Rome to Cinque Terre by train

So many possibilities! I suggest Siena.

Hi -
Some additional info might help? For instance, where else will you be traveling on this trip? My first thought was Florence as you can get there on a 'fast' train, thus maximizing your sightseeing time, but you might already have that one in your plan. You'd only be able to get a sample of that city with just a partial day to work with but it's an option. ???

Lucca would be another one but would take longer to get to.

We have a week to spend in Italy before getting to Venice for a cruise to Greek Iles. My son and wife will be with me and while I have been to Sienna I don't think they would enjoy it. He is more into small villages, great food and nature. I am now exploring Rome to Florence to Bologna to Venice by train. What do you think? and thank you for your suggestion. I am open since we have a year to plan.

To go from the Cinque Terre to Venice you would't train via Bologna but via Milan and Milan is close to the Lake of Como. Do you think they could like that kind of villages?

Since you are travelling in summer 2022, wait for June 13 2021 to check the train schedules on trenitalia.com/en.html . They always upload the new summer schedules on the second Sunday of June.

Hi back -
So how much of your week will you be spending in Rome? And how many nights do you have in total before boarding your ship? Also, Rome> Florence> Bologna> Venice and no Cinque Terre? I'm a little confused as Rome, Bologna and Florence are not "small villages". If you ARE still trying to keep the CT, those tiny villages are apt to be overrun with tourists so not exactly tranquil, if that's what your son has in mind?

Sorry for all the questions but want to get a clear picture of the time you have and what you're wanting to accomplish. :O)

I'm confused too. Is CT definite? How many days there? And you have a week to spend between Rome and Venice, right?
You could look at the train line/schedule and pick a town. You could also go up the coast, where there are some pleasant seaside towns.

Thank you all for your replies. No, CT is not definite. Rome and Venice are with only 2 nights in Rome, 1 night in Venice. I'm trying not to spend 3 or 4 hours on the train. I agree that Florence and Bologna are not small cities but do have much culture and great food.

2 nights in Rome and 1 night in Venice is a ridiculously tiny amount of time for these 2 locations
Add nights to both and skip CT

1 night is really just half a day

I think you need to narrow down the requirements with the others on the trip. For small peaceful villages, you'd be better off driving, and for less time on a train, you need to choose cities. More time would certainly be warranted in Rome and Venice unless you have been before. The more detail and feedback you provide, the better informed advice others can give.

OK, trying again here....

You have a week before the day you have to board the ship: does that mean 7 nights or 8 nights on the ground in Italy? And do those nights include your 2 nights in Rome and 1 night in Venice?

If so, keep in mind that your first night (Rome) is on arrival day. Without any idea what time your flight arrives, you might have little time for sightseeing, and what little time you will have may be a jet-lagged fog. So, what you realistically have is just one full day in Rome. You'll only have a partial day in Venice if only planning for 1 night, as you'd be coming from somewhere else.

If you have 7 nights to work with, you'd have 4 left. If 8, you'd have 5 left. Have you already been to Rome, thus why you're giving it so little time? Have your traveling companions been there? Same for Venice?

I'll agree that if you want to spend the least amount of time on trains as possible, choose cities. They are the most likely to be serviced by 'fast' trains. I'll also agree that Florence has more culture than you can shake a stick at, if that's important (I haven't been to Bologna yet). Food? You can pretty much find good food in any city.

Since Bologna is the only city I have not previously traveled to, I think that 2 nights will be a must. We have all been to Rome, Venice and Florence twice before so we will only be checking out places we have not seen before. My last trip in 2018 included 3 nights in Florence and included a cooking class and much free time to walk and explore. We also spent 3 nights in Venice where we had a local guide spend a day showing us parts of Venice previously not seen. My son and wife spent much time in Rome on their first visit so again, I'm interested in taking them to Tivoli Gardens which they have not seen. We always seem to want to pack so much into a short space of time, which is unreasonable. I appreciate all the comments and suggestions and will consider all when finally putting together our itinerary. Thanks, again!

Kathy, I agree with you about less time on trains so that is why in further researching travel times, I am looking at the larger cities with the most train travel schedules.

Why not go straight to Bologna after landing in Rome? Use Bologna as a base and day trips to Ravenna, Ferrara, Parma, or Modena,...etc.