Last Minute Trip to Como/Cinque Terre/Tuscany
 

I'm a first time poster, and my schedule has suddenly cleared to enable a friend and I to take my daughter to Italy to celebrate her 21st birthday at the end of August/first week in September. We just booked our flights and have a tentative overall itinerary:

- arrive in Milan on August 24
- drive straight to Lake Como (spend three nights)
- drive to Cinque Terre (spend three nights)
- drive to Tuscany (spend six nights)
- fly out of Milan

A few questions:
Does the order of our itinerary make sense? Should we lengthen or shorten our times in any of these areas?
Will the Cinque Terre still be crowded at the end of August, or will the August crowds have started to recede by then?
In Tuscany, we would prefer to stay in the countryside and make day trips to Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, and maybe Florence?
Do you have suggestions for the best location to stay to access these cities/towns for day trips without having to stay in the towns or cities themselves?
While of course we would like to see the highlights of these towns and cities, we are also very interested in suggestions for the best way to experience outdoor activities such swimming, hiking, biking, etc. in the area.
This forum has been highly recommended to me, so thank you in advance for any specific suggestions you may have.

Good for you---sounds like fun to me. The sequence may depend on your tolerance to drive 3 hours after landing, and your departure time. I would prefer to end at Lake Como if the take off is 10:30 or later. Otherwise, you will need to spend last nite at MXP. The drive to the CT is not bad but still 3 hours after landing and getting your bags and car. For Tuscany, here are some options for you. For Como,I prefer the west shore with a car---Menaggio.
Good luck !

BOB’S FAVORITE DIGS IN TUSCANY

Siena province is easily my favorite part of Tuscany. Here is a list of accommodations that I suggest. All prices assume a typical double room.

A. RURAL LOCATIONS: All have parking and good food options nearby

1. Relais La Saracina www.lasaracina.it 230 to 300E
Fabulous country home near Montepulciano—helpful owners

2. Le Traverse www.letraverse.it 155E
Small B&B just south of Pienza—hard to beat at the price—has pool

3. Lucignanello Bandini www.piccolomini.it 150[2] to 244E[4]
These are apartments in a lovely but remote rural setting.

4. Hotel Pescille www.pescille.it Good value at a rustic hotel only 3 km from famed San Gimignano with great views---100 to 130E

5. Fattoria Tregole www.fattoria-tregole.com 110E to 180E
Has both B&B and apartment accommodations. Near Castellina in Chianti


B. IN-TOWN LOCATIONS: For walking convenience to shops etc.

1. Palazzo del Capitano www.palazzodelcapitano.com 130 to 180E
Very nice small hotel in center of San Quirico—perfect location to explore.

2. Vecchia Oliviera www.tuscany.net/oliviera/ 130 to 180E
Nice 4 star hotel at the gate into lovely Montalcino---has pool.

3. Palazzina Cesari www.montalcinoitaly.com 80 to 110E
Lovely small B&B in heart of Montalcino—great value—2 nite stay minimum.

4. Locanda di San Francesco www.locandasanfrancesco.it 180 to 200E
New boutique B&B in a lovely location in Montepulciano—great reviews !

5. Palazzo Ravizza www.palazzoravizza.it 130 to 180E
Very nice & popular hotel in Siena with parking.

It will still be crowded in Le Cinque Terre. (So will the lakes.)

You really DON'T want a car in Le Cinque Terre, so to me it's either a question of forgoing a car on Lago di Como, or going to Le Cinque Terre irst (and the lakes last).

If you are going to the lakes to relax and take boats, I would recommend that when you get off the plane, take the money you were going to spend on renting a car for 6 days and instead, hire a driver to take you straight to your hotel in Lago di Como. Much cheaper!

When you a ready to move on, take a train to Le Cinque Terre. When you are ready to move on from there, rent your car in La Spezia and proceed to Tuscany. At the end of your Tuscan stay, drive to somewhere near Malpensa for your last night, and return the car.

I appreciate Bob's idea of starting with Cinque Terre and ending with the lakes, but getting to Le Cinque Terre from Malpensa is not a great way to start a vacatio after jet leg. Driving means taking winding roads. If you want to train it, that requires going into Milano proper for the train, and trying to catch the direct bus from Malpensa to Genova's central train station, and then taking a train from there may not work with your flight arrival time (there is only one bus per day).

Another alternative might be to get off your plane and head for beautiful, delicious (hot) Parma. Spend the night in an air conditioned hotel, eat grandly, pick up your car the next morning and drive to Tuscany, After Tuscany, drive to La Spezia, drop off car, train to Cinque Terre. Then take train to Lago di Como. Rent car (if you want) or just relax and hire a driver to take you to the airport the morning of your flight.

Hope that's help and not added confusion!

Sorry! I made a mistake in describing using public transport to Le Cinque Terre from Malpensa.

To be clear, the options are:

Airport bus to Milan's train station, then a train to le Cinque Terre

or

A direct bus from Malpensa to Genova's train station, change to train for le Cinque Terre

I think your trip sounds great. And I agree with Bob re considering doing Lake Como at the end depending on your flight times.

We have been to the Cinque Terre at the end of August for the last 2 summers and will be there again this year at that time. There are tourists, but not the hoards I thought I would find. I suppose it is all about what you expect and where you live. If you are thinking it will be like Times Square or Rock Center around Christmas, it won't be. I live in NYC and that is what I was envisioning.

At the same time, if you are thinking it will be just you, your friend, daughter, and mostly locals, it won't be that either. We always find the tourists crowds to be much heavier in places like Rome or Venice at that time than in the Cinque Terre, but that is just for the last few years at the time you are going.

We always take a flight into Malpensa, then the bus to the train station, then the train to the Cinque Terre. It is a bit of a painful journey, but once you get there it is all good. Last summer we actually went to the Lakes first on the train (Varenna) and that was a bit shorter but just as tiring.

Your trip sounds fantastic!

Have fun!!

Sally