PamNC

Genoa and the Cinque Terre in mid-May, or is that too early? I just read a post that said that Sept. is fabulous, but I an concerned about the heat and crowds. However,we don't want to be hit with a lot of rain if mid-May is too early. I have not seen much said about Genoa. We thought we would fly there, spend 5 days or so in the city, then head down to Santa Margherita, maybe Portovenere; the latter because of everything I have read about how it is so lovely.

Next, we would like to see Lucca. Can anyone give insight about this town? Next stop Florence or, most likely, Rome for a few days then departure from there.

What do you think?

Thanking you in advance!!

WallyKringen

There's no predicting rainfall with any accuracy - you may get some, you may not. May is not hot if that's what you're worried about, it can be unseasonably warm some days at midday but mostly it's mild, downright cool at night.

Genoa is an interesting city, but it doesn't have nearly as much to offer as many others, so you may wish to move on after you spent two or three days there, recuperating from the flight and taking in what sights interest you.

There's a nice description of Lucca at www.world66.com/europe/italy/tuscany/lucca

Enjoy your trip!

WK

owlwoman

You will be fine in mid-May, we went late May/early June, the weather was perfect, 70-80 daytime, 60ish at night. We spent 4 nights in a small town named Lerici and took the boat to Portovenere and the CT. We also took a day trip to Lucca, which we found charming, it's a walled city. We found one day to visit was enough. Genoa, to me at least, is just another city, we drove through it, perferring to stay in smaller towns. We really liked this part of Italy very much. Sounds like you have a good plan.

ira

Hi Pam,

Lucca is a very pleasant, quiet town. Walking along the walls on a May evening should be very nice.

Enjoy your visit.

willit

I stayed in Lucca for a week in April, and the weather was poor, but I am told unusally so. I really liked Lucca, I found it a charming and friendly city. The medieval walls are probably the highlight, although I found just wandering the streets highly enjoyable.

JQReports

Hi Pam,

Five days is too much to spend in Genoa. You can visit the best villas, gardens, museum, etc, with a trip up the Funi, in two days. It is a wonderful small city but spend extra your extra days elsewhere on the Ligurian coast, especially if you like to walk/hike.

JQ

Carta_Pisana

a friend and I visited Camogli, Nervi and Genoa at the end of May last year - the jasmine had just finished blooming. We had a bit of rain - a couple sunny days - the season had not started yet. Genoa is great - a real up and coming city - still a bit rough around the edges. I did a day trip to Sestri Levante from Nervi. September would be wonderful.

Akin

We went to Italy 2 years ago for the whole month of April. Only rained a few days and even then, the rain did not stop us from doing any of our plans. We spent 1 week in Cinque Terre based in Vernazza and a week in the Tuscany area. One town we visited and stayed for 2 days was Lucca. Very nice and 2 days was good enough. There is the old town that is surrounded by a wall you can walk on and limited car access in the old town. There are several piazzas and historical sites. The new town is built around the outside wall. We didn’t spend any time in the new town. “Google” it and do a little research; you’ll like it.

LoveItaly

Hello PamNC, personally I love Genoa. I would spend two nights there. It is an interesting, hisorical city. I found the residents to be warm and friendly. It does not seem to be on a lot of travellers "wish list"..maybe that is part of the charm? If you stay there I hope you will post a trip report of your impression, activities etc. Best wishes to you.

schnauzer

We found Cinque Terre very crowded during early July, we only did a day trip there and at that time of year I was glad we weren't staying any longer. We did have a couple of nights in Lucca and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, we really enjoyed the "feel" of the place. Make sure you hire bikes and ride around on the walls, great fun.

There a several villas around Lucca which you can visit. Watch the opening times though. Can be tricky.

We stayed at the Palazzo Alexander and found it to be really lovely. Painted frescoes on the ceilings, lovely furniture and very pleasant staff. They have parking within the walls if you have a car. Highly recommended.

We drove from Lucca for a day trip to Pisa which was a very easy drive and good fun. We were glad we were staying the night in Lucca though. Lucca has an "old" town surrounded by the walls, more fun staying within the walls I think, easy then to walk around.

tuscanlifeedit

We spent several days in Lucca, and used it as a base for driving tours of the north of Tuscany, which is a wild, mountainous and beautiful area.

I think Lucca is ok, and you might love it. I am glad I went, but I found it dark. However, I have heard people say the same thing about Florence, which I love. Too each their own...

Certainly visit the Duomo, the Duomo museums, the churches and markets, their is a great garden at a villa just inside the northern portion of the walls, and of course, stroll or bike the walls. Our hotel which we loved was small and cheap, was the San Martino. They had bikes for the guests, which was great.

bobthenavigator

Portovenere and Lucca are 2 of my favs, but I cannot imagine 5 days in Genoa. Are you aware of convenient flights into Genoa? I think you may find Pisa more feasible. You seem to be shot gunning. How much time do you plan to spend?

viaggio_sempre

PamNC - My wife and I are planning a June/July trip to that area. We prefer not to stay in touristy areas, as we like the "feel" of everyday type places. We will visit the more tourist bound places, but will hit certain sites early in the morning as is advised by many on this site.

We had picked out where we wanted to stay in Genoa, but after consulting a friend from Italy, we reserved in Rapallo (6 nights) instead (she grew up in Camogli). I have to tell you though, if it is in your budget (we are going for three weeks and can't consider it) I would strongly suggest SML. There are so many solid and good reports about that town, on this site. Hoping you the best :-"

viaggio_sempre

PamNC - Why are you considering Genoa?

Don't let us put you off of it unless you want to give it up. Are you thinking you like the centrality of that location? Do you want to explore the Ligurian and Levantian coasts? Or is this early planning and you are exploring options and opinions?

We at this site would like to hear your thoughts.

If only I had 2 more days in this area, I would take the train up the Riviera di Levante and find a nice beach, or go to an olive oil museum or ... :-"

PamNC

Thanks everyone for all of the tips. Ok, so we have done some more research and have narrowed down and changed some of our initial plans. We have used the Eyewhitness Travel Guides in the past for travling in Italy and have enjoyed all of the info and gorgeous pics. Genoa "looked" nice and we thought that we would try a new starting place. If we should fly into Genoa, we will definitely limit the stay to a day or two, if at all now.

We are planning on 3 weeks. We will not be returning to Rome this trip, but will keep more centralized. We are not a bottomless pit of funds, so it will depend on airfares from California that will determine our starting city. We want to incorporate the Cinque Terre, ideally Santa Margherita, Lucca, Parma, Bologna and perhaps Florence. We visited Florence on a prior trip so it is not essential, but again, the air flights will influence our decision.

What with the Euro and fuel costs, prices are so much higher than even last year. Room rates have certainly risen. Oh well, you've got to do what you've got to do, I guess. Any hotel thoughts on the above locations. I think we are squared for Lucca.

Thanks again everyone!

ira

Hi Pam,

>Any hotel thoughts on the above locations. <

In Florence, the B&B Peterson, not far from the train station, provides clean, basic accomodation with AC and ensuite facilities for about 65E/nite.

www.bedinflorence.it