Hi all,
I am going with a friend to italy in march 23. I have been before to some of these places but my friend has not. Here is the itinerary I am thinking about.
Fly into Milan and spend the night there. From there head to CT for two nights , go to Tuscany for 3 nights last time I stayed in siena and loves but want to stay somewhere else this time.
Then go to Rome for 3 nights.
Thoughts? Is milan the best place to fly Into for ct?
Thanks’
Genoa and Pisa are much closer to CT.
If you can, Pisa is a better place to arrive in Italy for the CT. There is an NH Hotel right across from the Pisa train station. From the hotel you can walk or take a short bus ride to the Tower. The next morning you can walk across the street and head to the CT.
First you should probably decide where in Tuscany you want to visit before picking a base. The most important thing is a place with good train connections. Please make sure Florence is one of your stops. Your friend would most likely be impressed by all that is available there.
Enjoy Italy.
Unless you are really interested in Milan, you could go directly to CT. That would give you another night somewhere, I'd probably give it to Tuscany and stay in Florence. I really like taking a train ride upon arrival. It generally allows for a bit of a rest before sight seeing.
Florence, Genoa, and Pisa are closer than Milan, but sometimes the cost of the flight helps to make the decision.
I don’t see any nonstop flights from the US to Milan on Mar23, so I agree with what the others are saying. The closest airports to the Cinque Terre are: Genoa (1h 45), Pisa (1h 45m), Florence (2h 15m), Bologna (3h) and Milan (3h 30m).
I take it you want to experience the Tuscan countryside and visit hill towns, correct? If so, go to Siena to rent a car and drive the scenic Sienese Crest Road to Montepulciano and sleep there, it’s the perfect base.
Since you’re finishing your trip in Rome, fly home from there.
Thank you all so much. No we arent really interested in milan as much so I will look into flights from the other areas. What was your favorite tuscan village and favorite place to stay in CT?
We stayed at Aria de Mare in Manarola. Stunning views from our inn and loved the town. We walked thru the vineyard trail circling the town. Billy's is a great restaurant just down the street from Aria de Mare. Other than that, I think I would do dinner in a different town. Or eat at Billy's twice as we wished we had.
I JUST went through this maybe 1 hour ago. Tried to get to Genoa - flights are tough and inventory low or non-existent even if it shows up on website. I even called United to help me out - and it was the partner airline that was the problem. They told me to keep calling. as the flight inventory will open up (yikes). Same issue will be for Pisa. I was so frustrated that I booked a flight to Milan which arrives around 10:00 AM, and will take a train to CT directly. But we are lucky to get in so early to be able to have this option. Good luck!
For scenic driving, Rick recommends the Val d'Orcia area around Montepulciano and Pienza, where they grow mostly wheat and so the fields are yellow in summer. His route looks great but was a 2-hour drive south of Florence where we were based, too far to incorporate into other stuff.
We instead picked a scenic drive through Chianti, which is conveniently between Florence and Siena. It's mostly wine and olives country, and very lovely hilly scenic vistas too, especially from the winding country roads. We stopped for a break in Radda, a typical small hill town with scenic views over the surrounding hills and vineyards, old stone farmhouses and chapels.
The hills around Volterra (must-see) and San Gimignano are also pleasantly scenic because of the terrain, but not quite as pretty as Chianti or Val d'Orcia.
Favorite Tuscan villages from Montepulciano are Pienza’s old town (30 minutes). Another day trip is drive to San Gimignano (2h) and stroll the old town before continuing on to Volterra (45 minutes) which is another scenic drive. The drive from Volterra to Montepulciano is 2h 15m.
As far as Cinque Terre towns to sleep in, Rick Steves recommends Vernazza, but I stayed in Monterosso because there were more direct trains to and from Monterosso than the other Cinque Terre towns.
love this!
Pisa is soooo easy to fly into if you are going to CT.
But as others often note, why are you rushing so much? Every time you go to another place you loose a day.
I agree with Jules, unless there is something in Milan you want to see, don't spend the night there. Go ahead on to the CT. We've stayed in Vernazza twice, it's my husband's happy place! We just got back and stayed at an agristurismo just outside of Montepulciano. We took a train to Chiusi and picked up a car there. That was a great location to explore the Val d'Orcia and Umbria.
