Lake Como, Liguria, Tuscany - 10 days
 

Two couples in early 30's planning the following itinerary Aug 27-Sept 7 and wondering if any experts have suggestions of things to do, see, eat, or if we are missing something.

Aug 27 - Arrive 8am in Milan, transfer to Varenna (3 days). Enjoy the pool and relax after a long flight.
Aug 28 - Explore villas, towns, food: Tremezzo, Menaggio, etc..
Aug 29 - Hiking trails, pool, food. Possibly side trip to Switzerland? Likely not.
Aug 30 - 6:30am train via Milano to Monterosso (3 days), arrive 11am, beach/food
Aug 31 - Hike through Cinque Terre, beach/food stops
Sept 1 - 50min boat trip to Portofino, beach/food, explore, boat back before dinner
Sept 2 - 9am train via Pisa to Florence (5 days), arrive 11:30am, explore Florence
Sept 3 - Uffizi (tickets pre-booked) and more exploration of Florence full day
Sept 4 - Fiat delivered to hotel in the AM for all day Chianti exploration and wine tasting, return car
Sept 5 - Siena day trip by train
Sept 6 - Free day. Possibly half day trip to Lucca by train
Sept 7 - 1PM flight out of Florence back home

Thoughts?

Be sure the Florence hotel indicates a safe driving route, avoiding any ZTL's.

Siena take the bus, which goes to the center of town.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscan...erfect_day.htm

http://www.busfox.com/timetable/

If you are thinking of hiking the Sentiero Azzurro, the famous trail that links the Cinque Terre villages, please note that at this time, it looks like only the trail between Vernazza and Monterosso is open.

We did Monterosso to Vernazza last year and, since it was the only portion of the trail open, it was very crowded.

However, there are alternatives that are equally nice.

Levanto to Monterosso offers great views, as does the trail that goes from Manarola to Volastra to Corniglia. (Stop in the bar in Volastra for a cappuccino, delicious homemade torta and a short rest.)

Here is info on trail status; look for link to Sentiero Azzurro on right:

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/s...sp?id_lingue=2

I would push back your arrival time in le Cinque Terre to later in the day. Otherwise, you are arriving at a moment when the overhead is at its strongest, and it is inevitable to you will be toting luggage up hill and up stairs. By the time you get settled in your lodgings, you will be pushing up against the lunch hour, with all the nice tables taken at the restaurants.

An afternoon train out of Milano Centrale that would be better to take. Book 1st class for comfort and optimal chance of getting air con. You can pick up food to go in the Milan train station when you switch coming in from Varenna (I like the Juice Bar, but Bistrot Centrale is also good) and eat your lunch on the train.

As your B&B/lodgings to book a table for you at a nice restaurant for dinner.

Be very, very, very careful driving that Fiat out of Florence and returning it. Personally, were it me, I would go to the airport to get it and return it unless your hotel is in the Oltrarno.

Sorry for the dropped word: Overhead SUN.

I would hire a car and driver for the Chianti day and wine tasting. You have to book the tastings anyway, so why not do a trip from Florence, all booked with a driver/guide?

There are loads of them.

Regarding your day in Portofino...i have been there twice and an hour was enough. You can also visit lovely Santa Margherita Ligure from there.

I agree---hire a driver for your Tuscany day---you do not want to drive in Florence--especially upon return.

Wine tastings are best done at enotecas in the towns, not at the winery---nothing like Napa.

the price I was quoted by the hotel for the Chianti private driver and wine tasting is 495 euro. Seems a bit high, so I opted for the car which i only 130 euro.

I already booked the train tickets from Varenna to Monterosso. The reason I opted for such an early train is that with this option, we still get to Monterosso at 11am, leaving us a whole day. We can go to the beach, explore, relax, etc.. The other option was 10:30am which wouldnt get in until 3pm..which seemed like a waste of the day.

Also, the car rental is being handled by the hotel in Florence. We are staying at the Excelsior. I assume that they will give us all the permissions for driving in and out of Florence?

When staying inside a ZTL, we just had to give our hotel the license plate details. Taking a photo of it is easy.

Your 'free' day in Florence is a Sunday which can be problematic for some sightseeing. Not everything is open every Sunday or, if open, may have reduced hours. For example, the Duomo, the climb to the lantern of the Duomo, the Baptistery, Santa Croce and the Brancacci Chapel are all only open in the afternoon on Sundays. The Medici Chapel is open but only on alternate Sundays.

It might make sense to switch the Siena and free days (but check what's open/closed in Siena on Sundays too). Or substitute a morning in Fiesole for Lucca.

You can check hours of some sights at this official website:

http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en/orari/

Just got back from Italy - including the Cinque Terre. Arriving any time of day will be fine. We hiked from Monterroso to Vernazza. The trail to the next town - Corniglia - was also open and I hear very beautiful. We had planned to hike it, as well, but after a nice lunch and a few glasses of wine in Vernazza, we lost our motivation and headed back to the beach! Loved our trip there and could have easily stayed longer! We were also in Lucca and rented bikes and rode around the top of the wall around the city. One of the highlights of our trip! My advice - order Caprese Salad A LOT!! I've tried to replicate it since getting home and can't even come close!! Enjoy!!

If SallysMom just got back from Italy, then SallysMom wasn't traveling in August, when midday is fiercely hot. I understand your reluctance to change train tickets, but be advised before you go to Italy that in the still-Italian parts of Italy (meaning, not the areas where tourists outnumber locals), nothing is going on between noon and 3pm except lunch. So it is not a "waste of a day" (by the Italian clock) to arrive anywhere after 3pm. In August especially, most Italians will not be resuming their daily activities until 4pm.

Also be advised that a Caprese salad is a specialty of southern Italy (Capri is its home), where mozzerella is made and excellent tomatoes are the norm. It is unclear to me where SallysMom ate Caprese salad, and I would be the first to say that even the worst meal in Italy is often better than most meals in most English-speaking countries. However, I highly recommend that while on the Italian Riviera (where I live) that you stick to local fare. We don't have good tomatoes (sadly!) and they are rarely used in local dishes. Ditto, we have no mozzarella. Hope while you are in le Cinque Terre you sample pesto (a green sauce for pasta made with bias) and the local stracchino cheese (which is the basis for focaccia col formaggio), treats found nowhere else in Italy, plus outstanding mussels, anchovies, and whole fish cooked with olives and potatoes -- not a tomato in sight.

auto-correct alert -- the pesto is made with both basil and a bias (a bias for the soft-leaved basil of Pra, a suburb of Genova)

thanks everyone. Sandralist, why is it better to sit on the train from 11-3 rather than on the beach in Monterosso? I wasn't planning on doing much that day..just relax and hang out at the beach.

For me it would be staying cool and getting past the worst of the midday hot sun, especially when carrying luggage up hills. It would also mean the crush of day trippers would be moving out. Arriving in le Cinque Terre at 3pm, there is still plenty of time for a swim and cocktail before dinner, which doesn't start until 8/8.30. The latter part of the afternoon heading toward sunset is a great time to arrive at the seaside.

Also, I would prefer a no-rush morning on the lake. At 6.00 am in Varenna, you can't even get a cup of espresso. Just not my idea of how to enjoy the lakes and sea in Italy. it's a "waste of time" to rush places, not the other way around.

Will you be able to get into your accommodations if you arrive at 11? Or, will they allow you to store your luggage?

When we were last in Cinque Terre and rented an apartment, we had to wait a bit until the rental agency opened after lunch.