Hi - We four senior citizens (two couples) will be in the Cinque Terre region around Sept. 21, 2011. My research thus far indicates there are three prominent towns, Monterosso al Mare, Varnazza, and Corniglia. We are traveling from Florence. What would be a good town to use as our headquarters? Any suggestions will be most appreciated. Once we have zeroed in on a town we will start looking for lodging.
Thank You! Bill
Posted by
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
Bill, we enjoyed staying in Monterosso. It is the largest of the 5 CT towns and also the "flattest" thus making it easy to walk around. Because it's the largest, there was a good selection of restaurants, shops, etc. & it was easy to walk around at night, find a good restaurant and then take an easy stroll after dinner. We stayed in the "old town" section in Hotel Margherita. It's a nice hotel; clean, comfortable and it has a wonderful breakfast buffet.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32382 posts
Bill, Actually, there are five towns in the Cinque Terre (as the name indicates). They are: > Monterosso > Vernazza > Corniglia > Manarola > Riomaggiore Corniglia is a bit less "prominent" than the others due to it's location high on a bluff. The largest of the five is Monterosso, and it also has the best beach. At this late date, I suspect you'll have to "take what you can get" for accommodations, and that will decide which town you'll be using for your "headquarters". I started in about March to get a booking in Monterosso for September, and it took me the better part of four days to get it sorted. If you're using the RS Italy Guidebook to find accommodations, start sending out some E-mails ASAP! Monterosso is probably your best bet, as it has the largest number of Hotels and other accommodations. Vernazza tends to the most popular with many here, but I've never stayed there. You may also be able to find something in Riomaggiore, as the accommodation situation is fairly well organized. One thing to keep in mind is that lodgings there won't be "Hotels" but rather small B&B's or perhaps just rooms. With rooms only, you'll have to arrange your own breakfast. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
Caruthers, CA, USA
244 posts
We spent 3 days in Vernazza at L'eremo. It's very nice but hard to get to, you have a schlep your bags up 500 steps and a mile. You can visit any town via train from any other town or La Spezia. If I were to go back, I would try to stay in La Spezia and visit towns via the train.