Hello! My husband and I are planning a 2 week (approximate) trip to Italy starting the second week of October. We are fortunate enough to be able to capitalize on Aeroplan and various hotel reward points as my husband travels frequently for work so we have some flexibility in some areas and less in others! The plan so far is to fly into Rome and stay there for four nights. Following that we are planning to head to Florence for 3 nights. This is where I need some advice. It looks very inviting to drive (or take a train?) to the Cinque Terre region. I have found a hotel in Santa Margherita that looks quite lovely though I realize it is about an hour from CT but that area looks quite pretty as well. Would it be feasible to do day trips from that location or better to spend a night or two in one of the Cinque Terre towns? We could also stay somewhere in Tuscany (in addition to Florence and really get to know that region) and leave off Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera altogether. We would be closer to Rome in order to fly back out. If we do head up towards Cinque Terre and that region, we may want connect through an airport there. We are open to renting a car or not... We really don’t like areas that are overrun with tourists (although some sights will always be busy) nor extreme heat so October seems a good time. Like so many, we love to explore and take our time. Love old churches and buildings, good food and beautiful gardens. Gardening is one of my passions. We are active but wouldn’t say we are fitness buffs. We do love to walk. This is our first time to Italy and we don’t want to bite off more than we can chew and realize we can always return to see what we missed. There is a lovely hotel we could stay in using points in the the town of Viareggio however from what I have seen online (besides the hotel) it doesn’t look like a town we would enjoy (though we could use as a base) - too commercialized. I could be wrong. We have just started to explore Europe. In Austria - I loved Vienna and there was so much to do however fell in love with Salzburg. Same thing in England - loved London but felt very happy in the small towns and villages in southern England. We used Porto for a base last year (also in October) and loved that town although it was a lot busier than I expected. Thanks for any and all suggestions, we have been given invaluable advice on this and Fodors travel blogs in the past.
Posted by
Chicago
7834 posts
I have found a hotel in Santa Margherita that looks quite lovely.... Would it be feasible to do day trips from that location or better to spend a night or two in one of the Cinque Terre towns?
Sounds like a good idea especially if you can pay for it using points.
You could Fly into Rome and out of Milan or vice versa.
Fly into Milan train to Santa Margherita then train to Florence then end in Rome
Posted by
4364 posts
Cinque Terre (CT) can be very crowded, but the worst of it is from day trippers, so the common advice is to stay there so you can enjoy mornings and evenings. However, in October it can be rainy--not a good time to be there. Are you the sort that can play it by ear and plan on the fly? That is the only way I could see myself approaching CT in mid-October. Parking is scarce in CT and it's best to visit by train.
Santa Margherita Ligure (SML) is lovely, but I would not stay there to access CT. I would stay there for the immediate surroundings--Camogli, Rapallo, and Portofino park with trails with a fraction of the crowds at CT.
I have not been to Viareggio, but I tend to like these underestimated places and encourage you to read more about it. Yes it is quite different from the smaller villages, but it does have charm to it.
https://www.discovertuscany.com/versilia/
You might want to look up what kinds of festivals are occurring during your time frame (Tuscany tourism sites would list these).
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Oh my, that was fast! Thank you both for very useful information. We will look into flights and/or connecting flights from Milan. I would like to say we are pretty spontaneous and open-minded and have made minor changes in the midst of our trips (and added destinations). We could look into staying overnight in CT and then continuing to Santa Margherita or vice versa. I have heard the weather can close down a lot of the coastal trails but we are flexible and sure we could find something else to amuse us if just for a day or two. Good to know you cannot bring a car into that area in case we happen to rent one. Food for thought and very much appreciated!
Posted by
New York, NY
1582 posts
Rob actually you can drive a car close to the area to a town called La Spezia, which is quite near CT. Plenty of places to park there, then from there take the train right up to the CT towns which are minutes away. So it's another option to think about.
https://www.discovertuscany.com/cinque-terre/more-towns-near-cinque-terre.html
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thank RJean. My friend just texted me that she stayed in La Spezia and connected to CT via train. She said she the town had a lot to see all on it’s own!
Posted by
7661 posts
Please, next time have some paragraphs.
For a two week trip, I would spend more than 4 nights in Rome. It has so much to see.
Also, why did you leave out Venice?
CT is nice, but Venice is special.
Also, a little south of Florence is Sienna that is good for a day trip.
Lucca and Pisa you can do in a day.
You could do
Rome 5 nights
Florence 3 nights
Sienna 1 night day trip from Florence
Venice 3 nights
That leaves you two nights
Posted by
11156 posts
We have been to Santa Margherita Ligure twice and really enjoyed it and the whole waterfront area. You can walk or drive to Portofino if interested. Make sure you also visit Camogli.
There is parking in Monterosso in the CT but I don’t know how fast it fills up. We left our car there during our entire stay in the Cinque Terre.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
I do apologize for the long rambling text. Initially, we thought we would do Venice but have heard so many mixed opinions about it.....too busy and overly touristy and a disappointment. On the other hand, others have had magical experiences there. We are very fluid and could certainly include it, spend more time in Rome and Tuscany and leave off the entire coastal area. I just don’t want to spend all my time in ‘cities’ as we love the countryside as well. Thanks for that suggestion as Venice was always in the back of my mind and it is certainly an option we are considering.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thanks Suki, glad to know you enjoyed that area so much! We have some decisions to make!
Posted by
245 posts
" Initially, we thought we would do Venice but have heard so many mixed opinions about it.....too busy and overly touristy and a disappointment"
I know.....me too. Originally I was not going to go to Venice on my upcoming trip (4 weeks in October), but then I realized that even if it is very touristy and busy, it's still something that I should at least experience for myself. Sort of like Las Vegas.....it might be (have become) a tourist fantasy creation, but it's still a unique global site. My solution is to take a day trip from Padua, where I'd already planned to visit for several days; if it turns out there's more there I like, I can stay or take more day trips, and if it turns out I want to flee, I just take a train out again. I've also found what I hope will be an interesting walking tour on the "Ecology of Venice" to help me see and understand more than just the typical sights of a typical tourist trip to Venice.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Hello again, Been doing a lot of reading and seems we fall into the category of first time travellers to Italy trying to experience it all. Upon reflection and lots of reading, we may save the countryside of Tuscany (except maybe a day trip from Florence) and the coastal regions for another trip. We are thinking of now doing Rome-Florence-Venice as so many people have been suggesting to me (thank you Geova). We did think of finishing up in Venice for a more reflective and quieter atmosphere however I am being told that getting early morning flights out of Venice can be challenging (i.e getting a water taxi). Our best option (for timing) is to connect in Munich for our flight home to Canada. Anyone have any experience or challenges flying out of Venice? We could end the trip in Rome but thought it might be better to start there as we may have more energy!
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Chiara, I was thinking along the same lines of you but have been told Venice won’t fall into the ‘La Vegas’ category of tourist traps. I imagine there are areas to be avoided - you seem to be approaching it with good sense! I will look into the ‘Ecology of Venice’ walking tour - thank you for mentioning that!
Posted by
New York, NY
1582 posts
Rob end the trip in Rome. Fly into Venice then Florence and go home from Rome. I had problems also flying out of Venice to go home several times.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
You can easily get a return flight out of Venice after 9:30 am, there are several with a change in either Munich or Frankfurt. There's no need to catch a zero dark thirty flight.
Most fly into Venice because it's a less stressful place to acclimate. But either way works.
I would allow 5 nights Rome, with a day trip to Villa d'Este.
https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/villa_deste
4 nights in Florence, allowing for 2 in florence and 2 day trips. On arrival day, try this walking tour. For a good city overview.
Visit Boboli Gardens.
There are many day trips available by both train and bus, or try these tours into Tuscany.
https://www.toursbyroberto.com
3 nights Venice.
Use this site to book timed entry tickets to St Marks Basilica. Try for an 11:30-12:00 entry time to see the Moasics lit. Be sure to visit the Museum located upstairs.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Sorry, forgot to add the link for the Basilica.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
So appreciate the advice and the links (Gerri). We finalized the details of our trip on the weekend and turns out the best flights for us were into Venice and out of Rome. We have a direct flight home which is great. So we have 3 nights in Venice, 4 in Florence and 5 in Rome. Hotels are booked so feeling much more relaxed now. Time to read and get familiar with each destination. We will have our ‘to do’ list but it is often those unexpected discoveries and moments that are the most memorable. Thanks again to you all!