Type: Antiquities, Culture, Free Time, Medieval Towns, Scenic Drive
Length: 8 - 9 hours (traffic pending)
Walking: Difficult - uneven surfaces
Mobility: NO wheelchairs
Guide: Driver Guide
Language: English

Livorno Shore Excursion - This off-the beaten path tour visits San Gimignano and Volterra, two delights which are often overlooked. It is a great option for those people who have been to Tuscany before and are looking for something new to explore.

After meeting your driver guide at the pier in Livorno your exploration begins with a drive through the lovely Tuscan countryside to the hilltop town of San Gimignano. Your driver guide will talk to you about sites you will see today, but you have the freedom to choose what interests you the most.

San Gimignano is a poster child for Tuscany and the epitome of a medieval Italian hilltop town. It gets the nickname "Medieval Manhattan" from its skyline of 14 medieval towers. By the 13th century the town had 72 towers and was home to many families whose fortunes grew from the fabric trade. The height of a family's tower was the sign of their wealth, and also served as a way to display their fabrics when unfurled from the top. In 1348 a plague devastated the town and ultimately lead to its decline and submission to Florence.

You visit the old town center on foot. There are several sites worth visiting but most people who are only here a short time just like to soak up the town's beauty and climb to the top of one of its towers for splendid views. There are also several places in town where you can sample local wines.

You may wish to visit the 13th century Palazzo del Popolo (The People's Palace) filled with coats of arms, frescoes by Sodoma and home of the Museo Civico featuring Century Florentine and Sienese art and decorative objects. Other favorites include the Duomo or Basilica of Santa Maria, consecrated in 1148, and frescoed with scenes depicting the Old and New Testament, and a noteworthy Last Judgment.

You may also choose to enjoy some shopping for local wares, including ceramics galleries and many quality leather shops.

Next you visit the walled city of Volterra, which in ancient times was one of the major Etruscan centers and still holds some unique traces of that civilization today. But the city is also a gem of Romanesque, medieval and Renaissance art.

You might choose to visit one of the most beautiful private residences in Italy, the Palazzo Incontri Viti, a splendid example of a Renaissance building. The 12 rooms are full of furniture, paintings, porcelain and art collections which represent Italian, European and Eastern art from the 15th to 20th centuries.

Also noteworthy in Volterra are the excavations of a Roman Theater, located near the medieval walls, and an Etruscan Museum which preserves archaeological materials of considerable interest, including a collection of 600 Etruscan funerary urns found in nearby excavations.

Or you might prefer to just stroll the streets and browse the shops for alabaster, which has been mined in Volterra since Etruscan times.

At the end of the day, you return to the pier in Livorno.