Florence and Lerici or Florence and day trip

Depends on what you want to do. Greve-in-Chianti is an hour outside of Florence. Could you spend a day in Florence while staying in Greve? Make your Greve stay a full 4 nights? You would not be able to drive in Florence though. You'd be best off taking a bus in. Only staying in Florence for two nights gives you one full day and part of another. Do you have desires to see all of the Florence museums or just spend a few hours wandering the city? If the latter, day trip to Florence from Greve. If you spend 3 nights in Florence and make one a day trip to the Cinque Terre, you still only have one day in Florence.

I think the Cinque Terre is a long day trip from Florence. If you want to go there, you should stay there. Lerici is an unusual choice, and not in the actual Cinque Terre, but it is a lovely Ligurian seaside town, probably less overrun than the 5 towns themselves. I am curious how you decided on Lerici?

IMNSHO, Lerici is still what the Cinque Terre used to be: quiet and free from excessive tourists.

We stayed in Lerici 3 years ago after seeing the NY Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/travel/20next.html. Nice place!

Are you planning on using Lerici just as a base to explore the CT, or to see Lerici and the surrounding area? Are you going to have your car?

Also you mention this is your 1st trip to Italy. First trip to Europe? If so I'll add some comments about times, otherwise I figure you know what's right for you.

We were planning on spending 4 nights in Greve after 4 nights in Rome. Renting a car just to explore the Tuscan countryside, then returning the car in Florence and use public transit. The reason we were thinking of Lerici is, one, it was recommended by a friend as being less busy and two, gave us a bit of beach time.

My alternate idea was to spend 3 nights in Greve then 2 in Lerici then 2 in Florence or 4 nights in Greve and 3 in Florence. It is my and our children's first trip to Italy my husband was there many years ago.

Though we feel we have to hit the highlights on our first trip, we also want to get a feel for the everyday Italian. Kids don't want to see too many museums and churches and as a family we like adventure and to explore. Open to suggestions!

I think you are picking Lerici for very good reasons. Stay at least 3 nights to make the trip there worthwhile. Do go to Porto Venere!

My alternate idea was to spend 3 nights in Greve then 2 in Lerici then 2 in Florence Though we feel we have to hit the highlights on our first trip, we also want to get a feel for the everyday Italian.

I think this is rushed. Can you add time to the trip? This really is 1 day plus an afternoon in Lerici & Florence. Each change of location will take you to around noon or later (plot out a timeline such as breakfast & final packing, drop off car, go to train station, wait for train, ride to new town, get to hotel, check in or drop bags). And all of that transport time is not fun we're-here-in-Italy! time, but just hauling family and luggage from A to B. You can get time estimates for car or train from the great site http://www.rome2rio.com/

By the "feel" you mentioned above I'm guessing you mean a sense of Italy not overrun with english-speaking tourists (often clutching the blue bible). You can get that in some of Tuscany and definitely in Lerici; plenty of tourists in Lerici, they're just Italian tourists. At nite after dinner join the town having gelatto or a glass of wine in the central piazza or strolling along the road next to the ocean. The flip side, though, is you should learn a few polite phrases, numbers, etc. because while they are likely to speak english at your hotel desk at many of the restaurants and shops they did not. I strongly recommend a hotel with A/C, and IMHO its worth springing for an ocean view.

We used Lerici as a base, visiting the region in the morning and relaxing on the beach or exploring town in the afternoons. Santa Margherita Ligure is a nice place to visit, although you won't have time if you just visit Lerici for 2 nites. I echo the previous advice about Porto Venere; take the ferry across and back. We had a car and although the lower part of town is in a ZTL you can get to some hotels w/o going into it; they may also be able to arrange for you to enter it. Lerici won't be nearly as easy with public transit.

I think Greve is in the RS book. About all there really is in town is the big piazza. Worth a visit, but before you decide to use it as your base pick out some other places you plan on driving to and use Google Maps or rome2rio to estimate drive times. Other options for a base could be a hilltown such as Cortona or Perugia.

Thank you for all the great advice!

Hi there! You and your husband should stay at Florence as many days as possible :) it is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages". Florence contains numerous museums and art galleries. Anyway, you can choose smth here http://vivaster.com/italy/city/florence there are much more bigger information than i can tell you. Do not forget to taste italian food in each city in your travel. It will differ in different( tautology, sorry ;D) places but it will be fantastic anyway http://vivaster.com/tour/florence-foodies-walk-4998