Larry

My wife and I are spending 14 days in Italy in Sept and Oct. We want to focus on 3 areas, Tuscany, Venice, and Cinque Terre. To minimize our packing and unpacking we plan to take day trips basing from a hotel in each of these 3 areas. I would welcome any recommendations on hotels and renting a car or any other tips.We would prefer 3-4 star hotels and have no desire to drive or stay in any of the larger cities. Thanks.

Stacey Lim

We just came back from Italy. You will love Venice. We stayed at a 2 star hotel called Albergo Gambero. It was great! The room was very nice and refurbushed. Breakfast was very good. Great location just around the corner from the Piazza San Marco. The only negative thing is that to get to the reservations desk you have to pull your suitcases up one flight of stairs. They have an elevator from there to all the rooms. It was only one time up and one time down to leave. The room was small but that is how most rooms are in Italy. We did not find this a hinderance as the location was good and the room was very nice and clean. We would stay there again in a minute. The cost was about $100 USD a night. They even have a restaurant downstairs which you get 10% off. It was always crowded. Have fun!

george

We were in tuscany last spring...stayed at Castello Gargonza near Monte San Sevino..terrific! Can't imagin how you can see tuscany unless you rent a car.. or hire a driver/guide..good luck.. <BR>

anne

Just back from Tuscany and the Cinque Terre - oh, you'll have such a great time! <BR>The most beautiful part of Tuscany, to me, (and of course everyone's favorite would differ!), was the southeast area - around Montepulciano and Pienza. Either town would be a lovely base. We stayed at a farm outside Montepulciano, so can't recommend a hotel there. <BR>We stayed north of the Cinque Terre, in Santa Margherita Ligure, and now that we've been there once and stopped in several of the coastal towns, we'd probably stay in Monterosso al Mare next time. The old town was charming - and filled with great little restaurants! <BR>You probably know to rent a car ahead of time to get the best deal. We used Auto Europe and were very happy with the rental. <BR>

Larry

Thanks for some great info. Keep it coming as I find this forum very helpful. Question: Is Monterosso accessible by car? It sounds like a great place to stay if I can get there w/ my rental car.

Jane McGuffie Fasce

You might like to visit Portofino and Santa Margherita and take advantage of our speciail offer to visit the Cinque Terre, <BR>www.hotelfasce.it

anne

Yes, Monterosso is easily accessible by car. <BR>

kam

I would recommend Castellina in Chianti or Greve as a base in Tuscany, but the place I really love is Locanda dell'Amorosa in Sinalunga, down near Montepulciano and Montelcino. It's more than 4 stars, it's a real experience. Do rent a car for Tuscany--we usually use Europcar.

Carol Lehrman

Hi Larry: <BR> <BR>Just returned from Europe, and Venice was one of our stops - and one of our favorite cities. It's magical. <BR> <BR>Two hotels to recommend. <BR> <BR>The one we stayed at - a two-star hotel almost next to the train station - the Hotel Florida. Believe it or not, the location was very convenient (we were only there one night - not long enough!) - and while the hotel was very plain and simple, it was clean, quiet, the breakfast was good and the personnel were very nice and helpful. It was around $100 a night and suited us just fine. <BR> <BR>However, we discovered another hotel where we'll probably stay next time. It's the Hotel Flora - near Piazza San Marco and I believe is a 3 or 4 star hotel. It's small, charming, beautifully furnished and romantic. I believe a room for two is around $200 a night. Unfortunately, I don't believe they have a website, but if you're interested, I can send you a copy of their brochure if you email me. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip! <BR>