Florence Food Tour, David AND Pisa??

We arrive in Livorno at 8am and leave again at 7pm. Does anyone know if there is enough time to see Pisa (not climb the tower) AND fit in a look at David and a food tour in Florence? If anyone has done this I would be interested in hearing about it and any tour recommendations? Our port day is a Sunday.

Are you arranging private transportation or using the train? I ask because if you are using the train, you will have to depart Florence probably earlier than you'd like. Still, if you are talking about a quick stop in Pisa, and if you pre-reserve your tickets for the Accademia, you can probably squeeze in a food tour.

As an alternative to a food tour, you could simply visit the wonderful Mercato Centrale, with all its food stands downstairs and a new "food court" upstairs (for want of a better word, but it's not fast food....;)).

Read about it here: http://girlinflorence.com/2014/04/18/the-new-mercato-centrale-eat-your-heart-out-florence/

This way your day is entirely at your own timing, except for your reservations for Accademia.

CruiseMom...have a question for you and I can't seem to find a good answer. Will be in Florence on a Monday....Looked at the list of restaurants that are open, but none of them seem to have an authentic bifsteak Florentina.....My heart is set on that for lunch.....Can you help me? Would be grateful. Thanks....

CruiseMom...have a question for you and I can't seem to find a good answer. Will be in Florence on a Monday....Looked at the list of restaurants that are open, but none of them seem to have an authentic bifsteak Florentina.....My heart is set on that for lunch.....Can you help me? Would be grateful. Thanks....

Sorry, I can't answer from personal experience. I found a few places recommended for the bistecca, you might check to see if they are open Mondays and for lunch (difficult assignment!):

http://www.visitflorence.com/eating-and-drinking-in-florence/where-to-eat-a-good-bistecca.html

Here's a post from Elizabeth Minchilli on the topic (and I'd trust her to make some solid recommendations) - again, you'd have to check if any are open for lunch on a Monday:

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/2012/10/eating-meat-in-florence-bistecca-etc/

My final thought would be to post on the Florence board on Tripadvisor where a local might have a better idea...

I've gone here for dinner, but they are open M-F for lunch: Trattoria Sostanza. They don't have a website, but if you go on TA, you'll find it. Don't fret at the low ranking among Florence restaurants - TA rankings place cheap sandwich places in the same ranks with quality small restaurants. Ms. Minchilli had a great rave about the place in her blog. It's a very small place and you will share tables with others. I sat at the front table shown in Ms. Minchilli's blog with a family of 3. Unlike tables in the MDR on your ship, you are not required nor expected to strike up a conversation ;-)

Their bistecca Fiorentina is supposed to be yummy. Since I rarely do red meat on vacation, I went there for their other signature dish, the Petti di polo al burro, aka Butter Chicken. Oh my. A full, large chicken breast (both sides) grilled, then finished in a skillet filled with what looked like a whole stick of glorious butter. I dreamed about that dish before I got to Florence and remembered it with fondness after. You just get the entree - any sides are ordered separately. I had the tortelini en brood (tortelini in chicken broth) as my starter and a side of fagioli a olio (white beans in olive oil). Both very simple, but perfect.

I'm not sure if they do reservations for lunch, so be prepared to wait awhile to get in (up to an hour). You can see their hours on TA. If they do reservations, you have to call them. For my dinner reservation, I had my hotel concierge do it for me a month in advance! Ms. Minchilli's blog page on Sostanza is

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/2011/12/trattoria-sostanza-florence/

Oh - on the link cruisemom gave for Ms. Minchilli's bistecca page, that photo of the steak on the tiny grill is from Sostanza!