Honeymoon in Tuscany and CT

sumayya, As you're planning to bring Wine back, I'd suggest visiting the Cinque Terre first. However, given the arrival time of your flight, that's going to be a very LONG travel day! Is there any way you could arrange an earlier flight? There are departures from Roma Termini to Monterosso at 15:40 and 17:57. The latter departure is considerably faster (but more expensive) and doesn't arrive until 21:38. As it will take time to de-plane, collect your luggage and then get from FCO to Termini, it's not likely that you'd be able to make the earlier departure. If you choose travel to the C.T., BE SURE to tell your Hotel that you'll be a "late arrival" and confirm that with them. Which Hotel are you staying in? The rail trip to Siena is pretty much the same time, so my preference would be to carry on to the C.T. Congratulations and happy travels!

No thats the earliest flight. We could also spend the night in Rome and leave in the morning. Do you think that is a better option? Or going into Rome for the night and then coming back out of town the next morning go to CT is not a good idea since the train station to go to CT is not in the city? we have not chosen a hotel in Monterosso yet do you have any reccomendations?

sumayya, In the same situation, I'd probably spend the night in Rome and then depart for the Cinque Terre the next day. For the trip from FCO to Termini, use the Leonardo Express. You can buy tickets either at ticket windowns (€15 PP) or Kiosks (€14 PP). DON'T FORGET to validate your tickets in the yellow machine prior to boarding the train! The trip is about 35 minutes. Buy your tickets for the trip from Rome to C.T. when you arrive at Termini from the airport, either at the staffed ticket window (long queues) or ticket Kiosks. Check the Trenitalia website for times. I'd suggest leaving about 11:00 so you can have a nice breakfast at your Hotel (normally included in the price). If you arrive too early in the C.T. your room may not be ready, so a mid-afternoon arrival is perfect. You'll be departing for the Cinque Terre from Roma Termini, which is right in the middle of Rome. If you get a Hotel close to Termini, it will make it easier to continue the journey the next morning (you can walk to the station from the Hotel). See if you can get a booking at either Hotel Sonya or Hotel Aberdeen. There are numerous direct trains from Rome to La Spezia every day. Upon arrival at La Spezia, you'll likely have to transfer to the local train. You'll have reserved seats for the Rome-La Spezia segment, so be sure to note your Car (Carrozza) and Seat (Posti) numbers (no reserved seats on the local train). When will this trip be taking place and what type of budget do you have for accommodations? I'd suggest booking a Hotel in Monterosso SOON! If you have a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook, there are lots of Hotels listed there. If you don't have the book, I can make a few suggestions. Cheers!

I don't have the book yet. But I just booked Hotel Spiagga (i'm allowed free cancellation till April 25th) incase that's not a good choice. We are going to be there the first week in May. 3 nights in CT and 3 in Siena. I also would love a reccomendation for Siena. I hear there are lots of B&Bs around town. But then we will rent a car to drive to the neighboring towns and maybe a trip to Florence if we feel up to it.

Thank you so much for your very detailed response. I really appreciate it

Hello, Congratulations on your wedding day to both of you. While you're in the CT, be sure to try the local wines. We really enjoyed the white wines served in the restos and brought a bottle of the dessert wine home with us. The spelling escapes me but it starts with Sc. I'm sure that someone on this forum will supply the name, I hope.
Enjoy your honeymoon, Sherry

Sumayya: If you have not made your flight arrangements, you would do better to fly "open jaw" landing in one city and flying out of another. The Italian airports with the most active flight schedules are Milan, Pisa and Rome. To get to C/T, fly into Pisa and go by train to LaSpezia. Transfer to a local train to go up the coast to C/T. C/T is not a place to go by car, and two of the cities are still torn up from recent floods. It's really out of the way in the northwest unless you're going from France to Italy. See Mapquest.com. Don't forget stopping in Florenceyou're missing an absolutely incredible city. Siena is best reached by a 1 hr. bus from Florence. The Chianti wine area is between Florence & Siena. Many Chianti wine cities have cooperative stores selling their wines, and they will ship them directly home. Wine cases are just a hassle to haul around. Then, fly out of Rome.

@Sherry, The wine you're probably thinking of is Sciacchetrà, which is a sweet dessert wine that's a specialty of that area. It didn't seem as sweet as the Ice Wines from this area, and I found it to be very enjoyable. I must remember to bring a bottle home this year.