choosing between cinque terre & lake como
 

hi fodorites - i'm planning a 2 week trip (14days) to Italy in last week of aug + first week of sep. here's my itinerary so far:
Rome (with possible day trip to pompeii) - 4 nights
Florence (with possible day trip to siena) - 3 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Lake Como (with possible day trip to lugano) - 4 nights

we are in our mid-30s, low maintenance, enjoy scenery, relaxing, not into partying.
so far, all the advice i have received is fantastic. i have read posts about cinque terre and it sounds & looks like a beautiful place. if i had to choose between lake como & cinque terre, which should i choose?

do you think i could include some time in both cinque terre AND lake como? probably not but i thought i'd ask ;)

if you say cinque terre, which town should i stay in and how many nights?

My dear hub and I have been to both places but were in our 50s and less active so take this advice accordingly. We visited CT in early spring from our base in Pisa. We were happy to have a wonderful meal and stroll a bit in 2 towns. The paths were closed because of recent bad weather so we didn't hike. Do read KayTKay's trip report for a "take" from people who stayed.

We stayed in Bellagio for 3 nights (again in early spring) and took the ferry around. Visited Villa Carlotta. There are places to hike but I'm not finding the TR about this. I want to say there is something in Varenna--other Fodorites can help.

Both places have spectacular beauty. Both are good for lounging but taking the trails between the towns in the CT might be more your speed. I want to say there is more water transportation on Lake Como. The water in the Lake Como area is more intimate by virtue of being a lake. I loved the misty mountains that looked like dark clouds before the sun broke through.

I'll go out on a limb and say there are more things to see in Lake Como. The searfood in CT would be more varied. Good luck deciding!

Como is my choice, but both will be crowded that time of year.

We've been to Lake Como many times and the CT once. In the CT we stayed three nights to have two days for hiking. We did a half of the trail each day. I am very glad I visited the CT but don't feel any desire to return there. Some of the hiking was challenging with steep drop offs. I preferred the food on the CT over the lakes as I love sea food. I will continue visiting Lake Como for it's beauty and relaxing feel.

Make that seafood rather than searfood!

thanks for your tips & recommendations, my faithful fodorites! the more i read & see, the more difficulty i have deciding between CT and como. i posted this adjusted itinerary below under another post as well so no need to reply to both. at first, i was thinking about a day trip to lugano from venice but after reading more about CT, i think i want to forgo lugano and add some time for cinque terre instead. let me throw this revised itinerary out there & get your thoughts:

Day 1 - Arrive Rome.
Day 2 - Rome
day 3 - Rome
Day 4 - Rome (ideally, a day trip to pompeii)
Day 5 - train to Florence
Day 6 - Florence
Day 7 - Florence
Day 8 - Florence (ideally, a trip to Siena or another small, rustic Tuscan town that you recommend)
Day 9 - Train to cinque terre (stay in manarola or vernazza)
Day 10 - manarola or vernazza
Day 11 - train to Venice
Day 12 - Venice
Day 13 - Venice
Day 14 - fly home from venice.

Perhaps you should look at what a accommodations you can find in CT and Lake Como to help you decide. As it is just about 7 weeks away and during a busy season, lodging could help you make your decision.

CT was too crowded for me, much preferred Lake Como. We stayed in Varenna and loved it. If you need a bit more buzz Bellagio may be better. That's my tuppence worth.

Schnauzer

I'll be in Italy at the same time as you, thought I would let you know we just booked our hotel in Monterosso and had no problem with availability. I sent 7 inquiries and all but 1 hotel had openings - it was actually hard to choose one!

My Fiancé and I are in our early 30's with similar interests (although we do enjoy a night out), we too had a hard time picking between Lakes and CT. I think there is no wrong decision here, CT won out due to recommendations from close friends who fell in love with it (disclaimer: they haven't been to Lake Como so we couldn't compare).

If you are going to CT, get going with finding a place to stay. I just spent a week working on just this for mid-September and finally found a place overlooking the water. It took a lot of work, but we found a great place in Manarola.

I have never been to Lake Como but we spent 5 days in Vernazza in September, 2011 just before the floods. We stayed at Camere Giuliano's place which was amazing. Giuliano's was virtually destroyed during the flood but I've just read that he has rebuilt and has opened at least some of his rooms. We loved Vernazza and the CT. Yes, there are a lot of people during the day, but that's when we were out hiking the trails and exploring the other towns. Mornings and evenings were very special. Great food and spectacular scenery.