Hi all, you were all so helpful when I was planning my trip and all went so well that now I have a friend that wants me to set up her trip. The dates are 3/17-3/28. She's flying into Rome but heading straight to Florence. Her daughter is going to school there for a semester and she, her husband, and other daughter are going to spend some time with her and sightsee. Besides about 4-5 days in Florence, she wants to include a couple of hilltowns and CT. The from CT back to Rome to fly back to Chicago. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
536 posts
Linda - From Florence it's better to have a rental car and then you can easily see Siena, Volterra, as well as San Gimignano in a couple of days.
Then you can actually train it up yo La Spezia and take the local to Le Cinque Terre - only a 10 - 25 minute ride. Each village is spectacular - my favorite is Vernazza - The trail that you should walk is from Manarola to Riomaggiore - The Via dell'amore(lover's path) - It's only about a half mile, flat, paved, with a cafe halfway for a cold drink and a snack.
From La Spezia back to Rapallo and then down to Roma by Train. It's a special area you're going to be looking at.
Enjoy it !!! Ciao, Greg
Posted by
Hamilton, NJ, US
8 posts
Hi! Just got back from Italy, besides visiting Florence, I enjoyed the small midevil town of Volterra. Very charming, great scenery.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
Siena, Voltera and San Gimignano would be a good hill town sample.
I'm not sure March is the best time to see CT. They should keep an eye on the weather and visit if it's a nice day. They could also add a brief stop in Pisa to see the tower.
Posted by
Charleston, SC
39 posts
Just got back from Italy also and visited Cinque Terre (fabulous), Florence and Siena. Loved, loved, loved Siena. It was wonderful. The Turtles who won the Palio had a parade with a band and things were going on everywhere. Food, shopping and touring were great. Went on a wine tour that was fastinating. Hope this helps or email me and I can give you more info.