Florence and Pisa OR Siena and San Gimignano?

It looks like it's either the leaning tower or the Piazza del Campo. Visiting the leaning tower from Florence can take a few as 5.0hrs (2.5hrs RT by train, 1.0hr. to walk in to the tower and back to the train and 1.5hrs at the tower and grounds). Siena and SanG would take most of the day from Florence by bus but you would see a lot more.

Thanks Larry.

Actually, I should describe this better. It's actually a cruise stop, so my origin point is not Florence, it is actually Livorno. I will be in the area for 12 hours.

I can either see Florence, then Pisa, then back to the port, or I can see Siena, San Gimignano, and then back to the port. If I choose the latter trip, I won't see Florence OR Pisa at all. But the same goes for the other option, obviously. Rather depressing, ha ha.

Ben, with Livorno in mind, Pisa is a 15-minute train ride. It's a 2.5hr. one-way trip from Livorno to Siena. A third alternative is the Cinque Terre. On the ICPlus train it's 90 minutes away to Monterosso. It's 2.0hrs. on the Regionale (R) train. Be sure to get back to the ship on time.

What about Florence? That's one of the reasons I'm clinging a bit to the "Florence & Pisa" option. If it was only Pisa, I would probably be gung ho about rushing off to Siena and San Gimignano. But it's one pair or the other, and no in between unfortunately...

I really think that you could risk missing your ship departure by attempting Siena and SanG. Livorno/Siena perhaps. But adding San Gimignano adds time risk as you need to take a bus from Siena to SanG (no train) and you most likely will change buses at Poggibonsi. Then, you need to reverse the journey. It's a risk. You're safer with Florence/Pisa/Livorno.

BTW, I hope that your ship doesn't dock at Livorno on Monday. One cruise line does. Most major museums in Florence are closed on Mondays.

Between those two choices with the time you have I would definitely say Florence and Pisa. It will be a brief stop either way, but you will get to see the top sights in both of these cities. Are these scheduled trips with the cruise line or are you traveling on your own to and from Livorno? If you do only have 12 hours from Livorno and are traveling on your own, as suggested earlier, I may look into going up to the Cinque Terre for the day, since it isn't far away, to get a nice, scenic hike in. If you have extra time on the way back you could also possibly stop by Pisa to see the duomo and the tower. I think this would be the overall best use of the time you would have.

So, I'd choose Florence and Pisa between your two choices, but if possible I'd look into the Cinque Terre (plus Pisa maybe) option as well. Just be sure to be back to your ship well in advance before it is scheduled to head off.

Stuart, what are your thoughts on Siena though, if I had more time? I am still considering a day trip to Siena from Rome the day before the ship leaves. I don't care about the 6 hours roundtrip on a bus, as long as I get 9 good hours in Siena. Is it worth it? I was also juggling the idea of Orvieto or Tivoli on that day, but would Siena be a better choice if I don't mind the travel time?

Is your ship also stopping by Rome later?

Siena is a great Tuscan town to visit, definitely. It's worth it if you don't mind the travel time. It would be a haul with the 6 hr. roundtrip travel, but if it's a highlight you definitely want to see, you don't mind the travel time, and you have the time (stopping in Rome later?) to go see it while being able to get back to the ship well in advance before it's scheduled to head out, then I would say do it. It would be a great opportunity.

From Rome, though, if travel time is an issue, Orvieto would definitely be a great stop (you could even go see Civita, like you said) where you would have less travel time, therefore more time to see Orvieto and more time to get back to Rome and see the sights there as well.

But, again, if travel time isn't a problem, Siena would be well worth it.

Ben, I'm curious. How long do you have between walking off the ship and having to walk back on at Livorno and Rome?

Stuart and Larry, actually the cruise begins in Rome, and we will have three and a half days in Rome before leaving. I'm going to try to knock out Rome in two days (obviously there will always be more to see, but I'm prioritizing ha ha). Then, with that free third day, my options were going to be:

1. Siena
2. Orvieto
3. Tivoli (Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa)

Obviously, the travel time round trip is about four hours longer for Siena, but if we take the 6:30 AM bus, we should be there around 9:30 AM, and we would have plenty of time to explore the city, have a nice lunch, etc.

That third day is subject to change if my plans in Rome go wrong somewhere and I need extra time in the Eternal City, but assuming I have a third day free, would you both say Siena is the best choice (forgetting travel time and everything else)?

The ship returns to Rome thirteen days later and we'll be staying for a night near the airport, so I'll check out Ostia Antica as well.