My husband and I will be visiting the port of Livorno this September. For those of you who have experienced these regions, please share your opinions about whether you would prefer to visit Cinque Terre or Siena and Chianti for the day. It would be an added bonus if you could tell me why. They both seem beautiful,each with their own charms, so it is very difficult to chose, especially never having been there.

Thanks so much!

Just sincerely hoping for a reply. Thanks for bearing with the bump.

Livorno is not a good location to visit much of Tuscany. It would take probably 8 hours of time, a private driver, and $350 to see Siena and Chianti--is that a good option to you?
I suggest using the trains and seeing Pisa and Lucca from Livorno. You could train to La Spezia and then on to one of the CT villages, but that takes time and is weather dependent. It is just not easy to see Italy from a cruise ship.

Hi happy,

I agree with Bob. Your best trip is to Pisa and Lucca.

You could try to make it to Florence; it's about 1 1/2 hr.

IIRC you only have from 0700 to 1900.

Train scedules from Livorno Centrale to Pisa, Lucca and Florence are at
www.trenitalia.com/en

Thank you for your responses. I have been to Italy twice before and, in this region, have visited Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, and Siena. However, the last time I was in Siena, I did not feel that I had enough time to fully explore the town.

I do have a private guide scheduled for that day so I will easily be able to get to the areas I am interested in. The question is: Which area?

I have traveled via land, both guided and independently, and I agree that it is somewhat more difficult to see the sites from a cruise ship. However, this time my husband and I opted for something a little different. But, we still would like to make the most of our days.

So, back to the original question: If you had the choice, which would you choose to visit for the day -CT or Siena and Chianti?

Thanks again for your help.

Given the fact that you have made arrangements with a private guide, I feel that a trip to Siena and possibly a short venture into the nearby towns would best utilize your time and resources. Your guide might be able to get you to Chianti but remember that traffic is slow and the roads are windy and you have unchangeable deadlines which kind of defeat the ambience of Tuscany.
The Cinque Terra would not utilize your guide's expertise and there is very little liklihood of your being able to do any hiking; and that doesn't address the problem of uncertain local trains and your deadline to return. Probably best to ask your guide what's possible including Siena, possibly Monteriggione, Colle di Valle d'Elsa or Volterra. Good luck--Paul

Thanks, Macanimals, for your reply. I am gpoing to speak to my guide again and see what we come up with.

In the mean time, if anyone has other further suggestions, I would love to read them!

OK--given a private driver I would start in Volterra--one of my 3 favorite hill towns--and then decide if you want to see more of Siena or see Lucca for the first time. I think Volterra and Lucca would make a wonderful day in Tuscany in Sept.