Advise - trip to Florence Tuscany & Cinqueterra

First advice. When you land at Florence airport you are already in Tuscany, you don't need to go to Tuscany from there. Florence is the capital of Tuscany. Many trails at the Cinque Terre are currently still closed.
http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp A car is not needed to go to larger cities (Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo, Siena) and the Cinque Terre, all of which can be easily reached by frequent train service (or bus). A car is also not necessary while there, because those places are best visited on foot since they are largely closed to motor vehicles. A car however is advisable to roam the Tuscan countryside or the smaller villages which tend to have very infrequent, if any, bus service. A car is necessary if your accommodations are in a farmhouse (agriturismo) or a B&B located out of town or in a small village not well served by bus/train. Others will suggest some accommodations for you, I usually stay in Florence because of my family being there.

Thank you. This is helpful information.I will check out agritourism as 1 option. I'm inclined to stay in Tuscany and visit Cinque Terre.Hope others will offer suggestions of places they've stayed.
Eleanor

Eleanor, As Roberto mentioned, using public transit (trains) will be the quickest and most efficient method of getting around that area. There are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when travelling by train in Italy. If you need details, post another note. Just to clarify, the devastating floods occurred in October 2011, and only affected two of the five towns. They have both essentially completely recovered, so there are no concerns about visiting that area. One exception however. A severe rock slide occurred on the famous Via dell'Amore last September, which seriously injured four Australian tourists. At that time, ALL the No. 2 trails were closed as a precaution and they haven't re-opened yet. It's expected that at least some of them should be opening very soon. It's important to note that there's an extensive network of trails in that area (most currently open), so there will be LOTS of opportunities for hiking and exploring. Some of them lead to small towns up in the hills. You can see the list of trails on this website: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp?id_lingue=1 As you're planning to stay in the Cinque Terre for seven days, you'll have to determine which of the five towns you might like to stay in. I prefer to stay in Monterosso, but many others here like Vernazza or Manarola. I've also stayed in Riomaggiore and really enjoyed my time there. There used to be an Atlanta RS group meeting on the third Saturday of each month, but I'm not sure if they're meeting on the 20th? They're a VERY knowledgeable group, and would be able to answer ALL your questions. Happy travels!

Eleanor, " Does anyone have a recommendation of where to stay in either Tuscany or Cinqueterra " In Vernazza, try: http://www.elisabettacarro.it/ great views!

Roberto, Ken & Bob, thank you for your guidance. It's most helpful. Ken,please do let me know more about traveling by train. Thanks again, Eleanor