Sienna or the Cinque Terre?

Delve into the travel details first--it's a lot of time on a train to get to CT, but you would have three full days so it may be worth it. Someone who is not an avid hiker might get bored, but there are day trips you can do. April would be a fine time but check accommodations soon.
If it rains, it will be a bit of a bust and Siena would be a safer bet.

Both destinations are going to be jam packed with tourists. If you are a hiker, however, you could hike in the morning before the crowds hit the CT in force. Or you could choose a destination that is not on everyone’s must see list. Mid April will be very crowded as it will be right after Easter and lots and lots of people have Spring break, and then there is the 25th of April which is a major holiday.

The CT is pretty far away and not the best month. Are you open to hiring a car? Hertz in Orvieto to Florence; maybe the Val d'Orcia or Chianti.

Having visited Cinque Terre several times - June, July and September - I would encourage a visit there in April. It will be less crowded and easily navigable. Train service between the towns starts sometime in April. The weather will be cooler - perhaps the 60’s. Sienna is charming.

I have only been to the CT in the month of March (twice) and the trains between towns were fully operational. It was also very crowded the last time and that was about 10 years ago.

Could you share the rest of your itinerary?
Don’t want to make suggestions of places you may already be visiting!

I will be in Rome, Orvieto, blank, Florence, Perugia and back to Rome. I will not have a vehicle and will be travelling by train.

Gosh- I don’t know. Not a fan of CT and the time it takes to get there, plus weather dependent. Are you a hiker?
4 nights seems like too long there to me.

Does Bologna interest you? It does have fantastic food, a lot of easy day trips. Parma, Modena, Verona, Padova, Ferrara, Ravenna. Ravenna is worth an overnight.
It’s another city though- but what is nice about Bologna is the porticoes. If it is rainy, you never get wet. Easy train trip.
We were in Tuscany/Liguria late April last year and did have some rainy days.

Siena is lovely but similar to Florence in some ways. Have you been to Siena? Would you daytrip there while in Florence?
Would you be planning any day trips from Siena?

Lucca is an option- day trip to CT from there, maybe a safer bet in case of rain.

You might also consider Venice.

What are your interests?

Lisa,

Four nights will provide about three days of sightseeing in whichever area you choose. I suppose which place to choose will depend on what you're interested in seeing in each place. You might find it helpful to have a look at the RS Italy guidebook to see what attractions in each area would interest you the most. Both have some interesting sights and both offer interesting day trip possibilities. The C.T. provides five towns to explore (as well as nearby towns), and of course the hiking.

Travel time by train from Orvieto will be about 5-6 hours to the C.T. and 2-3 to Siena. Both have a few train changes.

I haven't been in Italy since the pandemic, but I'm not sure it will be overly crowded in April.

Good luck with your choice!

I love Siena and CT but they offer opposing experiences. Siena's medieval charm is very attractive, lots of sights in town and the evening is magical. CT is very slow paced, no sights just coast and hiking the trails. Since you are already seeing Orvieto and Florence how about considering Bologna. It is 30 minute train ride from Florence. Rick does not cover it at all, but it is quite the food hub and vibrant college town from what i have researched. We are headed there ourselves in May for the first time.