kwren

I recommend your 3/4 nights in Cinque Terre since you like to walk. The hikes were beautiful and you will be there before the worst of the summer crowds. For us, we loved being in Manarola. We found a place overlooking the water and harbor up on the cliff away from the crowds. We went to Portovenere and while it was pretty for a day trip, we preferred being in the midst of the CT. Portovenere seemed out of the way for us. It was also fun to take a day trip to Portofino.

I posted a trip report if you want to read what we did there. Click on my name, scroll down to the bottom and scroll through my 'Abruzzo 2.0' report. CT is closer to the end of that report.

I also have a trip report there called 'Happy 80th Birthday Mom' where I described what we did in Cassis and a day watching the boules players in St Paul de Vence, among other things. We stayed at the Mas des Cigales in Tourettes sur Loup. We were glad to have a car to be able to drive around that area without worrying about transportation schedules. It was essential to have a car to stay at this place as it was just outside the town. Decide if you want to stay in a city or a hill town. You will have a different experience with either.