Trattoria Gianni Franzi in Vernazza or La Torretta in Manarola?
 

We are spending 2 or 3 nights in CT after 4 nights in Tuscany (between Florence and Siena). Our time in CT will be at the beginning of July, midweek. Any thoughts or opinions on which of these two town and/or the hotels I've narrowed it down to (or think I've narrowed it down to!) (It's our first time to Italy/first time to anywhere in Europe but hopefully not the last!) Thanks for all your help! PS. If it makes a difference, we prefer quiet to lively.

Hi wishing:
If you prefer "quiet to lively" than definitely stay away from Trattoria Gianni Franzi in Vernazza. That is not to say the food isn't good (it is a trattoria, after all). It's just that Vernazza is the most popular of the 5 Cinque Terre towns and consequently, the most touristy and crowded. Also, the prices in Vernazza are higher than in the other 4 towns.

I like Manarola and you will find the ambiance there more peaceful and relaxed (not to mention less crowds). Try "Il Porticello" on the main street in Manarola (as you are walking down towards the harbor, it is on your R). Fabulous food at great prices (family owned) and one of my favorites in Manarola.

Have a great time and buon viaggio!

I personally loved staying in Vernazza--May 2005--however I would never stay in Trattoria Gianni Franzi again! It was terrible. Room was okay (no more than okay, however), but the noise! Oh man, a good night's sleep was nowhere to be found. And I don't mean the noise from the town (no problems with that), I mean the noise from within the hotel itself. It should be renamed Trattoria Slamming Door or Trattoria Thin Walls. Vernazza was great, but next time we'll definitely be staying somewhere besides Trattoria Gianni Franzi.

We stayed in Manarola and La Torretta was just up the road from our room at Casa Capellini. It's a fairly steep walk uphill from the train station, at the top of the town. It's also close to the church and I seem to remember the bells rang 24 hrs a day (not constantly!), but we were so tired from all the walking at night we didn't care. Manarola is nice, we preferred it to Vernazza. Vernazza is very picturesque, especially when approached from the hiking trail from Corniglia, but we found it the most touristy of the villages.
You are probably sick of looking at Cinque Terre websites but just in case, this one is excellent -
http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/...erre/index.htm
Kay

Yes, Vernazza is the most touristy and popular, but that's the best reason to stay there -- because you'll be there when it's lovely and peaceful following the exodus of tourists around 8:00 pm, and also in the early morning hours as the locals open their shops to deserted streets (save for a few cats).

I don't know about Gianni Franzi -- we stayed practically next door and didn't have a problem with noise. Our rooms were offered by Franca Maria (I can find the Web link if you'd like it). They were basic, with clean bathrooms and a partial view of the harbor.

My sister and I in April 2004 stayed for 2 nights in La Torretta in Manarola. Though we're in our mid-40s, we had no trouble rolling our small bags all the way up the steep hill, and we never heard any church bells at night. It was a lovely quiet place, though the room was small. Vernazza was a great place to visit for the afternoon but many more people, even in April. I imagine July will be much more crowded in all the towns.

Thanks for all the helpful info. After reading some reviews of the CT and how hot and crowded it is especially in summer, I am starting to have second thoughts. It was really the hike that appealed to us as opposed to village life. Noisey rooms at night are, unfortunately, a problem for me - I am cursed with being a very light sleeper! Would it work to stay out of the CT and travel in from Levanto or Santa Margherita? I suppose what I am really after is a quiet nights sleep. Thanks again for the info!

It was hot and crowded in late May too, so I personally think anytime the weather is good, it's going to be crowded. We loved our time on the CT, despite the crowds. I think if you're coming to visit and hike the CT, staying there makes the most sense, no matter the town. We stayed 3 nights, hiked leisurely the whole route over two days stopping for plenty of exploration in each town, dining in each town, and of course gelato in each town. We loved getting to go back to towns (either on foot or by train) to return to a restaurant or something else that caught our eye we had seen on another day, which would have been more difficult had we stayed outside of the CT. Others we met staying in Vernazza had a much better experience with their accommodations than we did (heard good things about Albergo Barbara). I think if you do your research you can find a quiet place to stay in one of the 5 towns. Though if you really are just in it for the hike, then you could just make a day-trip out of it and hike the whole route in one-day. Wouldn't be my choice since enjoying the charm of the towns after dusk (and the food!) was half the fun of visiting the CT for us. As much as we loved the CT, we felt that 3 mights was more than enough time. Good luck!

You could stay in Santa Margherita Ligure which is a lovely resort town, we stayed at the Hotel Fiorina which was fine (3 star I think), 5 mins walk to the waterfront and opposite a supermarket. It's about an hour by train from SML to Monterosso in the CT so if you left early you could still spend most of the day in the villages hiking. The quietest village seemed to be Corniglia with fewer shops and places to stay. It's situated at the top of a hill with many stairs or a steep roadway from the train station but you'd probably find it quieter.

We were in the CT in March and even then found some of the hiking trails between the villages to be crowded, mainly with groups of incredibly noisy school children. One of the trails was closed due to landslide which we were told was quite common. If it's hiking you are after, there are trails from SML to Portofino and around that area. Lonely Planet has a guide book on walking in Italy, you may want to have a look for ideas. If you stayed in SML you could spend some time hiking in the CT and some time in Portofino (20 mins by bus from SML).

We briefly visited Levanto and found it a bit dull, with none of the atmosphere of the CT villages.
Kay

I would recommend Arpaiu B&B in Manarola over La Torretta due to the size of the rooms, the outstanding views, and the location above the harbor. It is many steps (about 75 or maybe as many as 100) or a gently ramped walk and far fewer steps. This B&B is a recent conversion from a family home and the results are stunning. We found the owner who showed us the rooms very gracious, too. Here's a link: http://www.arpaiu.com/

La Torretta is very pleasant, too, as are its owners, but the rooms are smaller and the views more distant.

Suzy Kane, http://www.idyllicitaly.com

Thanks for all the help. I am going to look into the B&B in Manarola for 2 nights instead of 3. After reading the comments I think we will likely want to be right on the CT and just do a mental shift that it is going to be crowded and touristy (with other tourists like ourselves!) Thanks again.