Cinque Terre vs. Lake Como

Haven't been to Lake Como in years, but the CT in June will be SLAMMED with cruise ship day trippers. But the early mornings and evenings won't be as crowded.

I have been to both places and would definitely choose Como. Much larger area than crowded Cinque Terre and plenty to do and see for your active family.

Can you give more details on your itinerary?
Where are you flying to?
Tuscany where exactly?
Will you have a car?
Where are you catching the boat to Sardinia? Livorno? Civitavecchia?
I presume you will rent a car in Sardinia (practically a must), but I don’t recommend you take it there by ferry because it’s a lot of extra money. Rent it in Sardinia.

If the only choices are Cinque Terre or lake Como, I would definitely choose the lake in June. Cinque Terre has become a zoo in the last 30+ years and I do not wish to return there ever again after my last time there in May 2009. I’m done with that place (and I used to go there every year in the 1980s when I lived in Italy).

Fantastic feedback! Grateful for the replies.
I get very carsick, is lake como a problem?

If you go to lake Como by car, you won’t be using it much. You can visit the area much more easily by frequent ferry boats. Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, are the 3 towns that are served by the most ferry service, since they are served by the mid-lake shuttle ferries besides the Como-Colico line. Try to find accommodations in one of the three. Getting there by car is not too bad. Carsickness may be more of a problem in Tuscany and Umbria, where roads can be very curvy. There are freeways of course, but some of the villages you may want to visit are on top of hills on mountainous areas which will,require driving on those curvy highways. Along the coast of Sardinia there are curves too,

We begin in Radda in Chianti then we have the 5 days to fill, then we go to Spello. I selected Como and Cinque Terre only because of the proximity to Radda and Spello. I'm open to other locations that are easy to get to since it sounds like Como and Cinque Terre are going to be so busy.

Highly recommend Lake Como and try to visit other lakes and their different towns. You can reserve small boats to take you from island to island. The scenery is so beautiful just boating around them. A very relaxing experience. The towns are very picturesque and have small cafes and shops to enjoy.

I vote Varenna, Lake Como. There are no cruise ships there. The area is beautiful and serene, but book lodging asap, as places fill up fast. Perhaps also consider Bellagio, as there's more lodging options.
Have a great trip.

How about somewhere like Urbino? I see you were looking for something active/outdoorsy, but there are lots of parks in the vicinity. Someone was asking about Frasassi caves recently and that is nearby. I wanted to hike in Furlo gorge but we ran out of time. You could even check out the Adriatic coast.
I concur skip CT for all the reasons, and lakes seems out of the way--I'd look for another stop in Tuscany or Umbria.

Cinque Terre is at least 3 hours' drive from Radda (longer from Spello), so I wouldn't combine it with the word proximity. Lake Como is way over 5 hours away.

If you are interested in nice places on the water that are closer, since you plan to have a car, one could consider Monte Argentario (just over 2 hours from Radda), with maybe a nice day trip to the Giglio Island, or Sirolo at the Monte Conero coast, in the Marche region (about 1h30min drive from Spello).

No crowds in either locations in June.

Roberto and I were thinking alike--if that Tuscan coast idea grabs you, I can sell you on it (adore that area), so let us know if any of that grabs your attention! From where do you plan to head to Sardinia?

it's official...ct & como are out. :) the tuscan coast sounds perfect with less hassle, crowds and travel time. we will head to spello after our 5 days for the Infiorate flower festival. then we go to sardinia from spello.

That was easy, lol. Do let me know if you have any questions, but "Maremma" will get you all you need to know in a google search. Lots of neat archaeology and coastal scenery (only reason I did not initially suggest is that you are going to Sardinia, which is also full of archaeology and beaches).
I meant are you flying to Sardinia or taking a ferry? It is too bad the Spello stay could not come before, as in Tuscany you will be at the ferry port as well as close to airport options. But of course Spello not terribly far from port or airport, would just save you from some back and forth.
what a fantastic trip overall

agreed about the back and forth...we had the spello & sardinia portion booked with friends and then my family organized the radda house so no avoiding it unfortunately. i also agree that there might be some redundancy in maremma but 'm ok with that based on the feedback. it sounds lovely. we are flying to sardinia from perugia.

Gotcha--You are a step ahead of all the usual hiccups so enjoy!

RE carsickness: Monte Argentario might be a bit much, but along the coast the driving is pretty straightforward. (On the Porto Ercole side, I was a bit nervous. On the Porto Santo Stefano side, less so.) Some of the interior roads might be a bit hairy. I only recall clutching my stomach a bit on the drive to Pitigliano.

good to know! is it similar to the roads in amalfi?

Just the Monte Argentario part--I found it somewhat similar. Further north, the coast at Populonia/Baratti is also pretty and less curvy roads.
MA is rocky and the mainland sandy, for the most part.

thoughts on best area for lodging?

I have stayed in all of the following and would again:
northern end:
Massa Marittima
Campiglia Marittima
(Populonia-Baratti archaeological park--also good beaches and hiking in the adjacent land; Abbey of San Galgano; Cala Violina beach)

southern end:
Pitigliano
Orbetello
Porto Santo Stefano
(Monte Argentario for hikes and views; Orbetello and its lagoon, Feniglia beach; "Vie cave" Etruscan sites around Sovana/Sorano/Pitigliano; Maremma/Ucellina park for ebikes. hiking, sandy natural beaches)

Maybe pick a few things you want to see/do, then settle on one place for all five days--whatever will reduce driving. (I put a few places in parentheses that we liked.)

I would consider staying in Porto Santo Stefano, that way you can take a day trip to the Giglio Island (1hr by ferry). The island is beautiful. Giglio Castello on top of the hill (reachable by bus) is very quaint, and the beaches at Campese or Cannelle are sandy. From Porto Santo Stefano you can visit Saturnia, Massa Marittima, Capalbio, Pitigliano, Talamone, etc. all within about one hour drive or less.
The Mt. Argentario peninsula has mostly pebbly or rocky beaches, but both on the tombolo of Feniglia Beach and the tombolo of Giannella Beach, the beaches are sandy.
Lots of nice restaurant in town too.
A guide of the area is here:
https://www.tuttomaremma.com/en/

When I go there I stay at this hotel on top of the town, not fancy but nice (they don’t post their best rooms online, so call)
https://www.hvittoria.com/

The hotel Roberto shared also has a "dependence" -- a small home available to book. I'd definitely check that out. We stayed in a very similar home (found on Booking.com), and the only downside was that we could not walk to town for dinner, but that view was marvelous and we made do.

Besides Lake Como there is Lake Garda. It's the largest lake in Italy, I've been told. They are relatively near each other. I always wanted to see Lake Como, but after some research I learned it was very expensive and it is populated with very wealthy residents and visitors. That's not our thing, and I heard at Lake Garda I will feel comfortable in any of the charming villages. We stayed on the peninsula of Sirmione. Sirmione del Garda. I want to return again someday because there's so much more to see. There's castles and ruins to visit by taking a ferry. The lake has thermal waters. You can find places to enter the water in sit in the thermal springs. There's a Grotto of Catullus, Scaliger Castle, there's a spa with mineral-rich water (had a great time in the healing waters). Other villages to see that I didn't get to, were Limone, Malcesine, and I wanted to go up to Monte Baldo. There's a lot to check out. Look it up and see all you can do.