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We plan to spend 5-6 days just enjoying CT. Some people think we are crazy! We love to eat and enjoy the quiet life. What do you think? Also can anyone recommend any good B&B's in CT. Riomaggiore looks good!

I guess it's personal preference, but I can find places to eat and enjoy the quiet life within 100 miles of home. If I'm going to spend thousands of dollars to go that far, I want something I can't get at home. BUT it's your money and your time and you know what will be the most enjoyable and fulfilling for you. If we were all the same, it really would be extremely boring.

Not everyone lives within 100 miles of cliffs that plunge into the sea with Italian villages waiting for you at the bottom. Do you?

You both have good points. As an Aussie who lives on the coast with the best beaches in the world its not that that I'm after. What I want is the beautiful Italian atmosphere, the food, the culture and all those things that are so different to home. AND I dont want to rush it, so that's why I'm thinkig 5-7 days in CT

Ok that helps a bit. Depending on the time of the year you visit CT, you may end up finding more of a tourist atmosphere than a real Italian one. Perhaps a base in northern Tuscany (Lucca for example) with a couple days in CT is more of what you're looking for. Sure there are tourists in Lucca too, but more of the daytripping kind. Nights are all yours.

I'm one who is usually unable to relax. I need to keep on the move and I'm not good at being somewhere remote and boring. I've always said I can think of nothing worse than getting "stuck" out in the country in Tuscany for a couple of weeks at a remote villa. I also say my usual rule is to never eat at the same place twice -- I love to find a new restaurant each night. That being said, we spent two nights in the CT, and I really could be happy spending a week there. We ate both nights at our hotel's restaurant outside in Manarola, practically hanging over the cliffs of the tiny "marina". I could eat there every night for a week and be truly happy. Maybe I could slow my pace down and spend a whole day in each of the five villages. I agree with RAR. I have nothing even remotely like the CT near my home, so I don't think Rufus' comments apply to me.

Thanks for the info. When? 15th - 21st Oct roughly. Hope it wont be too crowded then. I'd be interested in accommodation and in eating establishments if possible.I've read somewhere that to stay inRiomaggiore is the way to go. Comments? Others say to stay outside and train in each day/ or walk. Thoughts?

I couldnt really think of a better time than mid-October. Still should be warm, tourists are mostly at home.

And if you search for cinque terre i'm sure you'll find a million threads with hotel advice.

McCamish, we were in CT in early October 2001. The weather was warm enough to swim, but there were still hoards of tourists. In fact, we stayed in Santa Margherita Ligure, north of CT because there was no hotel availability in CT. We may have been able to find a room by asking around, but I was reluctant to chance it. It's not too early to lock in your reservation. If you do a search, you'll find a lot of B&B recommendations. Just type Cinque Terre into the text search box at the top of the page, highlight Italy in the box to the right and press find.

Mccomish, you are not alone thinking the way you do regarding CT. I also have a reservation for CT for a week in June. But I plan to take daytrips to Florence, San GiMigliano, Pisa and Siena. This way I can enjoy the beauty of CT , but at the same time it will be for us a change of scenery also.Does anybody know how of is the trail between manarola, our home base and corniglia? Thanks...

I absolutely loved my time in Vernazza. I ended up my extending my stay there for a few days because I enjoyed it so much. Also because I was able to secure a lovely room near (in?) the castle with a balcony and sea view for only $35. It was very quiet, and I actually enjoyed the 100+ stair hike up to my room! Good prep for the trails. The rooms can be inquired about at Trattoria Gianni. There are some good restaurants in Vernazza, my favorite being Gambero Rosso. Really incredible! I'm unable to offer any info on Riomaggiore. Enjoy your trip as you wish!

Hi McCamish. It's certainly nice, but I wouldn't say that Riomaggiore is the best CT town in which to stay. I'd say that honor goes to Vernazza which is, in my opinion, the most picturesque town of the five. While not exactly B&Bs (since I don't think most of them include any breakfast), there are many private rooms to rent in Vernazza. FYI, this was the place we used... http://www.francamaria.com/homepage/homepage1.htm:

Kismet, of the places you mentioned only Pisa is a viable daytrip, the others are over 2.5 hours away by train.

Thanks for the info RAR.. perphas is best for me then to go there from Rome..I will be there for fews days anyway.. and the trip via ES is only 90 minutes..

Kismet, the two most strenuous -- and, IMO, picturesque -- sections of the CT trail are the northernmost two, between Monterosso and Vernazza, and between Vernazza and Corniglia. The section between Corniglia and Manarola is not high in the hillsides like the northernmost two and closely parallels railroad tracks for a while in a a not-very-picturesque stretch. At the end (coming from the south) there's a very steep series of stairs which take you up to Corniglia. In Manarola, be sure to walk out to the little park on the point that is just a bit north of town.

Even cliffs, the sea, and Italian villages get very old very fast when that's all there is. No, I don't have Italian villages, but, yes, I am within 100 miles of quaint villages and the sea, and quaint villages, mountains, and cold lakes. I wouldn't spend a 5-6 days there either. But, as I said, we all have our own pleasures and what's good for one isn't good for another.

The Cinque Terre is one of my favorite places ever, and largly for the atmosphere (& the food). They definitely aren't just local, undisturbed villages, though, but I like that I'm visiting a place that's a vacation spot for Italians, too. I prefer to stay in Monterosso al Mare. I believe it's the biggest of the five towns, and it thus has the biggest choice of restaurants. For restaurants, we like the Belevedere (www.ristorante-belvedere), which is close to the beach (but also under the railroad tracks) - I love their marinated anchovies. We also enjoyed Ristorante Al Pozzo and Cantina del Pescatore (I remember a great seafood tasting dinner with 10 or so little courses). We had great drinks & appetizers at Internazionale. My favorite memory is of a little foccaccia place - I don't know its name - that serves foccaccia to go. We were initially drawn to the place by the delicious scents wafting from it. Anything they make is good, but I especially liked the foccaccia made with cornmeal (farinata?). It's in an alley off via Roma. We loved staying at the Villa Steno, a 3-star hotel (www.pasini.com/villasteno). It is one of the few hotels that has a parking area, if you need that. It's a little up on the hillside - but not much - so the balconies have views of the town and the ocean. The path onto via Roma winds through villagers' kitchen gardens, which I enjoyed too. The owners were very nice, and gave us a bottle of their own wine as we left. In the evening, we would sit outside one of the bars off the main "square," Piazza Garibaldi, and have drinks. One day a week (I don't remember which), there's a market in Piazza Garibaldi. In checking restaurant names, I came across a website with a map, www.monterossonet.com/ita/monterosso/mappa.htm. You might find it helpful. There's a place called Foccacceria "Il frantoio;" that must be the foccaccia place. (The map doesn't list all the restaurants & hotels, though.)

Thanks for the info Capo...

how crowded are vernazza and manarola in late july?