Alternative Plans?!? - due in Cinque Terre 10 days from now!

Not sure how you would know the weather 10 days from now.
The area definitely gets some serious storms, though could be fast moving and the area fine in a couple of days.

They shut down the currently open trails most days it rains (and even that doesn't mean you cannot walk on them just that they are unmanned) so that alone means nothing and not sure I would panic this far out.
A plan B is a good idea always.

The way it is now, you're going to be covering some serious territory.
It's always better to travel open ended--into one city and out of another city at the other end your trip. Backtracking to Milan is somewhat inefficient.
Have you considered skipping the C/T all together, as it's more of a Summer place? Spend your time in Florence. Skip Lucca/Pisa until another trip.
I'd rather spend 4 nights slated for Umbria just north of there in Tuscany at an agriturismo doing day trips by rental car to Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and other great hilltowns. The region's in the middle of their harvest, and it's an interesting place in the Fall.
Spend a couple of days in Umbria. My favorite town is Orvieto. The train's a 70 minute ride into Rome Termini.
Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is nice, but it's sure a long way from Milan. There's enough in Rome and the city's suburbs to last at least a full week.

If the Cinque Terre doesn't work out, weather-wise, you could head to Bologna--a very nice city in its own right with a large historic district--and make day trips to some of the many wonderful nearby spots: Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma.

Or, if you don't think you'd have time for the area on your next trip when you anticipate including Venice, you could see Verona, Padua and Vicenza.

As mentioned by acraven, consider Verona, Padua and Vicenza. They are all worthy of a visit but often get overlooked in favor of the "biggies".

4 days in Rome is a very very short amount of time there, I would add days there which would also cut out a hotel change, which saves around a half a day. How many days did you have planned in CT?

It's WAY too early to consider cancelling your CT plans. You have a week before you have to make a decision, and the storm will be long gone by then. No absolute predictions how severe this one will be at this point.

If you must change plans, my vote is Florence or Lucca. Even if you go back to Florence next time there's enough there to fill more than a couple of days, and any number of day trips if using it as a base. Bergamo is another good choice for a couple of days: just an hour by train from Milan.

Thanks to you all for the responses and ideas (you all are a WEALTH of information!). I am hopeful the weather will clear, in no hurry to cancel anything yet... and hopeful we can continue with our original plans - as the trip stands now:

Fly in to Milan - Train to La Spezia for 4 nights (CT)
Train to Rome - 4 nights
Train to Orvieto - pick up car, stay in Todi (B&B) for 5 nights (Umbria daytrippin'...)
Drop off car, one night in Orvieto, Train to Naples/Sorrento
Sorrento for 4 nights
Train to Milan, stay overnight, fly home.

If we decide to skip CT, we could easily spend a few nights in Milan (no backtracking) before heading to Rome (maybe a day or two early).

I like the Tuscany/agriturismo idea but might be overkill doing that for 5 days in Umbria - thinking we'd like one of the other options...

Bologna is intriguing, and side trips to Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma - would I need a car or public transport ok?

Verona, Padua and Vicenza OR Bergamo... I'll look into those options as well as Bologna.

Public transportation is easy from Bologna to Ravenna, Parma, Ferrara, and other cities.

Since you already have pre-purchased train tickets to La Spezia and hotel reservations, I'd probably just carry on as planned. As someone else mentioned, it's difficult to accurately predict what the weather will be like in 10 days. If the weather is good, you can at least have a look at the five towns, although they will be "quiet" and some of the businesses may have closed for the season. The two trail segments that were open this year may be closed, so I wouldn't count on that. If the weather isn't good, you can resort to "Plan B" and explore Florence or wherever.

Did you purchase the train tickets to connect with an inbound flight to Milan? That's generally not recommended here but since it's done you'll have to take your chances. Keep in mind that if you're travelling on one of the fast trains, the ticket will be specific to train, date and departure time so can only be used on that one train. If you board another train by mistake, you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

If you use Regionale trains, Metro or Buses in the city and you buy tickets locally, these must be validated prior to boarding on the day of travel or again, hefty fines collected on the spot!

As you're planning to rent a car, be sure that each driver listed on the rental form has the compulsory International Driver's Permit. You'll also have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL areas (hefty fines for each pass through one!), speed cameras, etc. Do NOT drive in Florence!!!

As you're planning to travel by train from Naples to Sorrento, you'll be using the Circumvesuviana commuter train, which has a reputation as a haven for pickpockets and scammers. Be vigilant and wear money belts! You may find this recent thread interesting.....
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/circumvesuviana-train-was-a-terrible-experience

At present Vernazza, Monterosso and Riomaggiore have not only closed trails, but also forbid non residents to get out of trains at their stations; if you try, guards will put you again on the train. Buses and boats are not allowed. No tourist groups. But this is a temporary rule, to be enforced till Friday at 11.59pm, then the situation will be reconsidered. Probably this is an extreme caution, due to serious weather damages in the past so authorities prefer to err on the safe side.

It looks that by the end of this month weather will be somewhat mixed but better than now. Still, it is too early to make a safe bet. In any case CT are a summer destination and planning a trip there in autumn or winter you are accepting a definite risk.

Ken, thanks for all the info... I've been researching for 9+ months and have been following this RS forum pretty much every day for the last few months... our flight is scheduled to arrive in Milan at 8:35am, our train to La Spezia is 1:15pm, I feel pretty good about that timing... we both have our IDPs and we are NOT planning on driving anywhere except for the hill towns of Umbria! And that train in Naples... I think we're gonna opt for the bus from Naples to Sorrento, but will take it up to Pompeii and back, and from Sorrento to Naples when we return.

Being from the Northwest originally, I figured our trip to CT this time of year would be like going to the Oregon Coast in Oct/Nov... so we'll keep our fingers crossed that the storm passes over and things get back to something manageable.

The emergency rules seem to be correct as the region between Genoa and Sesti Levante was hit by strong storms. The railway line is not working due to trees falling and some travellers on stranded trains had to be rescued by firefighters (nothing too dramatic). No extreme problems at CT but wind blowing over 70 mph.

We are 6 miles from the CT and we've experienced only short though intense thunderstorms. Nothing more than you might encounter on a hot summer evening. In advance of arriving, the forecasts changed every day and they were mostly wrong. Look on the other side of the coin: if the weather is good, it's unbelievable good. Warm October sun on golden yellow grape vines, sparkling sea, perfect temperatures, sweetheart at your side, and all's right with the world.

cindy,

You're very welcome! That should be more than enough time to make your connection to the train to La Spezia. I assume you'll be taking the Malpensa Express from the airport to Milano Centrale? DON'T forget to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train!

I've always found that I need something to eat shortly after arrival, as the "Continental Breakfast" served about an hour before landing just doesn't work for me. There's a Roadhouse Grill at Milano Centrale, so you can stop there for a sit-down meal. There are also the usual favourites such as Burger King and McDonalds, as well as local Bars where you can get a Panino or whatever. One point to keep in mind is that some of the restaurants are outside the "security gates" so you may need to show your tickets to get back to the trackside area. Also the WC's at Centrale are pay-per-use and are one floor down from track level (use the moving sidewalk, as it's easier). The larger restaurants should have their own facilities.

Even small towns in Umbria will have ZTL areas. That was certainly true in Assisi and Orvieto. During my time in Assisi, one of the locals mentioned that the authorities were considering automated ZTL cameras similar to Florence, but not sure if those have been implemented yet?

Regarding the trip from Naples to Sorrento, there are a few option.....

• the aforementioned Circumvesuviana
• hiring a private car service (expensive but certainly the most comfortable - if you're interested, try this http://www.monettitaxi17.it/English.htm)
• taking a Ferry (not my preference but others have used that method)
• take a Taxi to the airport and use the Curreri Viaggi Coach (€10 PP last time I looked)

Mike, thanks for that amazing visual! THAT is what I'm talking about... and we're not afraid of rain, certainly... will be an amazing time.

Ken, thanks for the detail re: Milano Centrale, much appreciated... we are hoping for enough time to sit and have a decent meal before boarding! And will look for ZTLs in Assisi... no driving in Orvieto, just return the rental car and take the funicular up into town from there... is there a place where you can SEE the ZTL zones in cities (like a map?) I'd like to check out all the places we hope to go...

Thanks,
Gabe