la spezia, italy

Hi, Kathy. Rick only recommends staying in La Spezia if you can't get a room in any of the five towns. It's quite a bit bigger and lacks the Cinque Terre atmosphere. You probably would travel by train in one direction and ferry the other, since the view is better from ferry, but trains run frequently.

thanks, laura. any recommendations on where to stay in la spezia? do you kno if vernazza has recovered from the mud slide. appreciate any info you have.

It depends on when you go. If you are there after September, I'd suggest La Spezia. The chance of rain increases and there's little to do in the little villages of Cinque Terre in the rain. La Spezia has the Lia Museum, an open outdoor market, a naval museum, and many stores as diversions if it is bad weather. You can still get to the CT on a moment's notice by train.

I've stayed in La Spezia a few times. Some hotels are convenient to the trains. Most recently I stayed at Hotel Mary across the street from the train station. Transit to CT towns and towns to the south such as Lucca, Pisa, and Florence is easy. The town has all the conveniences such as bank, restaurants, parks, street market, bakeries, etc.

The flooding in Vernazza (and Monterosso) occurred nearly 3 years ago. We were there just 7 months afterwards, and the progress that had been made in that short time was astonishing. While there are projects still going on, they certainly won't affect your visit.

Very good website for reference:

http://savevernazza.com

Ferries really only run during the warmer months, and are fun for a singular journey along the coast but I wouldn't use them for daily transportation. They don't run late into the evenings, and tickets are much more expensive than the trains. Ferry service may also be cancelled if the sea is rough.

I wouldn't stay in La Spezia. When we were there, we stayed in Manarola and loved it. Rick prefers Vernazza, because it's a little more exciting...I think it would be a good choice.

kathy,

I'd highly recommend staying in one of the Cinque Terre towns rather than in La Spezia, as they are so much more scenic and interesting. Regarding the mud slides which devastated Monterosso and Vernazza on 25 October 2011, the damage has been substantially repaired and unless you know where to look it's difficult to see. The damage was mostly repaired within a year. Once you arrive there, you'll see why the towns are a better place to stay than La Spezia.

When is your trip taking place? It's a good idea to get hotel reservations well in advance, as the lodgings in that area book up quickly during tourist season (which runs approximately from the beginning of April to end of November). I'd suggest looking at Monterosso first as it's the largest of the five towns, and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other amenities. It also has the best beaches. There are suggestions for good lodgings in all the towns in the RS Guidebook.

The easiest method of getting around that area is via the frequent local trains. The boats are seasonal, weather dependent and take longer. It's nice to take at least one boat trip between Monterosso and Riomaggiore to see the area from the water, but I wouldn't suggest using that as the primary mode of transport.

La Spiezia is not charming! You might want to stay in Levanto or Sestri Levante, especially during the rainy season. That way you can quickly rail to the five towns to the south and the next day go north to Portofino/Santa Margharita since you're between the two regions. Ferries and rail go to both. Both L and SL have a quaintness, good food and beaches. Hans Christain Andersen wrote fondly about spending "a lovely day and night" in Sestri. The town got all excited and named a beach ("fairy tale" beach or something) and starting having yearly festivals for who-can-write-the-best-fairy-tale (adult and children categories). By the way, the Via Della Amore trail is closed now for repairs (check RS blogs for the current info). Good luck.

thank all of you for your suggestions. they are very helpful.am now trying to find reservations in ct. good info all. appreciate it!