Italy Sept 29-Oct 9-need help before reserving in next 2 days!
 

My husband and I returning to Italy for our 20th anniversary...Sept. 29 - Oct. 9, 2006. (We most recently were in Italy in May of 2005 and spent time in Rome, Florence, and Venice.) We need to make reservations in the next day or so and need some feedback on the following:

1-Would like to spend 2-3 days in Cinque Terre or other Italian Riviera towns. Will the businesses be open during the first part of October? (We were going to go there AFTER going to other parts of Italy. If not much will be open, we may have to go during the FIRST part of our trip. Any suggestions?)

2 - Is it hard to maneuver the roads in Italy? We speak no Italian. Last 2 times we took trains, metros, but are thinking of spending a few days in Tuscany...either day tours out of Florence, or renting a car.

3 - Our tentative schedule is: Sept. 29-Oct.1 Venice (returning to see a Venetian cousin...so this is a MUST do.)

Will take train to Florence on the 1st.

Oct.1-Oct.9 Florence, Cinque Terre,
and maybe Tuscany. This last part of the trip is somewhat up in the air...don't know how much time to spend in Florence. Should we stay in town and take day trips out to the country? (We only want 2 days or so in town as we spent 3 days there last year.) Or should we rent a car and drive through Tuscany and Pisa before
going on to Cinque Terre, where we would like to end our trip in a more relaxed setting before going home.

Thank you SO much for any help you can provide! We are so excited to return to the magical country of Italy!

October is a popular month in Italy--especially Tuscany. You really need a car to see it well. I would spend 2 nites in Florence and then get your car. I would devote at least 4 days to Tuscany. Your timing will depend on your exit location.

In 2004, we started our trip in Florence, spent the next 2 nights in the Cinque Terre, and then onto Tuscany for 5 nights. It was heavenly.

A car is a must in Tuscany. Also, since you were already in Florence in 2005, are you dying to go back or could you go straight from Venice to Tuscany.

It is NOT hard to maneuver the roads in Italy, except in the cities. Even in the little towns of Tuscany, we did fine. We bought a great regional map of Siena from INITALY.com and it was a great help.

I am not sure about the CT in October. It will probably be lovely and less crowded. Not beach weather but you could easily see the 5 towns if you stayed 2 nights.

I know you said that you might end your trip in the CT as its more relaxed but so is Tuscany. In fact, its less crowded than CT in my opinion.

To answer your questions...

1) The Cinque Terre is always open, people live there year-round. The only exception is that the 5Terre boat service (which goes from town to town) may be more limited in its daily runs. I have family friends in the Cinque Terre and have used the boats at the end of October even so you should be fine. However, there is the local 5 digit trains you can take from village to village. It will be lovely during the first part of October as most of the tourists have left and the air starts to cool off a bit at night. Definitely bring a light sweater or jacket for the evenings.

2) I have managed each and every time I am in Italy (6+ times a year) without a car. Public transportation throughout the entire country (Toscana included) has sufficed for me and I even travel with my child! You can easily catch a train(s) from Florence to other parts of Toscana (Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano) and then utilize local busses and area transport for when the train doesn't go there. I have found it helpful to print out train schedules on www.trenitalia.com ahead of time (i.e. Firenze to Siena) then you can take that sheet with you to the ticket office and show them. It makes it easier for you if you don't speak Italian to get the train/time you want.

3) From a base in Toscana, you can easily take day trips out to other towns. Pisa is close by, Livorno, Lucca, etc. If you didn't want to stay in the Cinque Terre, you COULD go there as a full-day trip. But given that you would like to end your trip "in a more relaxed setting before going home" you might want to stay in the CT for a couple days to unwind.

Yes, get a car. And congratulations on your 20 years of marriage!

<< We speak no Italian. >>

And lucky you! You have over ninety days to work on remedying that! 5 words a day. You can do it. Today would be a good day to start!

;)

Best wishes,

Rex

I can't thank you all enough...all of your input will be invaluable! It is wonderful to know there are people willing to share their time and efforts to help others! :)

This will be our first vacation alone for over 12 years(without our now 15 and 19 year old) as we love take them on vacation whenever possible...they grow so quickly! We are long overdue and the 20th is a perfect opportunity...why wait for 25?! :)

P.S. I am going to pick up a CD-ROM, tape, or something to help us try to learn some of the simpler phrases in Italian...as suggested, the 3 months gives us some time to do just that.