Cinque Terre/Portofino vs. Amafi Coast

Hi Cat. I can relate; my husband & I are very much into photography as well, so seeing beautiful scenery is our main goal when we travel. We visited the CT for 3 days on our last trip in '09 & I liked the area so much that we're planning to return for 5 days this coming September. On our upcoming trip, we plan to take 2 day trips; one day in Portovenere & another day split between Portofino & Camogli. This will give us 3 full days in the CT which I think is sufficient. I really like the CT & can't wait to go back. The towns are colorful, quaint and picturesque. We are planning to also spend 5 days in Sorrento/Amalfi Coast but have never been there before so I can't compare it to the CT. In order to make suggestions, it would be helpful to know what the rest of your itinerary is like; where else are you visiting & for how long, where are you flying into & out of, etc. How many nights are you planning to spend in Tuscany?

Cat, I can appreciate your desire to see and take pictures of "the beautiful coastal scenery", as photography is also a very important part of my trips. I agree with Sheron that it would be helpful to have some idea where else you plan on visiting, and other details of your trip. Based on the information you've posted so far, my suggestion would be to skip the Amalfi Coast on this trip, and visit that area on another trip when you can spend more time. Both the C.T. and the Amalfi Coast are worth a visit (I've been to both), but the C.T. "fits" better with your Itinerary in this case. The travel times to and from the Amalfi Coast will use 3-5 hours each direction, so you wouldn't have 3 full days for touring. In addition to visiting all five of the C.T. towns, you could also take day trips to Portofino (via Santa Margherita Ligure), Porto Venere, Levanto or other towns in the area. Hiking the Sentiero Azzurro trails between the five towns is a popular activity with many visitors. At that time of year, the boats should be running (weather permitting), and that's the easiest way to reach Porto Venere. I would highly recommend getting a hotel booking in the Cinque Terre SOON! Many of the touris businesses there are still closed for the season, but it would be prudent to at least try and contact them as soon as your travel dates are finalized. Which of the five towns are you planning to stay in? As this is your first trip to Italy, you may find it helpful to pack along a copy of the Italy 2013 Guidebook (paper or E-book format). There's LOTS of good information there on hotels, restaurants, transportation and sightseeing. There are a few "caveats" to be aware of when riding the trains in Italy. If you need further information, post another note. Happy travels!

Thanks for your feedback, Sheron and Ken!! So, as far as itinerary - (the never ending question in my mind!!!), I have a rough draft. My definites are the flight. I am flying into Milan and out of Rome. (Didn't totally think through before buying...). I plan to head straight to Venice (landing in Milan about 8am, been reading posts on the busses and trains...) So: Venice- 3 nights Florence- 5 nights (art, culture, wine, looking at a guided tour of Chianti area for day) Cinque Terre- 4(Or 5) nights - Monterosso appeals to me to stay (looking at Manuel's Guesthouse and Buranco Agritourismo as favorites) I want a pretty view (ocean or town) and comfy, clean bed, trying to stay under 130 euro/night ( or less is better!!) Tuscany/Umbria (just started reading about Orvietto) 3 nights - vineyards, architecture, relaxing... Probably have a car for this part. Naples- 1 night ( I REALLY want to see Pompei/Herculaneum, and plan to go to the Archaeological Museum the afternoon of arriving to Naples, then the ruins the next morning, heading to Rome that evening - long day, but rewarding!! Do-able?) Rome 5 nights. Again, initially I had a night less in CT, Florence and Rome and had 3 nights planned for Amalfi, but I was frustrated with figuring out the hydrofoil and circumvesuviana schedules paired with trains, so I (temporarily) nixed it.
I'm totally open to switching itinerary again!! Want a nice mix of vacation style relaxing and stimulating culture shock!!

Ken, forgot to add - I happily have the RS Italy book. as well as his Tuscany/ Florence, and his Rome. Also grabbed Frommers Italy 2013. I plan to download RS Italy to iPad for travel - saw that idea from you on another post :)

Cat, After 4 nights in Rome and 3 in Florence, we had 3 nights booked in Monterosso. My wife and I were traveling with our 13 year old son and chose Monterosso due to it's swimmable beach. To make a long story short, we never made it to another CT town and we skipped Milan to add a 4th night in Monterosso! It just felt soooo good to relax! Dave

Cat, To add to Dave's reply, my visits to Monterosso seem to become a bit longer every time I visit there. I feel very much "at home" there. Although I haven't finalized my plans for this year, I'm eagerly awaiting my next visit to Monterosso!

I am a professional photographer and love both the CT and AC (although I hated driving the AC:)) I am much more a village/countryside/nature person so for me it would not even be a problem... I would do less time in Florence and Rome and opt for the beautiful scenes that you can photograph on the coast. Plenty of time in Venice and you can go to Burano which is also a photographers delight. Just be sure to get up very early every day to be able to photograph at the optimum time of day with fewer tourists. Sunset is fine too... if you could just get rid of the rest of the people, so sunrise is best...and its a great way to start your day knowing you have captured some great images.