Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence this October, many questions

First, congratulations!
Are you flying "open-jaw" (in one city and out of another? hope so).

I will only comment on Cinque Terre. If you are planning on hiking the main trail #2, Sentiero Azzurro, or "Blue Trail", be aware that parts are closed. The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza is open, will take 1-2 hours depending on your hiking abilities. It is, IMO, the most scenic. These are the most current updates, from savevernazza.com.

Many people are interested in hiking the Coastal Trail that connects the five villages when they visit the Cinque Terre National Park:
Riomaggiore – Manarola “Via dell’amore”: The first part of the Via dell’Amore (from the Manarola train station to the bar, which is NOT open) reopened on April 3, 2015. Work on the Riomaggiore section is still in progress therefore closed to the public.

Manarola – Corniglia : CLOSED
Corniglia -Vernazza: OPEN
Vernazza – Monterosso: OPEN

These trails are subject to closure due to weather and maintenance. Use your best judgment:
Wear appropriate footwear (NO flip flops or sandals)
Start early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the crowds
Never hike in rainy weather (these steep trails are potentially dangerous when wet)

Also, the ferry is weather dependent, may or may not run. The trains run frequently, though, and each town is only a few minutes from the next.

As far as food, in CT, the specialties are seafood, with lots of anchovies, and pesto. And lemons!

You don't say which hotel, or which airport! I'm assuming you land at Rome Fiumicino.
The taxi is a flat €48. The train is €15 pp o/w however that takes you only to Termini station. If your hotel is near the station, then you can walk. If not the taxi could be another 15-20€. There are city buses and the subway of course, but with a lot of luggage I would rely on a taxi.

The Vatican museums are closed on Sunday. Everything else is pretty much open, but check the websites of specific venues.

The train is really the only option unless you drive. Check schedules on www.trenitalia.com (use a date in the next 7 days). You don't need to purchase ahead of time. Doing so would allow you to get some discounts on the Frecciabianca trains to La Spezia, but you must be certain of your plans as those discounted tickets are not changeable or refundable. Don't purchase regional train trips ahead of time.

Stopping in Pisa on the way to Florence is a good option. You are probably going to change trains in Pisa anyway. You can store your luggage at the station while you visit (look for the DEPOSITO Bagagli, or baggage storage).

Charlotte, thank you!
Yes, we are flying home out of Florence. Thank you for the CT info...much appreciated. We were hoping to hike the whole trail, but if it's closed...not a huge deal I guess.

Roberto
Yes, we are flying in to Rome Fiumicino, but have not selected a hotel as of yet. I think you're right about pre buying tickets, it makes for less flexibility I guess.

We have the RS convertible bags and although we have only used them a few times, we like them! Several pockets for organization and easy to carry on your back or as a suitcase. I did have a little trouble getting the pack onto my back after numerous on/offs while flying. My bag weighed 23 pounds that trip. I had no trouble lifting it to get it in the overhead and it stuffs right in there nicely. I use a combination of ziplock bags and packing cubes to keep my clothes organized. Flip-flops fit nicely down into the back of the bag where the shoulder straps come out. After reading some reviews of people's trips in rainy weather, for our upcoming trip I plan to pack my cubes and such into a large garbage bag inside each of our convertible bags. Better to overkill than have wet clothes and shoes. Enjoy your trip!!!

Good info Nance, thank you!

congrats! like you and your write, my wife and i are here now and are doing a similar thing as you guys. unless you are doing travel out of italy, i'd say you don't need the rail pass. some trains do not take the rail pass either. we didn't buy it for us and we flew in to milan, went to venice, to florence (here now), then to pisa (just a stop to see the tower) and continue to cinque terre, and then rome. we are staying in montoeresso and the old town appeals to us and we are excited from reading about it as we have never been there before. there are also day tours from florence (to pisa and sienna) you might consider and companies in the book are listed as well as some others (look on tripadvisor). if you are in florence on the first sunday of the month the museums are free (we did academia and ufuzzi today for free and only a 15 minute wait in line). Though we didn't plan it that way as it just worked out... something to note if you are planning to buy firenze card.

we bought the rick steves backpack and it has been awesome to travel with. some of the high speed trains have a limited storage space and it's littered with suitcases from others on the train. with the back packs, we were able to fit them in the thin rack space above our seats and made getting off a breeze!

tonights dinner in florence was awesome and was from the book. check out http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187895-d1516512-Reviews-La_Burrasca-Florence_Tuscany.html

the book needs to be updated as its seems there is only 1 table for non-reservations and since we got there when it opened (7pm), we got the table. however, there were many people being turned away or having to wait 1-1.5 hours if they wanted to eat there. food was incredible and i'd highly recommend it!

So you have ....

Thur 8 Oct - Arrive Rome (4 nts)
Mon 12 Oct - Train to Monterosso (2 nts) via La Spezia
Wed 14 Oct - Train to Florence (4 nts) via Pisa
Sun 18 Oct - Depart Florence

I would book the following train now, with tickets from 19 euros.
Intercity 510 From:Roma Termini (09:57) To:La Spezia Centrale (13:58) Date: 12-10-2015
http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Local trains the rest of the way, with cheap fares and no discounts.

Mike - Thanks for the advice, I think I'll try to get a res at that restaurant. I'm glad to hear the RS bags worked out well, I placed my order today.

David - We will be staying 2 nights in Monterosso, and 4 in Florence. Thank you for the link, I'll have a look.

Transport from airport to hotel - Best option?

http://www.airportshuttle.it/home.htm

Rome Sites - Since we will be arriving Thursday, and departing Monday, should I plan to see most sites during the first couple days? Are most sites closed Sunday as well as Monday? Rome Pass worth buying?

Buy Rick Steves Italy 2015 and check out the "Daily Reminders" section for openings by day. All the answers are there. Roma Pass sounds in theory like a good deal, but when I tried to buy one at the National Museum of Rome on my trip in 2013 the guy behind the counter said they were "sold out." I found that amazing. Oh well.

Transport between Rome & Cinque Terre (Plan to stay in Monterosso) - We plan on taking the train, and could use some advice regarding the ins & outs of the rail system there. Buy tickets ahead of time? Purchase a rail pass? During my brief search, it looks like I'll deal with different rail companies during this venture?

Ask your hotel to refer you to a nearby agency where you can purchase tickets. Far easier that doing that at Termini.

Cinque Terre (plan to sleep in Monterosso) - Arrive on a Monday afternoon, plan to just hang out in Monterosso for the evening (perhaps venture over to Vernazza? Tuesday's plan is to make the hike down to Riomaggiore, then take the ferry back.

Good idea, but note that unless you're racing, the hikes take twice as long as Rick states in his book

Transport from Monterosso to Florence - We were contemplating a stop off in Pisa at this point, as opposed to the Rome/Cinque Terre leg. Good idea?

You can buy these when you buy the tickets for Cinque Terre.

Florence Sites/Activities - We plan to hit the standards covered in Rick's book, anything else we should be aware of?

I've been there four times and haven't seen it all. You will want to return. Hit all the three triangle sites. Make sure you have your hotel make a reservation at the Uffizi or you'll have a long wait in line. See Rick's advice under "Florence Card."

We are really excited to enjoy the cuisine, especially the regional specialties. Any hidden gems to be sure to visit?

Tratorria Sostanza-Troia and/or Tratorria 13 Gobbi both on Via del Porcellana. Neither is cheap, but worth every Euro.

We plan to purchase a couple of Rick's Convertible Carry-On's, looks like a better option than a standard pull behind. Anyone have experience with these bags?

I like Rick's overhead size wise roller boards. Assuming you're packing light check out Rick's advice on laundries under Helpful Hints for each city you visit.

You can't go wrong with any hotel or restaurant in Rick's book

You don't need to hike the whole CT trail to take in the beauty. It's amazing.

My favorite thing in Florence was climbing the duomo, fantastic views!!!!!

Make sure you have the gelato, every chance you get.

We are doing the exact same schedule as you on the exact same dates! Because we have such a short time in Rome we have decided to do 2 walking tours with Walks of Italy to cover the major sites on different days and an evening food tour with Italy Eats. We also plan on catching a Seahawks game on Sunday the 11th.

Rome to Cinque Terre, as others have mentioned use the Trenitallia website to purchase your train tickets, they will send you an email with your tickets that you print at home and bring. In Cinque Terre we are also staying in Monterosso and pretty much doing what you are doing, hanging out day one, hiking/train/boat on day two, then onto Florence. Looking forward to the Anchovies, Fried Fish cones and Pesto! The trip from Monterosso to Florence may involve both Regional and Fast trains (the schedule we looked at leaving Monterosso around 11;3), so we are just purchasing that day.

In Florence we are doing another walking tour with Walks of Italy and a Day trip to Tuscany with Walkabout Florence (This tour goes to Pisa so we are not stopping in Pisa from Cinque Terre to Florence-that was our plan before I booked the day trip). Have you watched Rick Steves Florence Video? After watching that we are set on trying the Florentine Steaks! Happy Anniversary!!!

Hank - Good info, thank you!

Julie - Gelato is definitely on the menu. :)

Letizia - That's crazy, what are the chances of having the same itinerary? Florentine steak is a must, my mouth is watering already.