Duration: approx. 4.5 hours

Leave the ship, board a local boat and sail across the “Poets’ Bay” to reach one of the most fascinating villages of Liguria: Portovenere. Take your camera ready as the boat sail will afford you to catch snapshots of the lovely scenery and the contasts of the harsh coastline and the green hills beyond. As you approach the village from the sea you will be seduced by the beauty of Portovenere located on the southern tip of a peninsula. Your guide will take you on an itinerary along a panoramic path leading to the promontory tip and the Church of San Pietro, with its typical architecture of black and white stripes. Enjoy some free time to explore the village on your own and discover the many shops before continuing to Lerici, one of Italy’s loveliest villages. Lerici is dominated by the imposing castle located on the promontory; your guided walk will allow to see the nicest corners of the village and look for the perfect souvenir to take home. At the end of the tour, a boat awaits you for a boat ride to La Spezia.

This tour for the independent traveller begins with a 2.5 hours coach drive to Florence, the cradle of Italian language; the scenic drive will give you plenty of time to set your own itinerary for exploring this fascinating city at your own pace. Magnificent architecture, ancient, noble palaces, museums and churches of great artistic value, Ponte Vecchio and the Arno river await you, only to mention some of the main key attractions. But as this tour is all about what you want to see in the romantic Florence, the choice of what to see is yours alone to make. Just be sure to be at the meeting point in good time to board your return coach to La Spezia and your cruise ship.

Make the most of your time off the ship with this special excursion that combines the best of two famous Tuscan towns: Florence and Pisa. An approx. 2.5-hour coach transfer first takes you inland to Florence where you will meet your guide. Next follows a fascinating walk through art and history including some of Florence’s key attractions; keep your camera ready to catch external snapshots of the beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery and the Duomo Bell Tower. You will continue to “Piazza della Signoria”, dominated by “Palazzo Vecchio”, another symbol of Florence, before reaching Ponte Vecchio and its jewellery shops. Enjoy some time for free exploration or to have lunch before continuing on to Pisa, home to the famous Leaning Tower and also the birthplace of the scientist Galileo Galilei, whose research revolutionised the way we see our solar system in the 17^th century. You will visit Piazza dei Miracoli, the best place to take snapshots of the Cathedral, the marble baptistery and the iconic Leaning Tower. Enjoy some free time before returning to La Spezia.