Lucca & Cinque Terre accomodations/itinerary

In Vernazza, CT area, try: /www.elisabettacarro.it

Do you have the RS Italy book? It's loaded with suggestions for lodging for both places.

Just got back from CT...unless you plan a lot of hiking, I think 4 nights in CT is too much. The CT communities are small, and very dominated by Americans. The setting is glorious, but the authentic feel of Italy seems lost. I spent 10 days on an island outside of Venice (Murano) and a week in the Tuscan region, so the CT experience was very different.

Three nights tops in CT. By end of September they won't be quite as crowded. From Lucca you can do an easy daytrip by bus to the Pisa Campo dei Miracoli where the tower, duomo and baptistery are, so I would give Lucca 3 nights instead. Florence can also be done as a daytrip from Lucca.

I stayed in Lucca for three days in April. It is not as touristy as the CT and it is a wonderful town to explore or to take a day trip to some of the other towns/sites close by....Barga....etc.

Margie, As someone else suggested, you might want to pick up a copy of the Italy 2011 Guidebook, either in paper or E-book format. There's a wealth of information there on Hotels in various price ranges in both Lucca and each of the five villages of the Cinque Terre. That would absolutely be the best method to choose lodgings that fit your price and other criteria. I'll be in both of those places in September also, and have already booked Hotels. I'd suggest booking in the C.T. soon! I reserved a room in Monterosso over a month ago, and it took me the better part of a week (and a change in my Itinerary) to get that sorted! I booked a Hotel in Lucca just last week, with no problems. Which of the C.T. trails are you planning to hike? One point to note is that the trail from Manarola to Corniglia is still closed (I checked on that again last night), however I'm hoping it will be open by September. Happy travels!

Monterosso is a good base with a few more places to eat than the smaller towns, and definitely less steps to accommodation. Pasquale hotel is great with a good view over the ocean. I believe there is a good B&B in the old town as per trip advisor, a bit cheaper and very quaint souning but no view-depends what you want. It took us best part of a day to explore Riogiamore, do the walk to Manorola, look at Manorola, train to Corniglia for lunch, hiked to Vernazza then too tired to explore more as we are older. Next day did train to La Spezia and bus to Port Venere--lovely and different, then ferry back to Monterosso--explored M as well--lots to do there if you look---excellent day. Third day back to expore Vernazza and hike back to M---or vice versa. Took in a couple of cold swims as well.
Plenty to do for 3 days and if you wanted to do the higher walks as well you would need the fourth.

We stayed here in Lucca: http://www.laromea.com/english/bed_and_breakfast_lucca.html Outstanding location, very helpful hosts, and one of the most amazing breakfasts you'll get anywhere in Italy.

Definitely check Rick's book. He gives excellent descriptions of the towns in CT; each has its own personality, so it depends what you like. Even better, watch his "Italy's Countryside" DVD. We stayed in Manarola at Casa Capellini and loved it. The view from our room was fantastic, but it's quite a hike up the hill. (We just got home a week ago.) Rick's guided walking tours of each town were a great way to get a quick look at each one. On the first day, we did the Via dell'Amore walk to Riomaggiore (our least favorite town) and back. That's an easy one. The next day we took the ferry to Montorosso and hiked to Vernazza. It took nearly two hours (with a 20 minute stop for lemonade) and I didn't think the views along the way were worth the sweat or time. The views at the end, as you're nearing Vernazza, are lovely... We had lunch near the water in Vernazza. (It's an interesting town...busier town and pricier than Manarola, but if you're young, you'd probably like it better than sleepy Manarola.) The other two trails are closed; we had to take the train to Corniglia. It's along hike up to the town, so we opted for the shuttle bus. Then we took another train back to Manarola. Even though the trail is closed, you can walk part of the way from Manarola to Corniglia...and it's a spectacular view, looking back at the town. Hopefully those trails will be open by September and the crowds might be down. We did not see Lucca; I think three nights in CT would be enough to see everything...though if you plan to do a lot of hiking, there are many, many advanced trails for experienced hikers. You could spend a week!

One site to check out is www.arbaspaa.com, which rents out places that are too small for Rick to include in his books. Our Manarola rental, Casa Becarra, only has two units, way up at the top of the town. I think Arbaspaa has units in other CT towns, too.
Good luck!