My adult son and I will be riding the train from Venice to Cinque Terre mid-may with two nights available to stop along the way. We'd love to hunker down in a little town for a couple nights and do a little day hiking, sample local breads and cheeses, tour local artisans/crafts, etc. Any suggestions? We'd be willing to rent a car or better yet add a leg of public transportaiton for a short trip to get to a spot.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Two towns that come to mind are Montecatine Terme and Pistoia. Staying in Montecatine, which is a spa town, puts you minutes away from Montecatini Alta a medieval village reached by funicular.
You would be an hour from Lucca and 15 min. from Pistoia.
Travel time is about 3 hours from Venice and 2 1/2 from CT
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Parma would be a nice stop, especially if you want great local food.
Venezia Santa Lucia to Parma is direct, some trains under three hours. Parma to La Spezia is also direct, about two hours.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I agree Parma is very nice. Another good stop (although it's not a little town) is Ferrara. Both of these would be easy without a car.