Livorno

Livorno is a port town on the west edge of Italy, half an hour away from Pisa. As we came in on the train we passed huge lots of new cars (little European Renaults and Smart cars) and other evidence of a thriving shipping industry. The town also caters to cruise ships, offloading their human cargo for day trips to Pisa and Florence.

The folks at the hotel told us that it was once a slave trading port, which the monument in the square outside seemed to indicate. The town was build with both slave and conscripted labor, as local prisoners were allowed to trade their cells for the "freedom" of building the port and its attendant structures.

Livorno also hosts the inland Italians for beach weekends - we ran in to throngs of them on crowded trains at the end of Sunday. It has the laid back vibe of a beach community, although it still sports frenetic Italian traffic (all street signs and signals are merely suggestions!)

The best part of Livorno was the seafood - my shellfish eating friends were rolling their eyes back in ecstacy at the creamy oysters and plentiful platters of mussels and clams. I stayed with catch of the day, fabulous pizza with a thin, crunchy crust, and caramel gelato!