a base for touring Lucca, Pisa and Portovenere
 

Thanks to everyone for your insight into helping those of us that are somewhat challenged by logistics in travel distances and the terrain. After 5 days in Tuscany we have 3 to 4 days before we go to Milan. Is it feasible to find one lovely place to park ourselves for night and be able to tour these areas I've mentioned. We will have a car and we would rather return to the same place each evening rather than find new accommodation each night. We are a family so we'll need a pool.

Lucca !

Viareggio or Forte dei Marmi are possibilities. Viareggio is supposed to have an expecially nice beach. Bob's suggestion of Lucca is another possibility, staying outside the historic center. Central Lucca and Pisa are best visited by train, whereas you'd have to drive to Portovenere.

I think Lucca is the best for staying.
It is a small and wonderfull city with no traffic inside the center. It is a touristic site so you have more choise to find hotels and restaurants and it is quite closed to the places you want to visit.
Maybe I would consider to rest in Lucca for visiting Pisa, and proceed to Portovenere on the way to Milan.

Another vote for Lucca!!! Loved it, make sure you bike ride over the town's walls. Fantastic, loved Lucca!!

Schnauzer

We (2 families with kids) stayed at the Hotel Villa Rianascimento, half way between Lucca and Pisa. It is on a hillside of olive trees, with lovely views. A nice pool with a vanishing edge, a tennis court (nobody played tennis, but the kids can kick a ball around on it), and walks to the small village center nearby. You would need a car to get around.

There is the villa itself, which is nice, and then the ``annex'', which is a set of apartment-like rooms. The annex is not fancy, kind of rustic, even. But it suited us.

thank you so much for your help...I'm going to pick Lucca and research some of the places you've all suggested.

Lucca would fit your requirements and be a very interesting base--lots to do and plenty of options for dining. I highly doubt however, your finding lodging inside the walls with a pool. Still, I think you can't go wrong inside the walls--another world.

We stayed in Lucca proper at the Palazzo Alexander(ra) it was great, lovely rooms, very well placed and they had car parking if you are driving. Would recommend -
Schnauzer

have a look at this

http://www.watermill.net/

The short answer is Lucca. Once I stayed there for a couple of weeks while attending Italian school and visited Cinque Terre and Pisa from there. It's a lovely town , mostly pedestrian (except for the ubiquitous bikes!).