Shore Leave

I just knew Livorno was going to be a different sort of stop for us when I opened the curtains of our cabin and saw we were docked next to a ship called Moby Love that had giant cartoons of a fat, naked couple running into one another's arms.

I was right.

Livorno is a port town that's not too far away from Florence and Pisa, and most people jump on a tour bus and go to one of those places when ships dock here. We, however, had already spent lots of time in Florence a few years ago and the trip to Pisa didn't seem worth it just to see a tower that leans. So off we went to check out Livorno.

It proved interesting in a port city sort of way. There were clues galore that it is a shore leave sort of place, like the condom dispensing machines on the sidewalk every hundred yards or so. You could almost hear Susie Wong asking, "Sailor boy, want to go topside?" Or in this case it may have been The World of Sammy Wong. Because, judging by the statuary in town, Livorno has a definite bent. You can judge for yourself above and there are more pictures here, but to me these may be the gayest statues of any municipality I have ever visited. The last one in the group is a little different - looking mostly like a flying monkey that's out hunting for Dorothy and that dog of hers, too.

In continuing the port theme, Livorno also offered a tattoo parlor. Of course, it did. However, I think you would need to intravenously feed me four gallons of limoncello before I would walk willingly into a place called "Feel the Pain Tattoo Studio". Even though my friend Picture Boy would respect me more for doing it.

Oh well, not every good tour is in the travel books and this was fun, even if it was a tame Sunday morning in a town that was probably rocking just a few hours earlier.

There is one more historical fact about Livorno that I should add. The English used to call the city "Leghorn", and that led to the breed of chickens being raised here being called leghorns. And as all of us raised on cartoons as kids would know, that means Livorno is the reason we have the greatest rooster in history, Foghorn Leghorn. I will refrain from making the obvious pun and just sum up our trip to Livorno, the way Foghorn would: "I say. I say."

PS We were in Elba yesterday in the town of Portoferraio. Not much going on. I can see why Napoleon didn't even stay a full year. Anyhow, a couple of pics here.