cinque terra

Do you like to walk and hike? The CT trail is a highlight, but only for those who really like a work out on the trail. I am 58 and it was strenuous but doable. We held ourselves to one of the longer sections in one day, about a 2 hour hike Corniglia to Vernazza. (I know you "young people" are laughing, but it is a tough stretch, especially if you are very short!) The towns are super nice for exploring, too. Rick Steves' book has a nice walking tour for each town; worth following. Still, 5-7 days would seem long there, to me, unless you also get out to places like Carrera and Pisa, maybe Lucca as well. My husband wants to go back for 5 or 6 nights so he can ride the trains a bit more, taking day trips by train out of the CT. We have not been to Capri yet. Friends tell me it is VERY small and more of a daytrip location.

I've been to CT twice, with family and with friends, and everyone has always loved it. My first trip, neither my mother nor I did any hiking and it was still fabulous - she enjoyed sitting at a cafe in Vernazza reading and meeting people for most of the day, while I spent lots of time at the harbor and took the boat from town to town.
On my more recent trip, I did the hike as well - one of the sections is flat (and paved) so anyone can do it (and there's a cafe part way through if you want to stop). If you're not a big hiker, just skip the more strenuous legs. We were there for 2 and a half days last year and felt it was too short - I think 5-7 days would be perfect! If we'd had time, I would have loved to have taken the boat down to Portovenere for a day trip. Next trip ;-)

I'll draw this distinction - if you have 5-7 days, you'll have the opportunity to hang out at the same cafe each evening and have the waiter greet you by name. The same for your morning espresso. It's great to have the chance to feel a little like part of the town while the day trippers come and go. In the CT, the people who work there, live there for the most part. So you'll see them in the evening and throughout the day. Capri is ridiculously expensive and many of the people ho work there commute by ferry from Naples. I think there's less of a sense of community. Furthermore, Capri is unabashedly dedicated to being a destination for the wealthiest people in the world. The CT couldn't care less, although they're happy to thrive on middle-class tourism. Both can be overrun by tourists, so the "small town" feel could prove elusive. But, at least with the CT you have 5 towns to choose from. You can always escape to Corniglia to get away from the crowds during mid-day.

I suggest Sorrento. The weather in the spring will be more pleasant there than in the CT - more sunshine. And it has managed to keep that small town feel without being overrun by tourists. Forget Capri. Too expensive, as mentioned.

cheryl, To begin with, is this your first trip abroad or your first trip on your own? I definitely agree with the others, in that Capri is very expensive, and while it's a nice location to visit I wouldn't want to spend 5-7 days there. IMO, the Cinque Terre would be a great place to spend some time on your first solo trip. It has several "good points" that make it a good choice: > it's relatively close to a major airport (MXP), so not hard to get to. > it's a very "informal" and restful location, so a good place to just relax (and of course enjoy Pesto in the area where it was invented). > it's a good "home base" for visiting other nearby locations such as the Marble quarries at Carrera, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure and Lucca. Your activities don't have to be limited to the village you're staying in. If staying in Vernazza, you could (for example) hike to Riomaggiore for dinner and then return on the train. I'm hoping to make a return visit to the C.T. this year, and quite looking forward to it! Buon Viaggio!