Boat Tours Around Livorno

Discover Livorno by gliding over its canals with these fantastic, exciting boat tours that will teach you and show you all there is to know about the history and sights of the city.
During a 50 minute tour you’ll see the network of canals of the Quartiere Venezia, with its picturesque, unique 18th century architecture, moving underneath the walls of the Old Fortress and of the New Fortress. The tour will take you under Piazza delle Repubbliche, the largest suspended square in Europe with its 220-meter width.
A 1 h 45 minutes tour will take you from the 16th century Old Fortress to the harbor, but there’s also a 35 minutes tour on a venetian punt boat through the Venezia Nuova district.
Themed boat tours are available if you want to have a different experience: “The traditions of the Palio Marinaro”, a tour that showcases the history of the city’s rowing competition; “Pirates, Corsairs and Smugglers” a tour that will teach you about pirates of the Mediterranean; “The City of Nations” a tour that showcases the cultures and foreign communities that contributed to the creation of the cosmopolitan city of Livorno. Boat tours with cocktails and appetizers can also be booked, or you can ask about a boat tour with a wine tasting experience package.
The boats can seat 50 people and in case of bad weather conditions the tour can be replaced by a visit of the city by foot.

Secrets of Livorno

This tour will take you through the history of the many fortresses in and around Livorno. You’ll have a taste of the rich tradition of Tuscan noble families, conflicts and wars as you visit towers, citadels, and strongholds that made history.
Livorno, known for being a cosmopolitan city, a free port and a stronghold citadel is one of few cities in Italy that still has remains in good conditions of the architectural elements of its medieval features: with moats filled with seawater, towers (one dates back to the year 1000), two Renaissance fortresses and six bastions from the 1600-1700s, they can all be visited with a tour by foot through the evolution of the city’s fortifications. The tour will take about 3 hours, but can be shortened or extended based on your needs and interests.
What you’ll see during this tour has been a cornerstone for medieval defenses and the architecture was an inspiration for all of Europe. Measurements for the architectural elements of towers and strongholds were made with the advent of firearms and gunpowder in mind and it reflects in how these structures are organized. The art of war is tangible in the locations you’ll visit during this tour and it will evoke memories of spies, soldiers and ancient wars…

Visit Bolgheri

Olive trees - View from Bolgheri, Tuscany

Nestled between Tuscany’s picturesque rolling hills, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, you’ll find the town of Bolgheri and that of Castagneto Carducci. Surrounded by rich history you’ll be immersed in the atmosphere of these borghi, medieval villages of Lombard origins. An excellent culinary tradition will accompany you as you visit the sights and landscapes of the area, and you’ll have the chance to try local, traditional dishes and produce of the region.
A visit to Bolgheri won’t be just about seeing beautiful places, but it represents a part of Italian history, and will make for a unique, memorable visit. In Bolgheri you’ll find the Viale dei Cipressi and the Castle of the della Gherardesca family. The town overlooks an expanse of vineyards and olive groves, which produce some of Tuscany’s unique and prized wines and olive oils. You can stop by some of the local wineries and oil mills to try out these local productions, such as the world-famous Bolgheri Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Bolgheri Superiore DOC wines. Nearby, you’ll find Castagneto Carducci, with another della Gherardesca Castle, dating back to the year 1000. You can learn more about the noble family while you stroll through the streets of the town and enjoy the breeze over the valleys. A tour of the area normally lasts about 2 h 30 minutes (but can be shortened or extended to fit your needs and preference) and you can look into local wineries to book a tasting/dining experience as well, to get the most out of your visit to the area.

Italy has an age-old tradition of olive groves and all the products that can be acquired from these trees. As one of the world’s biggest producers of olive oil, second in quantity only to Spain and hardly paralleled in quality, Italy features some of the finest olive oils on the market, and most of them come from Tuscany.
If you’re visiting Tuscany and its stunning countryside, historical cities and diving into the culinary tradition of this Italian region, you have to stop by an oil mill to try from the source a sample of Italian olive oil, and discover the process and history behind this golden liquid that graces everyone’s table.
Here are some of the best oil mills in Tuscany. There are many more throughout the region, so don’t forget to check if there’s a mill close to you, or else you’ll miss the unique opportunity to try some of the best EVO oils of Tuscany, Italy and the world!

Antico Frantoio Toscano Peccianti

In Bibbona, near Livorno, we’ll find this first oil mill. Family owned for the most part, the Frantoio Peccianti focuses on producing extra virgin olive oil IGP Toscano (“Protected Geographic Indication”), sourcing olives from the several groves owned and handled by the Peccianti family. The mill has one of the largest production lines of Italy and produces cold-pressed EVO oil exclusively through an innovative, unique technique and fully automated machinery that allow for the milling of olives in the first 24 hours after the harvest. The entire process behind the production of olive oil happens inside the Peccianti mill: harvest, clean-up, milling, pressing, chemical analysis, preservation and bottling. The farms that provide the mill with olives grow the Tuscan varieties of Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino, Cipressino and Moraiolo olives. The Frantoio organizes workshops and tasting courses and here you will also be able to buy their oil and other products. For more info or to book a visit to the mill, refer to the Frantoio Peccianti contacts page at www.peccianti.com/contatti/.

Frantoio Pruneti

In San Polo in Chianti, near Florence, you’ll find the Frantoio Pruneti, an oil mill with a 160 year long history of hard-work, family traditions and innovative technologies all contributing to the production of fine IGP Tuscan oils. The mill offers extra virgin oil as well as a separate collection of monoculture oils, made exclusively from olives of the Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo varieties. In addition, the Frantoio Pruneti produces fruity blends of oils that are perfect to pair with different foods and meal courses. If you want to learn more about how the oil is produced, from harvest to bottling, the mill offers visits and tastings. A 45-60 minute tour of the mill will allow you to discover the production process, the differences in the types of oils produced and what makes for a high-quality oil, along with a tasting experience. From April to September, another tour is available that will teach you how to best pair olive oils with food. You can book tours any day of the week and shop at the Frantoio Pruneti Mon-Sat from 9:30 to 18:30. Contact info at www.pruneti.it/contatti.aspx.

Gonnelli 1585

In Reggello, just outside Florence, you’ll find Gonnelli 1585. As the name suggests, the history of the company goes way back, and the mill now sources its raw ingredients from 43.000 olive trees from olive groves of the area. The mill receives olives of many varieties to produce EVO oil recognized as DOP Chianti and IGP Tuscan. With a wide selection of quality products, you can book a tour of the mill at the Gonnelli 1585 contact page www.gonnelli1585.it/it/contatti. The Gonnelli brand includes the Frantoio di Vertine oil mill, which you can visit to discover the cold-press production techniques as well as enjoy the surrounding countryside and medieval buildings.

Azienda Olearia del Chianti

Near Florence, in Panzano in Chianti, you’ll find the Azienda Olearia del Chianti. An oil mill that produces a stunningly wide selection of different oil varieties and oil-related products and snacks, this company is worth a visit just for the goodies it has to offer in their shop. The extra virgin olive oil they produce is of the highest quality and meets all production standards, and includes the DOP Chianti Classico oil, IGP Tuscan oil and 100% Italian and biological oils, made from cold-pressed Tuscan olives. The mill carefully and meticulously carries out chemical and taste tests to ensure quality down to the smallest detail on their 4 bottling lines, that produce over 20,000 bottles of oil per hour. State of the art machinery and innovative techniques meet with the age-old oil milling tradition and the purity of the locally sourced Tuscan olive types. Closed on week-ends, you can visit the Azienda Olearia del Chianti Mon-Fri from 8:00-12:30 and 14:00-17:30.

Tag: Livorno

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