Cinque Terre from San Gimignano

That depends on who you ask. But, my opinion is, since you already have the car, drive there.

Others will say that it's a treacherous drive, but we thoroughly loved the drive (in a huge minivan) to Vernazza.

If you're anxious about driving on very twisty roads, then don't do it. But, if you're comfortable with that, it's an amazing drive.

In October, no guarantees but you should have a good chance of driving the the CT and getting into one of their parking lots high above the towns. From there, you can take the mini bus down and back. As mentioned by Leslie, be prepared for a serious white knuckle drive as the twists and turns in the narrow road will demand your attention.

You can either go back through Florence or from San G. continue west to the coast past Volterra (which you should visit) and go north to the CT.

I have ridden the trains in the CT area and recommend using them and leaving your car at your hotel. Trains will be as fast and much cheaper with the cost of petrol so high.

And the roads are very slow in that area. You won't find much parking in the five villages. And the train will drop you off in the center of each village.

I read something yesterday about La Spezia. I couldn't quite understand if there was a train station there and if we could park our car and take the train from there. What do you think?