CT as a base and where from there??

To clarify, are you proposing or thinking of doing some Tuscany hill towns as a day trip from the CT?

Kent - We would like to day trip into Tuscany and are looking for suggestions. For instance, I have heard that Lucca is very nice and we are also considering Pontremoli or maybe Massa but, we do not if they are worth the trip.

Montecatini Terme is one of Italy's most popular spa resorts--but is that what you were expecting or looking for? (I'm guessing not). Collodi near MT (yes, before GPS I got lost once driving around north of Florence and ended up there) is big with Pinocchio fans, if you're accompanied by any children.

You'd want to keep it close to the CT, northwestern Tuscany, because of round trip travel time. Lucca is good. There's also Pisa. But Pontremoli would not be a choice of mine.There are two Massas in that area: You probably mean the Massa near Carrara, or do you mean the other Massa, Massa Marittima that is some distance southwest of Siena? The latter is well worth a visit but will be difficult to reach in a day trip by train. A better idea for a day trip than Massa (the Massa near Carrara) is to see if you can get a tour to the marble quarries of Carrara, it's where Michelangelo got some of his marble.

Kent - On the map I'm looking at, Massa looks to be close to Cararra. What about either, Massa or Cararra? Have you been to either? I was just searching Collodi, looks like it might be interesting. Although I've read the story of Pinocchio, I didn't remember the author. Thank you for the suggestion.

Carrara would be my choice, see my last post.There are two Massas and I wouldn't recommend the one near Carrara, but Carrara would be fascinating if you could get to it on a tour. A couple of years ago a person giving good tours of Carrara was Sara Paolini, she would meet people at the Carrara train station; her contact info as of a couple of years ago was [email protected] and her mobile number was 347-88-3833, that's the # from within Italy.

To sum up so far, I'm thinking Lucca, Pisa, and Carrara (if you can hook up with a tour to Carrara). There's also Pistoia and Prato, on the same road out of Florence that leads to Pisa. I've driven to Pistoia and Prato, so am not sure about train connection to those from the CT. And if you're looking for a wide beach, there's Versilia, although the CT has some narrower beaches.The other locations you've mentioned, IMO, you're reaching a bit: either too far away, not reachable without a car, or not all that fascinating.

Kent - Just checked treitalia, we can get to Carrara from Vernazza in about 50 minutes. Do you suggest Carrara before Collodi?

Careful: you can get to the Carrara train station but the quarries are up on the side of the mountain, you can see them from the train station but can't get up there--see my prior post about hooking up with a guide.

Angelina,

You probably already know this, but just in case, you said you would day trip to Santa Margherita Ligure (among others)...we stayed two nights in SML and two nights in Sestri Levanti...both towns have great beaches...very nice old towns and a laid back style (unusual for the Italian Riviera)...from SML you can easily walk to Portofino...and mingle with the yachting set..then take the ferry back to SML to catch your return train...we stayed at the Metropole in case you might want to extend your stay on the coast.

http://www.metropole.it/eng/contatti.htm#

Angelina,
Do take the boat trip to Lerici if you can. One of the highlights of RS Village Italy tour was to be dropped off in Lerici to take the boat ride to CT, with a stop in Portovenere. All very interesting towns and gorgeous views from the water.
We loved Lucca too and it is well worth a day trip. Since we stopped there on the tour, I don't know about transportation from CT. If you go, be sure and walk or bike the wall around town and climb to the top of the tower with trees on top for a wonderful view of town. Even if you don't leave CT, you will have a wonderful time exploring the villages.

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions. They are a tremendous help. I was concerned with staying in CT for so long but it looks like there will be a lot to see and do around the area.

There is plenty to do and see in the CT without even leaving the five towns. I usually spend a week at a time there with only a couple day trips. The towns in Liguria already mentioned (SML, Portofino, Lerici, Portovenere) will keep you busy.

Thanks Mike. With everyone I've talked to saying that staying 2-3 nights is plenty in the CT, I was beginning to worry that we had booked too much time there. Your reply has made me feel better about the 8 days.