c.t. is it worth the time if you boat in California

I actually find the Tuscan Hills/countryside more similar to CA than the coastal areas.

Same as above post, the CT is a much different experience from Catalina, in terms of scenery, culture, food, feel, and in every other way I can think of.

Don't worry. If you spend a lot of time in Catalina, you don't need to worry about visiting Viareggio or Portofino. The CT is completely different.

I spent years sailing the California coast. CT is similar but far from identical. It's history goes back much further and towns were built for fishing, farming and fending off pirates (I guess the three f's).

I'm from San Diego and my wife is from the central coast, we both really liked CT. We went in late October when there weren't any crowds, I'm not sure I'd want to go during the high season (just like I always plan to visit San Diego in December if possible).

Gina, please listen to Brad.

Whatever you do, DO NOT go to CT during the high season. It will be a zoo!

It is awesome in the off season; the beauty and the area shine when the tourists are not packing the trails and towns.

C.T. definitely! We met someone at the belvedere in Cornelia who said, "I've visited 60 countries, but this is paradise." Don't miss it.

It is interesting you mention this. I was in CT last month and there are points, having lived in San Diego, that I felt like I was back there again. However that was facing the water. Once you turn yourself away from the water itself and consider the culture, how differently the Italians have built upon coastal wonder it was worth checking out.

GREAT point! My wife and I are in San Diego right now, and on a morning coastal walk, discussed how it compares with CT. The outcome? The water in CT is more blue and twinkles like nowhere else. And the rugged nature of the coast is MORE rugged, and steeper. But the point with which we agree the most--because CA is stunning in its beauty, too!--is that in CT, the architecture, the traffic free villages, the terraced agriculture, the simple train connections, the sounds of the language, and the uniquness of the Italian bars, shops, etc...a MUST SEE. Here in CA, as soon as we look away from the ocean, we see Starbucks, the Gap, cars everywhere, and the same things we see in Chicago everyday (sunshine excepted, of course). The cultural differences should not be underestimated when evaluating the travel experience.

I'm not the expert to listen to on this one, having never been to Catalina Island. However, I was going to remove Lucca/Pisa/the Cinque Terre and ended up going after all. I got some of the most beautiful pictures along the walkway that links the CT towns! We walked between Riomaggiore and Manarola, then took the train to Monterosso. All of it was amazing and beautiful, and I got some of my best pictures of the trip from that area.
Next time I go to Italy, I will stay a few days in one of the Cinque Terre towns.