A small stream winds through Tuscany,
which up in Falterona hath its rise,
and is not sated by a hundred miles.
——— Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio XIV, 1320
The Arno might be, as Dante says, a little stream at its source in Mount Falterona, but it is nonetheless Italy's second largest river (after the Tiber), and most importantly, the river that runs through Florence and down through Pisa.
Before the railroads were built, goods and merchandise arrived in Florence via the river; a dream trip no longer possible because of flood control dams and bridges along the way.
Peregrinus sailed into the Arno on 22 July 2016 and anchored for five gorgeous dats just 2.2 miles short of Pisa city centre, as no further upriver navigation was possible because of some low-laying overhead power cables across the water.
Sunrise in the Arno. A sailboat can only enter the river on a calm day. The only difficult spot for a 2.2-metre-draught boat is right at the entrance; the river itself is significantly deeper. The Arno rises and lowers seasonally with the rains, and so one should call ahead. Any sailors are welcome to enquire with us for additional information and contacts. iPhone 6 Plus, 6:42 AM 27 July 2016.