Italian Riviera
 

Last year, we traveled from Genoa to Pisa by train with short stopovers in both Santa Margarita and the Cinque Terre. We noticed some interesting little beach towns along the way. We are going back next year and would like some recommendations. Has anyone had experience with Camogli, Rapallo, or the areas around Viarreggio? We have really enjoyed the smaller beach towns along the French Riviera and would like to find comparable locations in Italy.

<BR>Hi Dan, <BR> <BR>In 1997, we spent some time in the charming beach town of Levanto, using it as a base to see the Cinque Terre. We liked Levanto so much we spent one of the days relaxing on its very long and beautiful beach and exploring the town. Stayed at the Stella Maris, a star indeed. This fall, we will be in Camogli for awhile as part of a month-long trip (chose it after corresponding with Fred Plotkin who wrote Italy for the Gourmet Traveler). I have high hopes that it will be wonderful. We haven't been to Genoa and hope to go there too. Any recommendations for things to see or do? Buon Viaggio!

Dan, I too love that entire coast and <BR>suggest you could spend a week enjoying <BR>two of my favorites--Portovenere and <BR>Levanto. They are just to the north and south of the Cinque Terre but have alot <BR>more to see and do than the isolated <BR>villages . There are several good places to stay in Portovenere as well as <BR>the village across the Gulf--Lerici.

We stayed in Rapallo two years ago in January. It was a really nice town, but guess is that in summertime it's really busy. We stayed at the Hotel Giulio Cesar, a nice three star hotel. Good luck.

Mary, could you possibly elaborate on the general atmosphere of that area in January? Was the weather bearable? Were a lot of hotels/restaurants/shops closed? I am enjoying this thread. Thanks to everyone. <BR>Jack

Jack, the weather in January can be iffy. We did have a lot of sunshine and the temperatures were in the 50's and 60's. We had one day of drizzly, cold rain. <BR> <BR>We were there the week after New Year's and I would say we were probably the only tourists. From Rapallo, we went to San Giamono, Lucca, Siena and Assisi. We could truly say we had those cities to ourselves; which is why we love to travel off season. Shops were open and we had no trouble finding hotels or restaurants. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps.

Camogli has an outstanding hotel, Cenobio dei Dogi, which was the summer home of the doge of Genoa. I wouldn't focus on Genoa for a vacation, however. Just south is Portofino, which almost everyone has heard of. Viareggio, farther south is a grand old beach town with old hotels, shops and good restaurants. Very, very crowded in the summer with northern Italians and British. Just north of Viareggio is Forte dei Marmi and Lido di Camiore,two more beach towns, more upscale.(the three towns just blend into each other) The restaurants on the beach are outstanding for seafood and pasta. About an hour inland from Viareggio is Lucca, Barga, and the "Garfagnana" of Italy--an area between the Apennines and the Apuan Alps. It's a beautiful rustic area to camp, ride horses and hike. It reminds me of Big Sur, though not on the water. Many tiny towns. Lucca, of course, is a beautifully intact walled city, almost totally pedestrian, with about 3 days' worth of attractions. It is often overlooked by Americans who tend to go to Florence and Siena instead. Lucca is truly a wonderful little city. I would recommend this area highly.

I booked my in-laws into the Hotel Piccolo Puccini in Lucca for a 1 week stay in August. Now I am worried that the weather may be too hot for my mother-in-law. Any chances this area gets cooler winds from the sea?