Visiting Livorno, Italy/ Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Livorno, Italy/ Carlos Pueblo

Livorno is nearby Florence/Pisa, on the west coast of Italy, north of Rome.

It is the third harbor which the cruise anchors. I selected walking across a

wild field instead of paying for shuttle bus to the train station and downtown.

There is an abandon route on the field of some rail tracks. The passenger can

walk down to the wharf yet there is nothing bus waiting. There were two pairs

, a pair of recent dental school graduate and a Germany family of three, walking

along with me. One by one, they dropped pursuing downtown by walking.  The

walking route is like a reversed baseball field, a rectangular shape clockwise.

Home base is the terminal, making a right turn on the third base through two

bus stands and a warehouse. Between third base and the second, there is a

custom gate to inspect all vehicles passing through. I was the few pedestrian

with oriental face. When I came back in the afternoon, the security guard was

so released without checking on my passport. I made another right turn on that

gate area towards first base, the entrance of downtown Livorno. There are some

offices, stores, and a busier cruise terminal.  Entering the city, I had to pass a

toll gate yet I was free by walking. I had to go through several waterway of

small fishing or leisure boats area. There is an ancient coastal garrison castle under

water. Additional waterway, bridges, park is on the way to the city center.

I carried my labtop computer with me expecting for a free WiFi connection at

a downtown store. First I found a McDonald store and was not working, the

staff advised me to try next door café and was not connected as well. I gave up

and was waiting on a bench at a beautiful town square. This area is the city center,

consist of a classical cathedral, modern office building and shopping stores, and

the city hall is also nearby. I found a big open air market on one of a street. There are

three sections of the market, vegetable and fruit, fresh fish and meat, and dry goods,

spread out on several street. Vegetable and fruit section is a big square and I can hear

the merchant shouting to advertise the inventory just like small vender in Taiwan

rural area market. I run into a Chinese student who studies at Livorno. She was from

Chiangshi province on the southeast part of China.

I was very satisfied after visiting the market. I walked toward the ship and was not quite

Sure in the area after the city hall and canals. I asked an Italian senior for direction

In Spanish and he answered in English. He pointed to the first base area cruise terminal

and I pointed to the home base colorful ship. He understood and asked me to follow him.

He walked me up to a route with some angle to an overpass and pointed it to follow a

Route by the canal. I could recognize where I came from in the morning. I did return

to the ship easily. On my way back through the custom gate, I met a Spanish couple who

were from Valencia, Spain. Valencia was my next city to visit after cruise. We had had a

very good conversation. They used to live in Miami and Boston long time ago. They did see

that I walked through the abandon field in the morning.