florence & pisa (livorno) information - senior cruises new zealand

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

Livorno is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno and the third-largest port on the western coast of Italy. Livorno is one of the most important ferry ports in Italy offering sailings to both Corsica and Sardinia and is also one of the countries major naval towns. Livorno itself is surrounded by beautiful sea and nature with a wonderful countryside including rich parks.

Things to See & Do

• Ponte Vecchio
• Duomo's skyscraping dome
• Basilica di San Lorenzo
• Uffizi gallery
• Natural History Museum and Aquarium
• Medicean Fossi - a network of navigable canals
• Nuova Venezia (New Venice)
• Villa Henderson
• Piazza della Republica

Florence is usually said to have a Mediterranean climate. It has hot, humid summers with little rainfall and cool, damp winters. Due to being surrounded by hills in a river valley, Florence can be hot and humid from June to August. Because of the lack of a prevailing wind, summer temperatures are higher than along the coast. The rain which does fall in summer is convectional. Relief rainfall dominates in the winter, with some snow.