FLORENCE/FIRENZE — We wanted to make you aware of an announcement made at the Florence airport this week. Due to unusually high levels of air traffic over the past two years, the runway at the airport is in need of emergency repairs, and the airport just announced that it will be temporarily closed for extraordinary maintenance starting at the end of January. The length of the closure is unknown at this point, but a press release from the airport indicates that they expect the work to be finished by May. Here is a link to the press release about the closing of the Florence Airport
During the temporary closure, most major airlines are re-directing their flights to Pisa Airport. The Florence airport authority recommends that any travelers affected by the temporary closure should contact the airlines directly. Below is a list of airline websites, for your convenience. Travelers already booked to fly into Pisa or into Rome should not be affected by the Florence airport maintenance. The Pisa airport is located about 2 hours from Spannocchia, and is an easy drive. We can provide you with driving directions, if needed. If you are taking public transportation, there is a train station right in the airport that has trains connecting to Pisa Centrale and Florence – Santa Maria Novella on a regular basis. You can check out Italian train schedules at the very good (and in very good English) train web site:www.trenitalia.it
Airline websites:
Alitalia
Lufthansa
Air France
KLM
British Airways
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This just in today, Friday, January 13, 2006, from our friend Erin Cinelli the director of Spannocchia, the Agri-Cultural Estate, just outside Siena
Thank you for the heads up on this important travel advisory, Erin.