Part 6

The next stop on our cruise was the port of La Spezia, which is the closest port for those wishing to see Pisa and/or Florence. The drive to Florence is 2 hours each way, and we wanted to take the tour of the Accademia and to see Michaelangelo’s David, the Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio.

I booked the travel to and from La Spezia through a provider called Daytrip. Our driver was Francesco, and while we had to ask him to slow down his driving, he did get us to our meeting point for the tour right on time and was very proficient in picking us up at a good location and took us by the Ponte Vecchio on our way out of the city.

On our way to Florence, we passed by a section of mountains to our left – the guide told us they are ‘The Apuan Alps (Alpi Apuane), located in northwestern Tuscany between La Spezia and Florence, are the famed mountains known for their extensive, high-quality white marble quarries near Carrara. These, often mistaken for snow-capped peaks, are a separate, dramatic chain near the coast, distinct from the main Apennine range.’

I booked the Accademia tour through an app called Headout. Our driver left us at the meeting place called the Italy Pass Store, where we met the rest of our group. The tour guide, Alex, was very helpful on the hour-long tour, explaining its history and the other works there besides David. She explained the perfection and flaws of David and why the statue was made the way it was. (like how large his hands are and the motion in the sculpture)

After the Accademia, we went for a walk around the Duomo and then scoped out a nice restaurant for a lunch of pizza and red wine. It was a long day but what we saw was amazing. The last pic below was taken from the van passing the Ponte Vecchio. I’d love to go back to Firenze again.

Our next stop, the reason for this booking in 2019, was to see Portofino on the Italian Riviera. I had dreamed of it for years after seeing it on various TV shows. However, we were scheduled to go there on November 2nd, very late in the season. I had found a wine bar with charcuterie where we could go for lunch that was well within walking distance of the port, after we were to have taken a tender boat to get there.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate. On our 2nd day at La Spezia, the Captain notified us that it was likely that the weather would be too rainy and windy for the tender boats to reach Portofino safely. It was hard to believe at the time since the weather wasn’t bad where we were. The Captain almost changed his mind until the morning of the 2nd, when he announced we would be bypassing the Italian Riviera and staying at sea all day. I emailed the owner of the wine bar, and she confirmed that the weather was so awful that they had already decided to close for the day.

So. No Portofino for me. Very, very sad. Now I have to go back…… and see Florence again and go to Portofino and Genoa and maybe Venice.

Here is what I was hoping to see.