Itinerary input on my first trip to Italy
 

My DH & I are planning our first trip to Italy for October 2011. My exact travel dates are as follows: September 29-October 11 with Thursday September 29 and Tuesday October 11 being travel days. I want my first trip to Italy to consist of Florence/Tuscan hilltowns and Cinque Terre.

Here is an itinerary I've thought of so far...

Thursday September 29- fly from Austin, TX to Pisa, Italy
Friday September 30- arrive in Pisa, Italy...train to Cinque Terre...stay at La Mala in Vernazza...put bags at hotel and "take in" Vernazza
Saturday October 1- explore Cinque Terre/hikes
Sunday October 2- more exploring and hiking in Cinque Terre
Monday October 3- train to Florence...put bags at b&b or hotel (unknown at this point)...get to know Florence
Tuesday October 4- Florence exploring
Wednesday October 5- Florence exploring
Thursday October 6- car rental...Locanda San Francesco in Montepulciano...explore Montepulciano
Friday October 7- explore Tuscan hilltown
Saturday October 8- explore Tuscan hilltown
Sunday October 9-explore Tuscan hilltown
Monday October 10- make our way to Pisa...return rental car...put bags at hotel...explore
Tuesday October 11- fly home

*Sidenote: for my itinerary of exploring hilltowns, I am thinking of Siena,
San Gimignano, Pienza and Cortona.

My main concern and the main reason for this post: I have wanted to visit Cinque Terre since I read adventureseeker's trip report on this board. I do feel that it is consuming the time that I could be spending in Florence & Tuscany but it is hard for me to give up CT. Looking at my itinerary, we will only be in Florence 2 1/2 days and it doesn't seem like enough. I don't know what to do...if I could I would take a two week trip to Italy but I couldn't be gone from my job that long.

Fodorites...do you feel my time is being well spent? Too much or too little in a destination? What do you think of the itinerary for my first trip to Italy? What would you do? Thanks in advance!

I think you have a good balance here. You can actually see a lot i FLorence in 2.5 days, depending on your interests.

I'm from Austin too! I think it is definitely worth visiting the Cinque Terre. But, if you want more time in Florence, maybe you could take the train to Florence on Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon (having said this, I don't know what the train schedule is)instead of Monday morning. I would also recommend taking a boatride from Monterosso or Vernazza to Riomaggiore or vice versa. If you had been hiking, it could save you time getting back, plus you could see the spectacular view of the villages from the water. Alternatively, you could cut out one of your hilltowns. I have visited Siena and San Gimignano and would definitely want to see them, though.

I think it looks fantastic!
I say 2.5 days in Florence is OK, since your trip focus is more time in the the countryside and hilltowns. I've never been to Florence honestly, but I think, as with any major city, you could figure out in advance the 2-4 main sights/points of interest/museum/momuments that you want to visit and map out the two days time around that.

I think it is very doable---you have done some homework.
I have 2 comments. Check out the days that Delta flys directly into Pisa from JFK. It is only 3 days per week---and returns are also 3 times.

Your hill town options are good, but you should plan to see San Gim. on your way to Montepulciano from Florence.. From that base location I would prefer a day to include Bagno Vignoni, Sant Antimo, and Montalcino rather than Cortona. Nice trip.
We will be in Montepulciano for a week next May---our 17th to Italy.

Unusual for a first-timer, but it looks great!

Delaine: I like the idea of leaving CT Sunday afternoon if I decide I would like more time in Florence.

bobthenavigator: The flight I am leaning towards is through US Airways. It leaves Austin, going to Charlotte North Carolina then onto Munich and then finally arriving in Pisa.
I checked the Delta flight which left Austin then onto Atlanta, from there JFK then arriving in Pisa.
Do you think it would be better to have two US layovers versus one US layover and one international?

Does anyone think I should focus on Florence & Tuscan hilltowns and save CT for another trip? If you saved CT for another trip, what would you pair it with?

I think your trip is well planned and leaves you enough time to do everything you've planned. I would leave Cinque Terre in and pretty much leave the itinerary as is. You really want to see CT so go for it.

I see no reason to drop the Cinque Terre from your plans. If you find that you want more time in Florence (as a lover of art and architecture, I did!), you could shorten your time in the Tuscan hilltowns.

I like your plan. I've stayed at La Mala and enjoyed the room and the incredible views.

When based in Montepulciano, be sure to visit the small villages in the area.

I enjoy doing hikes/walks on some of the country dirt roads. Let me know if you would like some suggested walks.

I like using the Rough Guide Tuscany and Insight Guide Tuscany guidebooks. Be sure to pick up a very detailed map for the area.

Also, if you have an interest, the garden tour of nearby La Foce is lovely and very rewarding.

http://lafoce.com/thegarden.html

Enjoy your trip!

I forgot to add-

You will be visiting Tuscany during porcini season. Be sure to eat plenty of meals that include porcini! The sheeps milk (pecorino) cheeses are terrific and you can bring them home if they are vacuum packed. The baked cheese dish you will find at many restaurants is also very good. This place in the small village of Montefollonico (you can see the village from Montepulciano) serves excellent cheeses-

http://www.labottepiena.com/contatti.html

Hmmm ! From Austin I was hoping it would be to JFK and then direct to Pisa. With 2 stops each way you make the call.

We made our first trip to Italy in 2007 and Cinque Terre was one of the places I had to stay. Loved staying at Hotel Villa Steno.
The Ligurian food was our favorite. I loved the focaccia, the local wine and the pesto. I vote for keep it in.......

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