My friend and I spent a smashing weekend in Livorno recently. Thanks to the Livorno Now website my friend and I were able to see much more of Livorno and appreciate it.

The weather was great, bright and sunny and perfect for strolling along the canal in the "little Venice" district. This led to the seafront and a few drinks in Bar Terzi (Piazza Mazzini). We purchased tickets for the following day's game between AS Livorno and AC Milan (only 11 euros each) and after window shopping on the Via Grande we finished our day in the very friendly and welcoming Bar Civili drinking the famous Ponce (coffee,rum,lemon).

70s Film Set in Montenero - shooting Virzi's latest filmFor some weeks now director Paolo Virzì has been shooting his latest film in and around Livorno. You may have spotted him and his troop in well-known landmarks like the Pancaldi lido and Piazza di Montenero.

Virzì is no stranger to Livorno since he was born here in 1964. He has lived in Rome for some years now, but  this is not the first time he has used Livorno as a backdrop to his films. In 1997 Ovo Sodo won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and put Virzì on the road to fame.

Tourist Information Kiosk in Piazza del Comune: Drop-off and pick-up point for the cruise shuttle buses.Getting from your Cruise Ship to the Centre of Livorno:

If your cruise ship docks at one of Livorno's industrial wharfs, there will be a cruise shuttle bus service into town which drops off and picks up opposite Livorno town hall, just behind Piazza Grande. There is a Tourist Information Kiosk here where you can get maps and other information about Livorno. Some of the smaller cruise ships dock in the old Medici Port (Porto Mediceo) which is within easy walking distance from the town centre of Livorno. 

The Tuscan Countryside near LivornoSo much to see in Tuscany 

Visitors to Tuscany are spoilt for choice. So much to see, so little time! Renaissance Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Lucca with its splendid walls and medieval churches, Siena’s Gothic Cathedral  and the Palio...the list is all too familiar, and it goes on and on. It can be hard to decide where to start and faced with all that choice, not many visitors think of spending some time in Livorno.

The following is a selection of quotes about Livorno from various people - from Charles Dickens to Australian travel writer Peter Moore - through the ages up until recent times. I have chosen them because in some way or another they ring true to me,  even if they were written perhaps decades or even centuries ago. They all capture a certain aspect of Livorno, together summing up the essence of this Medici city by the sea. They are in chronological order, starting with the most recent:

The question of Mass is a complicated one because times vary depending on the day of the week, the church and the season. This is a guide to church services 2008-09 in some of Livorno's churches.

Weekdays 
8.30am: S. Agostino, Sant'Andrea Apostolo, San Jacopo in Acquaviva
9.00am: Sanctuary of Montenero, Santa Maria del Soccorso, SS. Pietro e Paolo
4.00pm: Sanctuary of Montenero
6.00pm: Duomo (Cathedral), Sant'Agostino, Sant'Andrea Apostolo, Santa Caterina (except Fridays when mass is at 10.30am), Santa Elisabetta Anna Seton, S. Jacopo in Acquaviva, Santa Maria del Soccorso, San Matteo