My husband and I have booked a cruise in November leaving from Rome and ending in Venice. We thought we would go over to Italy for about 10 days before the cruise. We have done Rome and Florence before and were thinking we'd like to take the train from Rome up into the northern areas of Italy. We were thinking perhaps the Cinque Terre area and the Lake Como area. We would have about five nights in each area. Are there any picturesque towns that we shouldn't miss? What about train service to these areas? Any suggestions on places to stay? Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Do you have the RS Italy 2011 book? It should be your starting point. Best wishes.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10683 posts
Have you already purchased your plane tickets yet? If not, instead of flying into Rome and traveling North you might want to fly into Milan. What kind of activities do you like to do? Both Lake Como and the Cinque Terre are pretty laid back. Do you want to relax for 10 days before your cruise or are you looking for activities? There is easy train access to both of these locations. We stayed in Varenna (Lake Como) for 3 nights and the highlight of our visit (and one of the highlights of our 4 week trip) was a cooking class at Il Caminetto. We stayed for 3 nights in Vernazza (Cinque Terre). Do you like to hike? If not, once you have checked out the 5 towns (easy to do in a day) there isn't much to do. What part of November are you going? The weather may be questionable in both destinations. If you spend a few days at Lake Como, then a few days in Cinque Terre, you might also want to spend a couple of days in Tuscany or Umbria. Siena and Orvieto are two suggestions. Both are reachable by train. Head to Rome from there to start your cruise. Have a great trip!!