Which town in Italian Riviera?
Sep 17th, 2001, 06:08 PM
#1
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Which town in Italian Riviera?
We'll be there in early June. We mostly want to experience Cinque Terre,neither I or my husband ever been there. Since transportation between villages is limited and we want to have dinners in one of the villages and don't want to be stranded late at night, would it be better to stay in one of the villages? We'll be travelling from Florence with luggage,we want it to be more or less convenient location from the train station, we'd like to stay in a charming place but not too quiet.Any suggestions ? <BR>Which was your favourite restaurant in the area?
Sep 18th, 2001, 12:02 AM
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Hi Sana, <BR>I love very much Corniglia and Manarola. They are less crowded than the other villages and very pleasant (good restaurant,nice view).My favourite restaurants were "Trattoria da Billy"(Manarola), "DA Ciak"(Monterosso), "La Posada"(Corniglia). For every needs contact this e-mail [email protected] Catherina has lived in Florence and now in the Cinque Terre and works as operator ad will surely help you.
Sep 18th, 2001, 06:27 AM
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Sana, The term " Italian Riviera" can refer to a stretch of the Ligurian coast that runs for almost 300 miles. The CT is only about 10 miles of that. I prefer either Portovenere or Santa Margherita Ligure as a base camp to explore this region. However, if you want to stay in the CT then I suggest the larger town of Monterosso. Levanto is another good option---just north of the CT. Good luck !
Sep 18th, 2001, 06:36 AM
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Bob the Navigator- Do you have a restaurant recommendation for Santa Margherita Ligure? I will be staying there Oct. 8- Oct. 12. Also, besides the CT, are there any side trips you feel are essential when you travel there? Thank you for your wisdom!!
Sep 18th, 2001, 07:02 AM
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One of the best meals I had in Italy was at the Excelsior Palace Hotel in Rapallo. While there, I also did a cooking school at U Giancu, up at San Massimo. That was an experience! The chef and owner, Fausto Orneto, is quite a character. He collects original cartoons and they are displayed all over the restaurant. His cooking is pretty good, too! His apple cake with vanilla gelato was to die for.
Sep 18th, 2001, 11:23 AM
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sarah, I do not really know SML in detail. Hence, I am going back. I will be staying at the Hotel Jolanda on Oct. 8 & 9 if you want to have a drink. I have been told that these are good, but I do not have personal experience: <BR>Da Baicin---Nostromo <BR>I do plan to boat out to San Fruttoso and to explore Camogli and the coast south as far south as Sestri Levante. I will then spend the next 2 nites in Portovenere. Holler if you want to hook up. I will be alone on this part of my trip---picking up Susan in Lucca on the 12th.
Sep 18th, 2001, 11:33 AM
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Stayed in Levanto, which is the next little town above the cinque terra. We arrived by train from Florence. Went by train back and forth to all the villages. Stayed at the Europa Hotel, which is small and family run and very reasonable. We did 1/2 board and the food was excellent. Would love to go back. Pat
Sep 18th, 2001, 01:08 PM
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Bob the Navigator: <BR> <BR> I will be staying at Hotel Fasce with my husband, Andrew. We would love to get together with you. We will be arriving in the afternoon on the 8th. Let me know which day is better for you. We have decided to travel to the CT to do some hiking, other than that our agenda is wide open!!
Sep 19th, 2001, 05:51 AM
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Bob the Navigator: <BR> <BR> Sorry it has taken so long to reply. I use the computer at my work b/c it has high speed connection! My last name is Todd. Andrew and Sarah Todd. Just give us a call. We are in the process of obtaining our train tickets so our arrival time is still up in the air. I belive we should be there by the time you arrive. Looking forward to meeting you!!
Sep 19th, 2001, 06:11 PM
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Hi Sana...My husband and I visited the Cinque Terre in Sept of 99. We drove, so I do not have advice on train travel from Florence. We stayed in Levanto at the Hotel Nationale. There is a web site which escapes me. I corresponded with Angela there for several months prior to our visit. She speaks excellent English and was helpful to me with plans. This hotel is in the center of town very near the beach. It is a 10 minute walk to the train station. We took the train and hiked part of the way. It was wonderful. The hotel included breakfast and dinner, and the meals were great. Our room at front was a bit noisey, but the shuttered windows overlooked the main street. They parked the car for us in a car park. Have fun! PJ
Sep 20th, 2001, 09:48 AM
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Hi Sana. We just back from Italy 3 weeks ago and spent 2 nights in Cinque Terre. I would DEFINTELY recommend trying to stay in one of the towns..the night experience is so wonderful with all of the "day trippers" gone. We absolutely loved Vernazza. Such a small, cute, quaint, picturesque town. Little old Italian men and women just sitting by the harbor all day talking to one another... Don't know if you are a Rick Steves fan or not, but at any rate, call some of the places he recommends and if they don't have rooms, ask if they can recommend someone. But make sure you reconfirm! We got there and they had already rented our room, but yelled across the street to a neighbor to see if he had a room to rent - luckily he did (but even as we were walking into town, a person asked us if we needed a room) -- so anyway, try to stay in the town. The best seafood I've ever had was at the Castello - on top of the big castle overlooking the water - we literally saw the fisherman bringing in the lobster and fish from the ocean to the restaurant! Enjoy!
