, the only cruise hires being in the places mentioned yesterday and would be very happy to do the same again there.   Although I rarely drove we always considered it an advantage that I could drive if need be as well.  Strange how it was much easier taking our own car to France/Belgium etc. than we had expected, since it is a RH drive of course.

 

We will take the easy option of the train, but with enough Euros to be able to take a taxi if needed.

 

Sensible option, let the train take the strain.

[Mackdogmolly]

On 6/26/2019 at 1:00 PM, tring said:

 

I herald from Liverpool - often referred to as the capital of Wales (well when it is not being referred to as the capital of Ireland that is).  We spent many of our summer weekends in Wales as children and my younger brother has retired to Wales, spending much of his time cycling and walking in the hills/mountains and along the coast.  I was brought up in south Liverpool, where there is a large Welsh community and I had lots of Welsh teachers at school as well as a friend who was Welsh.  I can manage the well known welsh pronunciations like Dolgellau, Llandudno and Llangollen along with some other places and try my best with other names or ask locals if the opportunity arises.  Agreed sound nothing like you would expect.  My husband can get quite a complex when exiting a Welsh car park, given that his name is Allan - the instruction "allan out" in the bilingual form, does sound a bit harsh 🙂  

 

The middle third of the long place name eludes me, but I can manage the rest.  I have heard it was given the long name in more recent years, largely to attract attention and visitors.  I do not know if that is true, but given it's location on the main road across Anglesey, it does have a reputation that can encourage stops by people who otherwise would drive straight past.  My grandmother had a Welsh Insurance collector who amused me as a child by reciting that place name if we were visiting Gran.  

 

I do  like Wales and is our main go to day out, or overnight, venue since we live even nearer now, on the Welsh side of the Mersey.

Tring, not to interrupt the Wales discussion, but my son-in-law is from Widnes!

[tring]

3 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Tring, not to interrupt the Wales discussion, but my son-in-law is from Widnes!

 

It is a small world over here 🙂

 

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

It is a small world over here 🙂

 

Yes, and we enjoyed a visit to Liverpool when visiting our SIL’s family in Widnes a couple of years ago 😊

[Mercruiser]

Here is a Google maps link showing where Azamara has docked in the past. As noted by others, it is much closer to Livorno than where the big cruise ships dock.

 

Molo Capitaneria
Italy
https://maps.app.goo.gl/CjC6HWkFis7WEZso7