Pisa and Cinque Terre-best of both

To Roberto from Fremont: thank you for your detailed suggestions. I didn't think of doing it this way but looks like we might. From Florence to which of the cities in Cinque Terre then to start with? I would certainly leave from Monterosso to Pisa, that sounds great. I will check to see what the hours are for the Pisa attractions; I was told to "not miss" the Baptistry. And of the 5 cities there...high points/don't miss..?? Molte grazie.

Pisa gets a bad rap...it is a wonderful place to visit!

Done it several times with my car, including stop in Pisa to show relatives. By train is more problematic because from Florence to CT by car is 1h 45 min, by train is a 3h trek with 2 train changes. But you can still do it. The best way, imo, is to go to the Cinque Terre first. Cinque Terre must be enjoyed first, with daylight (Pisa's tower can be seen at night as well). If you leave Florence with the 7:00am train you can be at Cinque Terre at about 10am (2 train changes: Pisa and La Spezia). Visit Cinque Terre all day, take pictures, walk the via dell'amore, do what you can. Leave Monterosso (biggest CT station) at 17:03 and reach Pisa at 18:51 (one train change at La Spezia) Or leave Monterosso even later at 19.03 and reach Pisa at 20:15 (no train changes). Visit Pisa for an hour, see the tower etc. Catch last train to Florence at 22:30 (arr. 23:50). Or leave Pisa sooner, since Pisa, to paraphrase Henry IV of France, isn't worth a mass (to use a nice word), at 21:32 (even faster train, arr. at Florence at 22:32)

I'm originally from Florence where I lived over half of my life. Florentines and Pisans still don't care much about each other. Probably because they've been at war for centuries. I've been to Pisa countless times, mostly because of out-of-town or out-of-country relatives and friends whom I took to see it. It's less than an hour from Florence by car, lots of Californians commute on a daily basis for longer distances. I don't even remember if I ever saw the Baptistry inside, I probably did in one of those occasions. But seeing the piazza from the outside for 20 minutes is more than enough for a Florentine to bear. It took the Pisans over 300 years to build a bell tower, and they couldn't even build it straight. Visiting Pisa for too long is like rewarding incompetence.

All the 5 towns in the CT are nice. Vernazza is prettier according to some. That's the one you see in the picture when you click on RS' Helpline. But I think they are all equally pretty. Monterosso has the best beach. It's also bigger, so there are more restaurants and shops. The Via dell'Amore is between Riomaggiore and Manarola. The best hike is from Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia (that's my opinion). It's a long hike, therefore I don't know if you'd have the time with your short schedule.
You can actually visit all of them in a short time. They are served by frequent trains going back and forth between Genoa and Spezia. Just hop and off. Via dell'Amore is a nice non challenging hike that is short enough for you to do in your short visit. If you decide to drive there (although a car is not needed once you get there), coming from Florence go to Riomaggiore (the Easternmost town). Park at the parking structure for the day. Walk on the via dell'amore to Manarola, then take the train from Manarola to Vernazza. Visit Vernazza then take another train further to Monterosso. Come back to Pisa from Monterosso. Have lunch wherever you happen to be when you are hungry. There are good trattorias in all 5 towns.

Phil, Regarding the Cinque Terre, you'll be entering via La Spezia and will likely have to change trains there. Although you emphasized "ONE or TWO", you could easily visit all five of the small towns in a day trip. That will depend on what you want to do there and how long you want to spend in each one, and whether you want to hike any of the trails (assuming they're open). For example, you could visit Riomaggiore first (which is only about 9 minutes from La Spezia) and then walk the famous Via dell'Amore to Manarola. From there you could take the boat or local trains to any of the other villages, ending in Monterosso. You could easily have a fine hot meal at any of the restaurants in Monterosso, and be back in Florence by midnight. I won't comment on Pisa, as Roberto has provided such an excellent description. Be sure that you're clear on the rail stations to use, as larger towns in Italy have more than one. Also, at least part of your trip will be via Regionale trains, so DON'T forget to validate. If any portions are on Freccia trains, BE SURE you have valid reservations for the specific train you're riding on. Failure to observe these rules could result in hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot! Happy travels!