diane

My husband & I will arrive in Milan 4/12 in AM- and leave on SAt. 4/21 -we'd like to take in Cinque Terre, Tuscan highlights (Sienna, San G. etc) and Florence. We can't seem to put together, minimize long travel and create an itinerary that makes sense. Help us get "out of the box" please, or let us know to limit it to either omit Cinque T. or Tuscan towns.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Diane, You have only 8.5 days which suggests only 3 destinations. Are you driving--big difference? Counting travel time and your last nite in Milan, <BR>that leaves you about 7 days for real tourism. Which 3 destinations to visit it that time depends on travel mode. <BR>I would probably do 2 nites at CT, then 3 nites near San Gim., and then 2 nites in Florence---training to Milan your last day for departure on the 21st. <BR>Hope that helps---holler if you need more help.

Tom

Agreed with Bob. Would skip Milan as simply a large city. Some sights to see, but not very charming.

rlk

Diane: <BR> <BR>Visited Italy a few months ago (Oct/Nov) and this time arrived/departed through Milan. I spent a day in Milan before returning to the states. Of what I saw, I liked the city; however felt that a well-planned day (stay overnight in a strategically located hotel) was enough. My only disappointment was that tickets at 'La Scala' were sold out (not even the standing room tickets!) as the concert being held there that night was a charity performance. If you are an opera fan, the season began in December and goes thru sometime in April (???). At other times of the year, there are different performances, concerts, etc. in La Scala. <BR> <BR>As for the bulk of your travel itinerary, Bob's laid out a good plan.

Pat

Milan huge and smoggy. Traffic terrible. At the Cinque Terra, try staying in Levanto. We stayed at the Europa hotel. Small, family run. Food wonderful. Do 1/2 board. Includes breakfast and dinner. Great food. You can take the train and explore the 5 villages of the Cinque Terra. Levanto is one town north. We hiked from Levanto down to Montorosso and it was great. You can walk between all 5 villages. Train runs back and forth all the time. Don`t omit the Cinque Terra!

jane

Re: Cinque Terre--This is where we stayed; very nice and you can't beat the price. Villa Margherita by the Sea. Address: Via Tento e Triste n. 31 in Levanto. Price and Amenities: $72 (last year), TV phone, internet, LA Times recommended, very nice young man who was the owner. villamargherita.net. We had a nice room on the top floor w/ a balcony facing toward the water. Search the web for Cinque Terre, and you'll find lots of info. We took the train from Levanto and worked our way from town to town south to north. Enjoy! <BR>

Tina

-- <BR>Noticed that a few months ago there was discussion that several (or all?) of the pathways between the Cinque Terre towns were closed due to weather conditions. Has anyone been there recently to verify if those trails are open? <BR> <BR>Diane -- don't worry, you can also take a local train from one town to the next OR there's a boat that you can use for CT transport. <BR>

Joyce

I assume the "boat" the previous responder referred to is the ferry. Unfortunately, unless things have changed in the last couple of years, it runs only from June through August. However, the train is very satisfactory - with the exception of trying to find any schedules. Evidently you can get them only at the various train stations. I'm talking about the 5 CT villages, not Rapallo, which we highly recommend, and the other cities which can be accessed through Thomas Cook or various websites here. <BR>