Hire taxi from Livorno port to Tuscany countryside?

[Travlin grrl]

On 8/5/2020 at 1:30 PM, Hlitner said:

 

 

So all this goes to how folks spend port days.  One can choose to cover a lot of ground and spend very little time at any place.  When the day is over you might be able to say I went to 10 places but you would have obviously missed just about everything in those 10 places.  Even with 2 places this can happen..especially if you must spend many hours with transportation,    So, when planning a day trip itinerary it is usually wise to carefully look at the geography, driving times, and even parking (if driving your own car).  So, for example, stopping at San Gimignano and Volterra would allow more time to explore and less transportation time.  or Visiting Pisa and Lucca in one day is a very workable itinerary.   If you are like DW and me and want to leave enough time for a decent lunch (we love eating in Italy) then that also needs to be factored into your timeline.

 

Hank

P.S.  Posting this kind of stuff is much more fun the dealing with all the COVID-19 related stuff

So you are definitely more brave than me driving around Italy.

It's true you don't get to see as much when there is a lot of driving involved. We always want to see more and afraid of missing things, but we are always so happy with what we do get to do.

If you are taking a tour at least you don't have to worry about parking? And we went during the heat wave last year in July....I will never do that again. I'm definitely going to go next time in May or September. I'm a year behind on my blog from last summer. I haven't got to Italy yet but maybe I will get it done in the next month or so. I really do miss cruising and travelling

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, Travlin grrl said:

So you are definitely more brave than me driving around Italy.

It's true you don't get to see as much when there is a lot of driving involved. We always want to see more and afraid of missing things, but we are always so happy with what we do get to do.

If you are taking a tour at least you don't have to worry about parking? And we went during the heat wave last year in July....I will never do that again. I'm definitely going to go next time in May or September. I'm a year behind on my blog from last summer. I haven't got to Italy yet but maybe I will get it done in the next month or so. I really do miss cruising and travelling

The reason we do a lot of driving in Europe is that we go to many places not visited by any tour.  In fact, when we want to spend time in places popular with tours (such as San Gimignano) we tend to go there after the tours are long gone.   Driving in Italy is really not that difficult as long as you do not try to drive in Rome.  When we drive to Florence our usual hotel is about 1 mile from the center of town and has free parking.  Once parked we walk everywhere.

 

Another big issue we have with most tours is that DW and I really like to mix with the locals and we are into food/wine.  If we want to spend 2-3 hours enjoying a nice lunch in Rome that is not a problem.  It is always interesting to watch folks who are on tours that get an hour for lunch and they are always watching the time, trying to get a check, and nervous about being late to meet their tour group.  Since we are on our own we can simply do what we want when we want.

 

Hank

[bennybear]

The freedom to explore off the beaten path without huge numbers of tourists is why we prefer to rent a car.   The freedom is so worth it.   We too avoid the major cities and pickup the car at an airport or train station. 

 

Full insurance is mandatory and they drive on the same side of the road as  North America.  Much easier than in the UK where a stick on the left can be a challenge.   Rent an Alfa Romeo if possible. 

 

And if you can rent a Ferrari for even a short ride 😎

Edited August 13, 2020 by bennybear

[Hlitner]

I think cruisers and those that take basic land tours would be shocked to learn how much of Italy exists far from the nearest tour bus :).  In recent years we have actually sought out those areas..one of which is the Marche region (which does get some tour buses from Germany).  It is interesting to be in an Italian town like Urbino and discover restaurants that only have menus in Italian, few people speak English, and you seldom see any kind of tour bus.   Some long time cruisers miss out on so many wonderful places that are well beyond the range of a cruise ship excursion.  And it is not just Italy.  Our favorite city in New Zealand is Queenstown (located towards the south of South Island) which is one of the few places in the world outside the USA  that I would be happy to home.  Cruise ships cannot get anywhere near Queenstown and its not even a good pre/post cruise option because of its location.   Or consider Europe.  We have met quite a few fellow cruise lovers who tell us they have seen Europe from cruises.  I will sometimes ask them where they went in the French or Swiss Alps and get a puzzled look.

 

For folks who are really in the dumps because of what COVID has done to the cruise industry, perhaps they might want to give more consideration to some future land trips.   Europe not only has a decent rail network, but is also full of excellent roads that can take you places far from any ship tour or train station.

 

But with all due respect to Bennybear we will not be renting a Ferrari to tour Europe.  We tend to pack pretty heavy and those Ferrari designers have never considered luggage when they designed their gorgeous cars.

 

Hank

[bennybear]

Hank.  Just a short ride.  
 

We really enjoyed Urbino as well.   We also really enjoyed Ortona.   And the food quality Seems to go up and prices down off the beaten path.  We were fortunate to visit Norcia  prior to the earthquake.

 

We also really enjoyed the area outside Bologna. Parma. Modena Mantua.  Never made it to Bologna 

 

And Deep South Lecce,  Tropea, Matera, Alberobello... is a whole other world with very little English but sublime sights and food!  We have quite the memories here.  

 

Italy will always be a Delight to explore, but I agree don’t follow the hordes!

[cruisemom42]

I'm afraid of falling into a deep funk after reading this thread....  Italy has such a wealth of places to visit, and of course none of it is possible right now.

 

When I retire, my plan has always been to spend about 3 months of the year in Italy. I expect to stay in the major cities for about half that time and spend time exploring for the remainder. I won't drive in Italy, but I have done fine getting around with other transport.

 

To Hank's comment, I would also not recommend anyone inexperienced to drive in Naples or the Amalfi Coast or the Sorrentine peninsula.

 

[Hlitner]

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm afraid of falling into a deep funk after reading this thread....  Italy has such a wealth of places to visit, and of course none of it is possible right now.

 

When I retire, my plan has always been to spend about 3 months of the year in Italy. I expect to stay in the major cities for about half that time and spend time exploring for the remainder. I won't drive in Italy, but I have done fine getting around with other transport.

 

To Hank's comment, I would also not recommend anyone inexperienced to drive in Naples or the Amalfi Coast or the Sorrentine peninsula.

 

We recently had our October cruise (from Civitavecchia) cancelled by Princess.  We had planned to spend several pre-cruise days in Rome so having this cruise cancelled put us in a "double funk."   I would agree that driving in Naples (also add Rome and Florence) is not a good idea for a novice or an ole pro.   Besides the traffic and parking issues there are also complications due to ZTLs (limited driving zones).  But we have actually enjoyed driving the Amalfi Coast and Sorrentine Penninsula.  As long as one is not in a big rush the driving is relatively easy.   Parking near (or in) Positano is a challenge, but otherwise I enjoy the drive and related views.  

 

Since we are the driving topic, just a tip for anyone planning on driving to Florence for 1 or more nights.  Florence has a large ZTL in the central tourist area which means driving is a no-no.  A few years ago we discovered the wonderful Hotel David, which is located just outside the ZTL and is accessible from several directions without penetrating the ZTL.  The David is more like a classy Inn then a hotel and offers an extra benefit of free parking!  For those of us who love to walk, the route from the Hotel David into the central tourist area runs right along the Arno River (there is a nice wide walkway and bike route).  Why would we want a car in Florence?  Because it is a terrific base from which to explore a good part of Tuscany.  We really like having the benefits if staying in Florence with the ability to daytrip to some of our favorite places (i.e. San Gimignano, Chianti wine region, Volterra, Siena, etc).  As to the Amalfi Coast we have spent several extended trips at hotels in the small town of Praiano (parking is not a problem).  A car gives us access to the entire Amalfi Coast area (from Sorrento to Salerno and even Paestum) while giving us easy access (via the local Orange buses) to Positano. It is also possible to take get to Capri on a day trip (a small boat picked us up in Praiano) and took us over to the pier in Positano where we transferred to the fast jet boat to Capri.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I would agree that driving in Naples (also add Rome and Florence) is not a good idea for a novice or an ole pro.   Besides the traffic and parking issues there are also complications due to ZTLs (limited driving zones).  But we have actually enjoyed driving the Amalfi Coast and Sorrentine Penninsula.  As long as one is not in a big rush the driving is relatively easy.   Parking near (or in) Positano is a challenge, but otherwise I enjoy the drive and related views. 

Hank

 

I stayed in Sorrento for a week about 5-6 years ago with a friend who was willing to rent a car and drive to Paestum. It took us forever the get off the Sorrentine peninsula, the traffic was abysmal -- and that was in March.  It would've been faster to take the train. You must have more patience than I!

 

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I stayed in Sorrento for a week about 5-6 years ago with a friend who was willing to rent a car and drive to Paestum. It took us forever the get off the Sorrentine peninsula, the traffic was abysmal -- and that was in March.  It would've been faster to take the train. You must have more patience than I!

 

The thing about being stuck in Italian traffic is I get a chance to practice all my Italian hand motions :).  In Italy one can show road rage by simply using their hands.   But we did once post (many years ago) about an awful experience when we once tried to get back to Naples from Ravello.  We took the back road from Ravello (which completely avoids the Amalfi Drive) which would normally be a pretty easy drive.  But about 10 miles outside of Ravello there was a barricade blocking the road because a recent mud slide and closed the route.  We then had to do a 180, drive all the way back to Amalfi and then follow the Amalfi Drive (at night) to Sorrento and back to Naples.  It was truly one of the more miserable driving days made worse by the fact that I got car sick (while driving).  And in case you wondered, we were actually on a cruise but the ship (Prinsendam) was overnighting in Naples so we had no worries about missing the ship.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

The traffic on and off the Sorrentine peninsula is awful year round.  I've driven in the area several times, always off season, and it was still bad from local residents trying to get on with life.  For most of the way from the autostrada to Sorrento it's one lane in each direction, winding through several small towns.  

 

Another part of the problem is that there is no back road alternative because of the mountains.  There are roads that go up, then they end without connecting to anything else.  It can be fun if you're out for a leisurely drive but frustrating if you're trying to actually get somewhere.

[bennybear]

Oh Hank, Carsick while driving 😢

 

We too don’t drive in the cities. We have driven to Sorrento and then explored the area by bus and boat but agree with eurocuiser that it is not a great drive to Sorrento.   We also found the traffic around Naples crazy. 
 

But off the beaten path is a joy.  We will train out to Chiusi for example and pick up a car for Tuscany.  Also strongly recommend Deep South Italy.

 

@cruisemom42 I think many of us are in such serious withdrawal that at least thinking about Italy helps❤️

Edited August 16, 2020 by bennybear

[Host Bonjour]

Oh this made me smile.....thinking about Italian sunshine (and heat 😩) the vistas, food, wine...history, people. Take a pass on the driving...spend enough time in traffic around here, and it's not ITALY! 🤣 (no gelato when the traffic clears...)

 

It gets better. I don't know when, but it will. Then there will be traffic to/from airports and at the security lines....well, make sure your pre ✅ is current. The hassles will be worth it when the time comes and you're back there 🥰