Cinque Terre & Tuscany itinerary - comment please!

Wow--do you have an hour? I do not right now. I like your basic plan--yes you will need reservations. Good luck !

Try Villa Steno's sister hotel Pasquale in Monterosso. We stayed there a few years back when the Villa Steno was full an enjoyed it. It's nice to be able to walk out of your hotel and start on the hike rather than waiting for a train to the CT.

"Just one more question, is it safe to drive at night in Tuscany? Was thinking about the possibility of driving to another town for dinner in the evening."

Sure it's safe to drive TO dinner. The question is how safe will it be to drive home after wine if you have some. That is what has always prevented us from staying in a "country" setting. We prefer to walk after dinner back to our hotel or apartment and not worry about getting behind the wheel of a car.

Hi Swagman,

This sounds like a very nice and quite leisurely trip! A couple of things to point out:

2 days in Montalcino will not give you enough time to visit all the towns you list. Pienza and Montepulciano are close enough, but Arrezo and Cortona are a further drive. With 2 days I would visit Pienza, Montepulciano, Sant'Antimo and Monte Olivetto, plus wine and cheese tasting.

If you are going to head back to the Florence area and are thinking about staying in Greve, revisit Siena on the way.

A few years ago we stayed in SML (Hotel Laurin) 3 nights, hiked 4 out of 5 towns, visited Portofino another day and would have enjoyed one more night.

Yes you need reservations for these areas in June.

Buon viaggio!

I currently live near Florence with my fiance, and cannot for the life of me understand why you wouldn't spend more time in Florence, unless you've been there previously and have seen a lot or simply loathe cities. If it's your first trip to Tuscany, Florence deserves a good 2 to 3 days minimum. Shopping, restaurants, art, churches, and architecture are incomparable here. Kudos for your desire to go farther afield and visit smaller towns, but why run around visiting three towns in a day when you can see some of the world's greatest art and eat well (these are my personal travel priorities) in Florence?

Driving in Florence is scary and parking is nearly impossible. If you stay in the city, find a hotel with parking included, and take the bus to the city center. Florence is small enough that you won't need a car to see her sights.

I currently live near Florence with my fiance, and cannot for the life of me understand why you wouldn't spend more time in Florence, unless you've been there previously and have seen all of it you care to see or simply loathe cities. If it's your first trip to Tuscany, Florence deserves a good 2 to 3 days minimum. Shopping, restaurants, art, churches, and architecture are incomparable here. Kudos for your desire to go farther afield and visit smaller towns, but why run around visiting three towns in a day when you can see some of the world's greatest art and eat well (these are my personal travel priorities) in Florence?

Driving in Florence is scary and parking is nearly impossible. If you stay in the city, find a hotel with parking included, and take the bus to the city center. Florence is small enough that you won't need a car to see her sights.
Happy Travels!

I was in Cinque Terre last summer, and I do not recommend staying in Monterosso, which is the largest of the five "lands." While it is the only one of the 5 to offer a sandy beach, it is far more of a town, has lots more crowds, and is far more "touristy." However, if you want night life (clubs, bars, etc.) and lots of shopping, then Monterosso would be preferable.

I would NOT stay in Corniglia--too tiny, poor choice of inns, and the village is way too high above the coastal train that whisks you in minutes from village to village when you're not hiking back and forth.

I adored Riomaggiore (the Cinqueterre Residence has four lovely apartments at a reasonable rate, truly lovely accommodations, parking not far). Manarola is also very nice, but Vernazza might be my first choice if I went back.

IMHO - too many overnight stops.

I'd pick a 'base' for the CT and Lucca (4 nites), one for the Val d'Orcia area (4 nites) and one for Chianti area - for San Gim, Volterra and Florence, etc (4 nites). I'd visit Portofino coming or going to Nice.

I'd edit out Pistoia, Prato, Empoli, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Cortona, Arezzo, etc - so as to not be constantly on-the-go and to relax and enjoy yourselves.

Firstly, thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

bobthenavigator, yes I have time, since you are one of the many seasoned travellers in this forum, I'd really like to hear from you.

Brian, Hotel Pasquale is also full during the days required. However I just received confirmation from Hotel Florida in Lerici that they have rooms available.

Would Lerici be a good base for CT and perhaps Lucca? I take TuckH's point so am considering staying 4 nights there which will include a day trip to Lucca, an hour's drive away. In addition, is there train/ferry service to Portovenere and CT and does anyone know how regular they run at the end of May?

TuckH, what are the major sites in Val d'Orcia? Should I forget about staying 2 nights in San G and just base ourselves in Montalcino for 4/5 nights?

Shan333 I take your point, the only reason we are spending 1 day in Florence is to see more of the Tuscan landscape rather than getting caught in a big city. Can you suggest a town and hotel to stay in just outside of Florence and from which we can train/bus into Florence?

Hope to get some more feedback soon!
Cheers!

I agree with Shan333 about Florence but can appreciate your objectives in this trip. I think if you stayed in a hotel (with parking) on the opposite side of the Arno (the Oltrarno area) and away from the Ponte Vecchio, you'd be OK and could walk to the main sights.

>>Would Lerici be a good base for CT and perhaps Lucca?<< YES! Lerici is a lovely town. We spent a week near there (in Arcola) and 'commuted' by boat (they run frequently) from Lerici across the Golfo di Spezia to each of the CT towns, drove to Lucca, drove to Portofino, etc.

As for the Val d'Orcia, the countryside itself (especially at the time of year you'll be there) is gorgeous. Add to that, the hilltowns - Montepulciano, Monticchiello (I love this town), Pienza, Montalcino, S Quirico (another fav), Bagno Vignoni and the abbey at S Antimo - on and on.

And please don't miss San Gimignano! Also Monteriggioni. Siena is fantastic! You can easily park outside the walls of Siena and walk into town.

You could pick a spot in the vicinity of Siena to stay and easily reach all of the above (Tuscany) sites within one hour. You could park at the station at Buonconvento or Isola d'Arbia and take the train into Florence.

Thanks again for the insight, esp to TuckH. After all your feedback, I have resolved to stay in Lerici (because I can't get accommodation within CT) for 4 nights which will include a day trip to Lucca.

Thereafter, I'll drive to Montalcino (probably 3hrs+) and will base there for 4 nights to see most sites in Val d'Orcia.

Then back up the SS222 towards Florence. I have not decided if we should stay inside Florence.

Dayle could you recommend a hotel in Greve-in-Chianti? And could someone advise if there is train/bus service to Florence from Greve.

Jean and Shan333, should I decide to stay in Florence, could you recommend a hotel with parking?

AnneD, you have turned me off Corniglia. I'm now considering staying in SML or Rapallo. Can anyone suggest a hotel in those towns?

Many thanks to all again!

Hi Swag,

Fiesole is a 20 min bus ride (no. 7 1E) from Florence SMN station.

Consider http://www.bencista.com/main.php and http://www.villaurora.net/ and http://www.villafiesole.it/

ira

Thanks for your tip. Can you suggest a hotel in Fiesole?

Also researching in this forum, I know you are a very seasoned traveller to Italy, could you comment on my intended itinerary please. Much obliged.

S

ira

I am sorry, I jumped to the gun - Fiesole IS the hotel!!! Thanks!

S

My best advice is not jump around from hotel to hotel. Use one base for Liguria/Lucca and one base for Tuscany. I would stay in Portovenere but Lerici is not a bad option--just further to boat to the CT. For Tuscany, Montalcino is fine but why that hotel--very expensive. San Quirico or Pienza would be more centro for you. Look at Palazzo del Capitano.

There are quite a few nice B&B's in Monterosso. We stayed at La Poesia in the older part of town and loved it. Our room was Aspasia. Pictures below:

http://www.italyby.com/lapoesia/pages/gallery.htm

Other choices:
http://www.cinqueterrenet.com/eng/strutture/index.htm

Hi swagman,

Chianti - we stayed at Hotel Residence San Sano (near Gaoile in Chianti), a 4* which was our favorite place of a 3 week trip. It's a 20 minute drive north from Siena on the Chianti hwy., making it between Greve and Siena. Lovely, quiet, untouristed, TINY village on a hill top surrounded by olive groves and vineyards (of course). Highly recommend! You can see it at www.chiantinet.it

Santa Margherita Ligure - Hotel Laurin, ask for a room with private terrace facing the marina. Loved SML and would have enjoyed a 4th night there.

Montalcino - Hotel Il Giglio, very nice, right in town, great value for the price. Fell in love with Montalcino and it's residents. Be sure to have dinner at Grappolo Blu.

Happy continued planning!

Great choices for your itinerary though I personally wouldn't try to visit 3 different towns on my way from one hotel to another. Unless by "visit" you mean "drive through and take a picture or two".

Ira's suggestion of Fiesole is a great one. Fiesole is lovely and relatively serene. It's been a famous and easy escape from the city for hundreds of years. I can't recommend hotels because I've never stayed in any in or around Florence.

If you're looking to appreciate the serenity of the Tuscan countryside, though, as your main goal, I would consider slowing down a bit. Stay in one place more than a day or two if you really want to discover why the Italian lifestyle produces less heart disease and greater lonegvity than the American one. They do everything leisurely (except drive). Florence, as much as I love it, is rife with tourists in June and July, but so are a lot of the places on your itinerary. One way you can avoid the tourist ratrace is to stop thinking like all the other American tourists and let Tuscany sink into you, rather than trying to cross as many sites and towns off the list as possible. If at the end of the trip you only remember each place you visited because you have the picture that proves you were there, you've missed the subtlety and detail that gives character to this region, its towns, and inhabitants.

Wow. Excuse the diatribe. In the end, consider what YOU really want out of the trip and don't let blowhards like me dissuade you from pursuing your own travel style.

BTW: Fiesole is not a hotel, its a small city perched above Florence. Buses run frequently between its main piazza and Florence. There's a great little park that looks ove rteh entire valley below and you can see all of Florence. It seems cooler up there too in the summer, thought i'm sure its just the fact that there's greenery, which is sorely lack in Florence's centro storico. Definitely less smog.

Shan333
I will be in Florence for 4 nights in July, and would love some recommendations for restuarants. We are staying in the San Croce area. I love to walk rather than try and do public transportation, if possible. Thanks
Joyce

Shan333 great advice! That's what we did in 2004 when we were in France for 6 weeks. Took some parts of trip easy and soaked in the French provincial charm.

I have been making hotel enquires for this trip and most of the places I wanted to stay at is fully booked including Hotel Il Giglio suggested by Dayle. Now I am reorganising my itinerary based on accommodation availablity. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I was not going to pre-book any accommodation but it seems I have to now given the high demand.

Joyce: Santa Croce is a gem of an area, one of my favorite in Florence! I may be a little biased because I lived in that area when I was student, but I embrace my biases. It's less d touristy than the Duomo and Piazza Signoria areas. These zones are rife with tourist-trap restaurants with signs and menus flaunting English. Steer clear.

Santa Croce, on the other hand, has some wonderful authentic little restaurants. I recently had dinner with my fiance' at Del Fagioli on Corso dei Tintori, 47, a few doors down from where I once lived. (corner of Corso Tintori and Via de' Benci) We walked right in with no reservation on Valentines Day-- only Italian customers, no English menu, but don't let that scare you. The menu is brief, handwritten, and changes, I'm guessing, daily, and definitely with each season. It’s simple, and not too expensive. The cuisine is very typical Florentine/Tuscan. I felt like I was eating at my fiance's mother's house. Their torta di mele (Italian aplle pie/cake) was warm and amazing. Might not be open weekends. Tel. 055-244285

For dessert, very close to I Fagioli is the Gelateria on Via dei Neri, which is what Corso dei Tintori becomes after crossing Via de' Benci) which is not bad at all. I do prefer Vivoli, a little hidden but near the Santa Croce church on Via Isola Delle Stinche, 7. It's one of Florence's most famous, and most expensive, gelaterie, but oh-so-good. I normally don't even like pistachio, but I would kill a man for a cup of Vivoli's pistachio gelato. One of my ex-pat friends says he suspects they’ve recently started using mixes, as apposed to preparing the gelati by hand, and admittedly I haven’t been back in a while, but I somehow doubt they would risk their status as one of the most famous (and possibly the oldest?) gelaterie in Florence on such a low trick. Great place, also, to duck in and snag table (unlike in bars, you don’t pay more if you eat at a table here), enjoy the air conditioning while you eat your gelato, and use the bathroom. Tel 055 292334. They’re usually also open late, till at least around 11:30/ midnight in summer, maybe later.

While on the subject of gelaterie, don’t miss Perche’ No? (which means “Why not?”). In fact, I can’t think of a single good reason why not. It’s my other favorite. Simply divine, and less expensive than Vivoli, but in a country where this delightful frozen food of the gods is only a little more expensive than an espresso, who’s worried about the price? The delicate cinnamon and meringue flavor is a personal favorite. Yogurt and nutella is another quirky flavor I love, but unlike Perche’ No?’s cinnamon & meringue, it’s common to many gelaterie. Not in Santa Croce, but right between Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Duomo on a side street of the main drag, so you’ll be going right passed it anyway.

Back to Santa Croce restaurants:

Il Cibreo’ is supposed to be phenomenal, though I’ve never eaten there because it’s on the expensive side. My friends who’ve eaten there loved it. There’s now a less-expensive version in the same area with roughly the same name, I think it’s Trattoria Cibreo. or the scaled-down version.
IL CIBREO
Via dei Macci, 122 r - Firenze - S.Croce - 055 2341100


For good Neapolitan pizza, I love Pizzaioulo. Pizza is the most economical complete dinner in Italy. And here it’s truly simple, authentic, and just plain good. The only place I’d rather have pizza at is Naples. It’s close to Cibreo.

IL PIZZAIUOLO
Via dei Macci, 113 r - Firenze - S.Croce - 055 241171
Pizzeria


For Lunch:

Antico Noe, under the arches in the little Piazza G. Salvemini, prepares great sandwiches to take away. English translation on the menu. Great for fast, inexpensive, tasty lunch to take to eat on the steps of Santa Croce church. They have a sit-down place attached to the take-away area, but I’ve never tried their pastas.
Again, a Fodor’s choice:
Address: Volta di San Piero 6/r, Santa Croce, Floren , Italy
Phone: 055/2340838

While you’re at Antico Noe, you might as well stop in an say hi to my friend Katia, who owns the tiny little store “Il Mondo di Heidi” right across the street from the compact disk store that’s next to the archway under which Antico Noe hides. It basical faces the Piazza. Her darling store is at Via Dell’Oriuolo 22/r, and as of yet there’s no sign out front because of some kind of bureaucracy. She’s got lovely hand-made jewelry and other accessories and I couldn’t resist buying several fantastic pieces. I also tutored her briefly in English and did the English translation of the Italian text for her website: http://www.ilmondodiheidi.it/. Tell her Shannon sent you.

In the same piazza is I Vestri. God of all things chocolate. If you’re here the winter, get their amazingly thick , rich, hot chocolate. Spice it up by asking them to sprinkle pepperoncino in it. In summer, try the icy-hot chocolate and hot pepper gelato.

Another good, and undiscovered except by students studying abroad as far as I can tell, take-away sandwich place is Salumeria/ Enoteca Verdi, Via Verdi 36/R , Tel. 055 244517. Pino, the friendly owner, or his wife, will make you a sandwich filled with whatever you see in the deli case and charge you a ridiculously small amount for it. If you like your cheese melted, he’ll microwave your panino for you. He also has a variety of hot pasta dishes around lunch time. You can eat in the side room, or walk to nearby Santa Croce church. No bathrooms here, though.

Other Florentine favorites, not in Santa Croce area:


TRATTORIA 4 LEONI
Via dei Vellutini, 1 r - Firenze – Centro (Oltrarno) - 055 218562

Fiochetti (I think that was the type of pasta) con Pere e Taleggio. Most amazing pasta dish ever. Order it or you will regret it the rest of your life. Pasta stuffed with pears and cheese in cream sauce. Truly inspirational.

CAMMILLO
Borgo S.Jacopo, 57 r - Firenze - S.Spirito - 055 212427

The prosciutto con melone I had here was to die for.

ACQUA AL DUE
Via della Vigna Vecchia, 40 r - Firenze - Centro - 055 284170
Cucina creativa italiana. Aperto dalle 19 alle 1
Specialty is a taster’s menu of assortment of 4 or 5 pastas (primi). Open Late, till 1 Am.

Restaurants for which I’m too sleepy to find the addresses right now but nonetheless great:
Michelaccio
Giuggiolo
Pane e Olio
All three are great authentic Tuscan eateries.

Favorites of my friends (both Italian and American), but I’ve never been:

PERSEUS
Viale Don Minzoni, 10 r - Firenze - Libertà - 055 588226

IL LATINI
Via dei Palchetti, 6 - Firenze - Centro - 055 210916
Cucina toscana


Drop me an email if you check out ny of these places and let me knowhwo you liked them! Dining experiences can be very subject and vary hugely one day to the next. I'd be curious to hear feedback.

shan333@gmail.com
Buon Appetito!

Shannon, I'm overwhelmed! Thanks for all the help. I hate touristy places, so these will definitely help.. I'm not sure if I'm looking more forward to the food or the art in Florence!
Joyce

sounds like a great trip. I had my honeymoon in Tuscany last year. In fact got married there too. We weren't too thrilled about CT and Porto Venere though. If you stay in Mintalcino, try the castello di velona. It's on teh pricy side but hands down it doesn;t get any better than taht.

fetz

Yes you are right, the Castello di Velona in Montalcino is very pricey as suggested by bobthenavigator.

However, from the website, it is indeed very nice. How long did you stay there for and did you dine at its restaurant every night or did you venture into town to sample other restaurants? Is the hotel far from the main drag?

S

After much research as well as various input from this forum and given the surprising difficulty in securing suitable accommodation, I have laid out our itinerary as follows:-

3 nights CT staying in either Portovenere or Lerici. Does anyone know Hotel Paradiso at Portovenere?;

2 nights Florence - visit Lucca on the way there from CT. See Florence as per Shan333's advise. Staying in Hotel La Scarletta on the south side of Arno close to Ponte Vecchio. Wife to do shopping etc;

2 nights just outside of San G - stay in farmhouse B&B, visit San G, Volterra, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Monteriggioni, Siena, Certaldo etc.

3 nights at Montalcino - 1 rest day with others visiting Pienza, Montepulciano, Cortona, Arezzo and Orvieto if possible.

2 nights SML or Rapallo - can someone suggest a hotel there please.

Then back to Nice and Paris.

The above is still subject to fine tuning. So any further suggestions, please feel free to post.

S

Paradiso if fine--Hotel Belvedere is next door and also fine.

Look at Casanova Pescille near San Gim.

Look at Palazzo del Capitano in San Quirico for south Tuscany.

Look at Hotel Jolanda in SML

I have stayed at all of these--among many others.

Nice trip !

swagman
if you are still interested in staying near Greve, this wonderful little (2 or 3 rooms) agriturismo B&B is about 10 minutes up a "white" (gravel) road in the vineyards:
Podere Torre, most easily accessed through the greve-in-chianti.com website, look under B&Bs or rural accommodations. Lovely stone farmhouse, roses, views, charming owner, just heaven.

As others here have mentioned, less than a half hour from Montalcino is Sant'Antimo abbey, with its bucolic setting and Gregorian-chanting monks. Picnic on the grass before or after...

Our first European trip (2004)was similar to what you are planning in Italy, and it was fabulous. We were there the second half of June. We stayed in Florence for 4 nights before picking up a rental car. We were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go - restaurants, museums, etc. Be sure to get tickets in advance for the more popular museums - you will save yourself many, many hours of waiting in lines. When we did get our car, we didn't have any trouble driving around Florence, but we didn't need to park much, so I can't comment on that.

We drove to CT with a stop in Lucca along the way. Allow a full day for Lucca if you can't spend the night there - it's a beautiful, walled city. We continued on to Monterossa al Mare and stayed at the Porto Roca, which was nice (seasoned travelers might prefer smaller hotels). We spent a full day on the beach, unwinding. The next day we hiked the entire CT trail. Vernazza looked like it would be a great town inw hich to stay. We hardly saw any people on the trail, but friends said it was like a freeway when they hiked it in September.

After 3 nights in CT, we drove to Pisa (liked it much better than we expected), then on to San Gusmé where we stayed at nearby Villa Arceno for 4 nights. High end, but a perfect home base. From there we took day trips to Sienna, Montalcino, Montepulciano, and San Gimignano, and a couple of other towns. We spent a full day sitting out by the pool at Villa Arceno, which was a great break from driving around all day, everyday. I think you may still have too many towns on your itinerary, but you can always just wait and see what you feel like doing. One awesome restaurant in the area is Das Antonio in Castelnova Barendengo (I didn't spell that all correctly). Spectacular seafood. (Make a reservation in advance)

One bit of advice: get maps of each town before you arrive in the towns - you can waste a lot of time driving around in circles!

Sounds like a great trip!

annabelle2 & meo - thank you both for your input.

Yes I do intend to spend a good part of a day at Lucca, have a real good look at the town before moving onto Florence which we have decided to stay 3 nights rather than the 2 originally planned due to an extra need - shopping which I did not budget time for albeit requested by my spouse!!

meo, in terms of maps, other than from the internet, can you obtain maps of towns from other tourism offices around the region/area?

S

I need to look in to how to obtain maps of the smaller towns. I have vowed to always have a good map on hand when traveling in areas where I don't speak the language! If I find any useful information, I'll let you know.