ONWARD and Upward.. our Azamazing "Italy Intensive" Week - April 22 to April 29, 2023. Full Trip Report With Tons of Pix.

[Sleep7]

As we arrived back at the ship around 5:30 we made a fast turn around and got ready for the Azamazing Evening.

Kudos to the way Azamara is able to comfortably feed and mobilize 600 guests all at the same time and make it look so effortless.  That's truly azamazing too!

We had been to the Goldoni Theatre on a past Azamara cruise and it's as charming as ever.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Sleep7

[Sleep7]

Tonight's performance was an abbreviated version of "La Traviata" which means "The Fallen Woman." Given the title I knew that this wasn't going to have a happy ending.  My parents ADORED opera and it seemed like most operas were either comedic farces, very long and Germanic, or tragic ones where somebody died at the end either of consumption or jumping off a tower.

This was a dying of consumption one. 

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk on opera.😁😉

To any opera buffs out there I'm apologizing in advance for my neanderthal summary of opera types!🫣

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Sleep7

[Sleep7]

On our way to the buses!

 

[Sleep7]

Love the opera house.. something out of a movie.

Very much like the opera house at the end of the Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase movie "Foul Play."

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

The ship was a beautiful sight on our way back.. we were greeted smiles with trays of sparkling wine and desserts.  Never a dull (or snack free) moment.  Thanks Azamara.😍

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

THURSDAY - APRIL 27. Day two in Livorno.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Today we chose the ship's tour "Lucca on your own" and it was great!

We assembled in the lounge at 7:45 and quickly boarded our bus to Lucca which was a short 45 minute ride away.  We have never been to Lucca before and after the hustle and bustle of Florence yesterday Lucca was a welcome respite.

We had about 2.5 hours to walk around and that was just right.

 

 

 

 

Giacomo Puccini's birthplace.

 

 

 

Our guide told us that the statue of the Archangel Michael at the top of this church has a "diamond" on it's hand that catches the light and shines when the sun hits it just right.

 

 

A flower stand always makes a great picture.

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Sleep7

[Sleep7]

Lucca is know for being the city of one hundred churches.. and it seems that each one came with a bell tower.

 

 

This bell tower is the most interesting as it was always a competition to have the tallest tower.  To make their tower taller they planted trees on the top.

 

 

[Sleep7]

Lucca also has a fully intact city wall that you can walk around.  We walked only part way as we didn't have enough time to walk the whole thing.

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

We did have time to sample some cashew brittle and a tasty slice of pizza.

 

 

[Sleep7]

More from beautiful Lucca..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

I love carousel pictures too!

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

😊On the way back to the ship the guide told us how Pinocchio got his name. The trees that are native to the area that look like broccoli stalks are pine (pino in Italian) trees and Pinocchio was made out of pine wood. 

Fun fact!📚

 

[Sleep7]

Back in Livorno for lunch.. perfect timing!

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Across from the harbor we spotted a rather shocking statue of men in chains.

 

 

 

 

This was the explanation of it.🤷‍♀️

I don't want to open a big can of worms here but it was a disturbing sight to see and I felt I needed to comment.

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Back on the ship and the White Night was upon us!!

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Tony at the helm of the Crepes Suzette.

 

[Sleep7]

I always love when the crew comes out and we can show them our appreciation for all their hard work to make our vacation perfect!

 

 

 

 

Loved the food, the festive atmosphere and the company of course.

The music.. way too loud for me.

Now I know for sure my youth has been left far behind!😳

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

FRIDAY - APRIL 28.

🤔 Oh geez.. how did we get here??

Seems like we just unpacked and now it's almost time to pack up and go home.😵

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Oh.. must comment on an interesting addition to the merchandise being sold at the on board shops.  It might be just the thing if you have a ton of OBC and don't know what to do with it.  This is the first cruise I have ever seen this on.

They were selling "pre-loved" luxury handbags.  I actually think it's a great fit.  The prices were steep but certainly less than buying new.  We didn't have any extra though as we booked this cruise at the last minute and missed the generous OBC specials. 

 

 

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, Sleep7 said:

Today we chose the ship's tour "Lucca on your own" and it was great!

What did the ship charge for essentially a ride to Lucca?

[Sleep7]

3 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

What did the ship charge for essentially a ride to Lucca?

🤔Hmmm.. I think it was about $79 per person which was fine.

And yes.. you are right.. it was just essentially a ride to Lucca and back but the guide did give us an orientation of the city and some suggestions too.

It made it very easy and that's what I was looking for.😃

[Sleep7]

🤗 Of course I have to start today out by saying..

ABLE WAS I ERE I SAW ELBA

And there is Elba and we saw it!

 

[Sleep7]

🙋‍♀️Well I have to admit that I thought Portoferraio on Elba was going to be a total bore but it actually turned out to be a perfect port for the day.  After getting up super early the past 2 mornings for our excursions to Florence and Lucca, I was looking forward to a day where I didn't have to set my alarm.  Portoferraio ended up being a lovely surprise with tons of gorgeous photo ops.

This town literally had Napoleon's name (and face) written all over it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

I just googled it and there are actually 12 forts on the island of Elba.

We hiked up this one.. as it was very close to the ship. The wind was strong and the view was lovely!