Today we docked in Livorno, Italy in the heart of Tuscany. The port is heavily crowded with container shipping and oil producing. There are also passenger ferries. 
We chose a ship’s excursion, and motor coaches were lined up and ready for us as soon as we docked.
There were only two cruise ships in port today, and our tour guide said we were lucky because there are nine ships scheduled to be in port one day next week. We had a guided excursion to Florence. Our first stop provided a scenic overlook of Florence…
…and a bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David.
Next we were dropped off by our motor coach in the historic district where our guide explained that Firenze is the Italian name of Florence and that Michelangelo, Tchaikovsky, Dante and Galileo all lived here at one time. She guided us along the sidewalks….
until we reached the baptistery, Cathedral, and Bell Tower.
The cathedral was closed to tourists as it was Sunday morning, but people were lined up to climb the bell tower.
The guide was extremely knowledgeable about the sculptures on the facade….
….and the bronze door panels on the baptistery. Each panel contains an intricately sculpted Biblical scene.
Our guide explained that there was a major flood in Florence in the 1960’s that carried off many of the items in the cathedral and stripped off two panels on the baptistery doors. People came from around the world to help dig through mud to search for Florence’s treasures. They became known as “mud angels,” as they recovered many items. Much has now been moved to a safe location and replaced by authentic looking replicas. The church, bell tower and baptistery have three colors: white (faith), green (hope), and pink (charity).
Our next stop was the Academia Museum and Gallery……
…..where we saw many famous paintings including a Botticelli Madonna and Child. 
The primary works on display are Michelangelo’s prisoners, unfinished sculptures “trapped” in the marble…
and of course the original David. 
The detail looks so lifelike – down to the veins in his hands.
We walked across the Ponte Veccia – famous bridge with shops built-in. This was the only bridge in Florence not damaged in WWI.
Next was the well-guarded courtyard of the Uffizi gallery.
Sculptures of famous artists and philosophers are within the columns.
This side of the Uffizi seems to be a gathering place for many tour groups. Here, one can see sculptures of mythological characters.
We also toured Santa Croce, a beautiful church where many important people are interred.
Monuments are there to Michelangelo, Galileo and others.
After the church tour, we were given free time to explore and shop for about one hour. Rather that jewelry and leather, we settled on gelato for now and chocolate to take home.
What a long, thrilling, exhausting day. I’m so glad we booked this tour. Even though we didn’t get inside the Duomo Cathedral nor inside the Uffizi Gallery, I felt a good sense of immersion into Florence. Only one more port to go on our Mediterranean cruise.
Next port: Toulon, France