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alternatives to Cinque Terre? and other ideas?

Ciao tutti! I've been to Italy over 15 times and know the country very well I but am bringing my boyfriend for his first time this May for 12 nights. I really wanted to take him to CT and stay in Vernazza which I LOVE but am worried nowadays it is way too crowded from when I first went in 1997. (we are both young 40 somethings!) Are there alternatives that are just as lovely nearby?

We are flying in/out of Milano and plan to stay 3 nts in Venice, 2-3 in Verona (my old stomping ground) and maybe a nt in/out of Milano (free Marriot stays) and am searching for other ideas besides CT. Don't want to deal w/ driving, so public trans it is but I am VERY comfortable w/ that. Anybody know other Liguria beach towns, such as Portovenere, Santa Margherita, Lerici? Also, I have never been to Genoa...anybody have thoughts on it? I've heard it's had a makeover recently.

Also entertaining the possibility of staying at my fave, Lake Garda during Verona stay (Peschiera) OR perhaps one of Como lakes instead of Milan for the first night...

Also, would like to add one more locale in Tuscany/Umbria, so he can see something different...He's not a huge history buff so more great food, local living is preferred. I'd love to go somewhere new myself...anything a bit different that's similar to Lucca, Orvieto, Spoleto, Ferrara, Vicenza, all towns I love. I've been to most of all the famous ones: Siena, Pisa, Assisi, S.G, Chianti, Firenze, Ravenna, Mantova, Modena, Bologna, Padova, Perugia, Parma, Bergamo, etc. We could stay at a Marriot resort near Barga (tuscany, near Lucca) for free but am not sure it could work w/o a car. (Could use taxis possibly) This trip will not be going south of Tuscany...

Grazie mille! I really appreciate it!

Posted by
15041 posts

"Ciao a tutti" is more correct.
How about including LakeMaggiore and lake Orta in the mix? Very close to Milan Malpensa airport. I like to spend at least couple of night there when I fly from/to Malpensa.

Near the Cinque Terre are also Bonassola or Moneglia. Halfway between Cinque Terre and Portofino or Genoa. You can visit all of the above from there, and you don't have to deal with those obnoxious followers of Rick Steves' cult in Vernazza.

For Tuscany you need to stay in Florence if your boyfriend has never been. You have to think about him too.

Posted by
693 posts

It has been a while since I visited but I loved Camogli on the ligurian coast.

Posted by
25 posts

I agree with the other writer about basing in Florence. Volterra is another great Tuscan hill town that's worth exploring (and not as overrun as Siena and San Gimigniano). Since you'd mentioned Cinque Terre, specifically Vernazza (which indeed has become overrun by the crush of tourists), are you looking for a few days by the ocean? Why not consider a 3 day trip to one of the Tuscan islands like Elba or Isola del Giglio. I'm partial to Giglio because that's where my mom's family is all from. I've been there over 15 times and is my favorite spot to chill after doing the usual church, museum treks wherever I'm traveling in Italy. The Costa Concordia is finally gone and you can't get a more genuine Italian seaside village and breathtaking ocean views! To get there, train to Orbetello, bus from Orbetello to Porto Santo Stefano, and a 45 minute ferry to Giglio.
In bocca lupo!

Posted by
1060 posts

After reading the NY Times article on Lerici we went and stayed there a few nites ( http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/travel/20next.html ) Pretty much unknown to American tourists, you'll need to use italian phrases to get by. We had a car, I think it would be harder by public transit. We did a boat trip over to Portovenere, nice to walk around but seemed small for using as a base town. Thought it had much more charm than Portofino, though. Also we visited Santa Margherita and I think that would be my recommendation for you. Right on the train line, bigger town, had a pedestrian-only street the day we visited (not sure if blocked to traffic daily or just 1x a week).

Perugia makes a nice base, even though you've been there. Its a terminal for many regional bus lines, and there is a private train line (really more a streetcar) that we took to Todi. I think it also goes to the vicinity of Deruta. One website with info about lots of the smaller towns is http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Umbria/_General/accessibility.html

Posted by
11613 posts

How about Bologna or Ravenna? One of my favorite cities is Ferrara. If it has to be near water, then Lago di Garda might offer some good choices. If your boyfriend hasn't been to these places, it will be new memories for both of you.

Posted by
32171 posts

Linda,

If you want to visit the Cinque Terre in May, it likely won't be too crowded (but still somewhat busy). I've found that after the crowds clear out in the evenings, the ambience is wonderful. I prefer to stay in Monterosso, which has a much better choice of hotels, restaurants, etc. and my favourite hotel in Europe is located there, as well as some of my favourite restaurants. As Monterosso has both a "new town" and "old town", it seems to "absorb" the crowds much better so it doesn't seem crowded.

If you wanted something nearby, you might also consider staying in Levanto, and while it's "officially" part of the C.T., it's only a four minute rail trip from Monterosso. Levanto also has a beautiful large beach. It's a short walk from the town to the rail station, but that only takes about 10 minutes or so (depending on which part of town you start at).

Porto Venere is not as easily accessible for transportation, so I wouldn't suggest that as a "home base" for that area. Better to go there by boat from Monterosso or one of the other towns for a day trip.