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Pisa Day add-on

Posted by (Washington DC) on

We are staying in Lucca in early August, and plan to spend a couple of hours to see the Tower of Pisa on a Sunday (3 adults, three teenagers). This is the highlight of our day, but we would like to visit another location nearby via train. We already are planning to spend Monday all-day at Viareggio at a beach club. We are thinking, though, on our Sunday day trip to Pisa, we should visit a coastal town again to escape the heat. We really would like to have some great seafood. (No bathing suits this time)

We were looking at some sites in the Livorno area, like Costiera di Calafuria or Terrazzo Mascagni, but they sound a bit underwhelming to be honest. Any other thoughts about sites in the Livorno area?

We are considering adding another trip to Viareggio, this time not going to the beach (because we already have that planned for Monday) but just enjoying the beach town itself. Are there any places to walk, see and eat great seafood? Do you think Viareggio is worth trekking from Lucca to twice?

Or if anyone has thoughts about other places to add-on to Pisa to escape the heat a bit, your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Posted by
872 posts

"Are there any places to walk, see and eat great seafood? Do you think Viareggio is worth trekking from Lucca to twice?"

Yes, but take a taxi down by the port. Pull up a google map for "Parco dei Bambini XXV Aprile" and look due south. To the canal and the harbor. Pleasant walks, restaurants.

Posted by
12026 posts

Not have an idea of where to go for 'cooler' temp., but cannot help but wonder if the beaches on a Sunday would not be mobbed with the locals looking for an escape as well.

Caves and wine cellars would be on my 'shopping' list.

Posted by
143 posts

I always have seen Pisa as a brief stop before heading to Cinque Terre. However being August and you are doing it as a day trip, I (who loves Cinque Terre) hesitate to tell you to go there. Maybe Portovenere would be be better? Or Santa Margherita Ligure?

Posted by
3037 posts

Consider a day in the delightful little spa town of Monecatini Terme ... along the rail line between Pisa and Florence. The town itself is quite pretty to stroll around and there are a couple of world class spas that date from the 1890's if you'd like to indulge yourself for a day in Belle Epoque elegance.
A funicular train can take you up to the breezes and cooler temps of Montecatini Alta for lunch.

Posted by
41 posts

Robert from CO, we have already planned a trip to Monecatini Terme for Friday! :)

Posted by
872 posts

You take the train to Montecatini Centro; not Montecatini Terme-Monsummano. The funicular has been in continuous operation since 1881.

Somewhat off-topic, but a quarry tour in Carrara is very enjoyable; riding around with Gabrielle in his Land Rover, 4-wheel drive put to good use.

Posted by
41 posts

We are considering going to Portovenere, because in order to get there one has to switch trains in Pisa anyway.

How is the ATC bus line service on Sundays? Apparently we will need to pick up a bus near Stazione La Spezia to Portovenere.

Any good seafood restaurants in Portovenere? Hope it's not crazy crowded. We will probably go in the afternoon after Pisa to avoid crowds.

Thanks,
Sam

Posted by
3037 posts

Regarding Montecatini Terme: rzolezzi is correct - the better stop on the train line is Centro. The Terme stop a little further along will still take you there but it will be a much longer walk, and not nearly as pretty.

Posted by
41 posts

Rzolezzi, thanks for the tip on Montecatini Terme-Centro. We are very excited to go in the funicular.

The only concern I have about Marina di Pisa, is even though it is much closer, we are looking to eat good seafood. With the Arno River dumping into that area of the sea, I’m not crazy about eating fresh catch from there (i.e. Arno passes through Florence, leather factories etc).

Portovenere just looks so pretty and Cinque-Terre-like. We decided not to go to Cinque Terre, because we are going in early August and I heard the crowds are pretty bad. Is it preferable to go to Portovenere first and then Pisa? That's what we are thinking. We don’t plan to climb the Tower of Pisa, we are just going to take photos of it. We will probably take the train to La Spezia and then take a bus to Portovenere. It would be nice if we could hire a driver to take us straight to Portovenere then we could take a train back to Pisa; but we don't like to be bound by too many deadlines on this trip.

We are going on a Sunday. I already noticed one of the restaurants in Portovenere is closed on Sundays. Do many establishments close on Sundays?

Sam

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