We have been thinking that maybe we should stay somewhere in betweeen CT and Florence. Is there such a place that we could use as a base for 5 days and do trips (I know CT is 2.5 hours from reading the thread). We just thought maybe it would be less picking up and moving around with the three kids. Otherwise we were going to do three nights in CT and 2 in Florence. Any thoughts?

I would suggest Lucca, or one of the surrounding towns. You can easily take the train to Florence from Lucca, and I believe you can also take the train to CT from Lucca, however, we drove that route. The train rides can be alot of fun for the kids and a nice way to start and end each day of sightseeing. Have a wonderful trip.

P.S. It might be fun to stay in an apartment in the countryside around Lucca. Try the site: travel-italy.com, or call 800/66-ITALY for a book called Cuendet, Letting of Charming Houses, for information on farmhouses, apartments, villas, and castles. I think it cost about $5, and they will send it UPS for an additional charge. It is gem, with colored photos, and full descriptions of the properties. Have a great trip.

Topping for rootcher, because I've often wondered if this was a good idea, myself. I know from experience that five nights in one b&b or small hotel makes it feel like coming home, and usually has budget benefits as well. J.

RE: An earlier post on staying in an apartment, villa, farmhouse, in the countryside, travel-italy.com has changed their phone number to order the catalog I was referring to: 1/800/284-8259 is the new number, and the price is $18, not $5. I remembered that I bought it at a year end sale.

I'm really becoming a pest. The travel-italy.com number for ordering the catalog for apartment, farmhouse, villa rentals is: 1/888/284-8259. Sorry.

SandyB, may my pests always be as helpful as you!!!! I have been checking apartments for our entire stay and B&B's and it looks so much nicer for my family -more homey and personal. We had apartments in other countries and it worked out perfectly!!! Thanks, Sandy

another vote for Lucca

Absolutely Lucca! It is easily accessible from the CT and only takes about 1 hour via train (CT through La Spezia, then Viareggio, then Lucca). Viareggio is a famous seaside resort of days gone by and still frequented by Toscana inhabitants. Lucca is just magical. I think it would provide an excellent base to tour the surrounding region, including the CT. Buon viaggio!

Huitres, I have gone to some sites to try finding places to stay in Lucca. Any recommendations for a family of 5? Thanks, Sandy

Rootcher/Sandy: IMO, based on your original itinerary with 3 nights in CT, that would be quite boring for your kids. My fiance lives in the CT and while it is a beautiful place, it is still more-or-less off the beaten path and there is not much to do other than fish, swim, hike, or eat at a few restaurants. It is lacking in activities that might be more interesting for a family. Re: your questions about Lucca, I thought I would give you an overview of our trip with as many details as possible, so you can decide if you and your family want to stay there.

We went to Lucca in January. To get to Lucca from the CT, we took a 10 am train from La Spezia, stopped in Viareggio at 11 am, connected to a 11:40 am train, arriving in Lucca at 11:55 am. We went to Lucca specifically to see the Napoleon exhibit thru Jan 18 ("La Tavola di Elisa" - Napoleon's sister Elisa was ruler of Lucca during his reign as Emperor). I am a HUGE Napoleon fan and am writing an article on him so it was a thrill to see this lovely city. Because of my Napoleon interest, we stayed (naturally) in the Hotel Napoleon, a 4**** hotel, located at Viale Europa, 536 (tel +39 0583 316516/Fax +39 0583 418398 www.hotelnapoleonlucca.com). It was a very accommodating property located 500 meters outside the city walls/city center. The hotel staff was extremely helpful with directions, questions, etc. The rooms were 78 euro each, or you could pay 140 euro to have breakfast included. We got 2 adjoining rooms (2nd room for our child). The rooms were small but all had bathrooms with ample linens and amenities (hair dryer, etc), TVs, AC/heater. The beds were double/full size and could sleep 2 adults or 3 children. If you stayed there you would probably want to get 3 adjoining rooms for convenience. The only slight drawback for us was that we were without a car, so the walk from the train station to the hotel was a bit far, but once we got our bearings, we found it a nice jaunt. While walking around inside Lucca, we found another property that looked so charming right in the middle of everything called "Piccolo Hotel Puccini" located at Via Di Poggio, 9 (tel +39 0583 55421 / fax +39 0583 53487 http://www.hotelpuccini.com). They were booked full, but their room rates go for 80 euro for a double room, complete with bathrooms, TVs, etc.

The wonderful thing about Lucca (founded in 180 BC as a Roman colony) is that it combines its Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance histories all in one, with remarkable preservation of each epoque within the city center, radiating outward like a spiral. The streets are very well laid out in the Roman grid pattern making it very easy to navigate. In addition, Lucca is the flatest of the Toscana towns, therefore it is easy to walk around without climbing lots of hills (like in Siena and others). There are a lot of bicyclists which give the city a friendly, neighborily air. There are a lot of things to see in Lucca: it is the home of famous opera composer Puccini (birthplace and home); Roman amphitheater; San Martino cathedrale; Palazzo dei Guingi + Tower garden; and of course, don't forget to walk around the circumfrence of the city on top of its massive walls (b.1504). The walk is 2.5 miles long and took us a leisurely 40 minutes to do. It was a nice way to see into the city and its lovely private gardens.

Some restaurant recommendations are: Trattoria da Leo / Dei Fratelli Buralli, Via Tegrimi, 1 with great prices (primi piatti were all 4.70 euro (pasta, tortellini, fish soup, etc), with secondi piatti ranging from 7.80 euro to 9.50 euro, with bistecca topping the price at 13 euro. Still cheap by American standards! Pizzeria Pellegrini is an informal hole in the wall always open for a quick slice of pizza, a calzone, etc for very little money. The best gelato I have tasted in Italy was at Bel & Nannini caffe. The tip is to go directly inside and order ice cream from the counter (as a cone or in a cup) then take it elsewhere to eat. The first time we ate there 3 double cups (large servings) of gelato cost a total of just under 6 euro. The second time we made the mistake of sitting down and were presumably "served" and a hefty 10 euro was added to our bill!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Lucca and want to return there again very soon - probably doing so in July. I would recommend the town and hope that you will find it as charming and delightful as we did!

Didn't see your last response with so much information. Thank you and we will definitely try that gelato. We will have a car so we actually may stay a bit out (4-10 km)of lUcca to stay in the countryside. Thanks again. Sandy

Sandy: You are very welcome! Enjoy your trip and buon viaggio!

Rootcher, Go to www.knowital.com for good info about Lucca and places to rent in the area. I too am a big Lucca fan and have stayed there twice. The area just north, known as Garfagna, is a beautiful area of hills and beauty.

Would you recommend us staying in Gargafna? Or just driving there for a side trip?

We stayed once in that area and found it beautiful but a long drive from the usual sites.