Sorting out details of Monterosso trip

Adrienne,

I'd suggest keeping your booking at La Spiaggia as it's not worth the effort to change for one event. It's not a long or difficult walk from your hotel to the "old town". La Spiaggia is in a great location and if you've got an ocean front room, don't give that up!

" so we wouldn't have to worry about making our way through crowds?"

I've experienced events of that type in Monterosso, and it won't matter where you're staying. The crowds can be so thick that you won't be able to move very far anyway. On the last occasion I watched one of those events, it would have been difficult for me to get to my hotel even though I was staying in the old town. Be sure to get there early so you can get a good vantage point.

Regarding the train to Rome, I would recommend taking one of the fast direct (no changes) trains as the trip from La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini will only be about 3H:00M to 4H:30M. You'll need to take the Regionale train from Monterosso to La Spezia. The express trains will require compulsory seat reservations and you can either buy tickets on the day of travel or purchase in advance if you want to get cheaper rates. In any case, you will have to commit to a specific train when you buy tickets as whether you're using a direct train or a route with changes, some segments will undoubtedly be using fast trains. You must have reservations specific to the train you're riding on, or you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

Using an arbitrary date in May, it appears there are direct departures at 08:16 & 10:06. I realize you're travelling in June, but a schedule change will be happening at about that time, and they only appear to have some of the schedules for June loaded at the moment. In any case, it won't be difficult to get to Rome.

It is a very short walk between old town and new town. Spiaggia is right on the boardwalk so very easy.

Keep your reservations. Monterosso is not large at all so you won't be a long walk from where the festivities are taking place. La Spiaggia is also in a prime position for sort of sea views people go to the CT for, is very convenient to the train station, and has an elevator!!!!

We stayed there a couple of years ago and loved it.

Thank you, everyone for your advice. We'll keep our reservations at La Spiaggia and take an early stroll through the tunnel to the old town for the Corpus Domini festivities. I appreciate the specifics of train travel to Rome and will go ahead and make a reservation as soon as the dates become available. Never been in an elevator in Italy before so that will be a treat! Grazie mille a tutti.

Adrienne,

Good plan! The walk from the new town to the old town is mostly level, so not difficult at all. Not all elevators in Italy (or elsewhere in Europe) will be of the type you're probably used to. Some are large and modern while others are very small with room for only one or two people.

The train reservations might be available now. What time and date will you be travelling to Rome?

Thanks, Ken. From the looks of the exterior of La Spiaggia, I imagine a cool vintage elevator just like in the old time movies with the black accordion gates.

We leave for Rome on Monday, June 19th, hopefully with enough time to eat breakfast at La Spiaggia first before taking the local train to La Spezia.

I imagine a cool vintage elevator just like in the old time movies
with the black accordion gates.

LOL! We've experienced one VERY tiny, very vintage elevator in Italy and it was, er, interesting. Sorry to disappoint but while La Spiaggia's is small, it's of a more modern variety. There's a snap of it here:

https://www.oyster.com/cinque-terre/hotels/hotel-la-spiaggia/photos/elevators--v2998778/

Thanks for the elevator photo, Kathy! I love it. Very sleek, very Italian. I still remember dragging our hand-carry suitcases up and then down three very narrow flights of stairs at Dei Mori B&B in Florence some years back. It was in a centuries old building which had a lot of old world charm but as I get older, modern is becoming more and more appealing.

We stayed at one of those seaview rooms at La Spiaggia in Oct 2013 and it was wonderful! La Spiaggia's location can't be beat. It's a short walk from the train station and about a 10-15 minute stroll to the old town center. Try to have a meal at Cantina di Miky next door and try Farinata which is fried bread made from chickpea flour that they serve with different dips, so yummy!

I agree, Claudette; La Spiaggia's location can't be beat, and Cantina di Miky is great. If you're a beer drinker, they have a nice selection of regional craft varieties!

Adrienne, that vintage elevator I'd mentioned was in Florence, and it looked like this:

https://www.oyster.co.uk/florence/hotels/hotel-giglio/photos/elevators--v3405478/

https://www.oyster.co.uk/florence/hotels/hotel-giglio/photos/entrance--v3405499/

The hotel was on the 2nd floor so you either took this antique or used the stairs...which were faster! :O)
We enjoyed our stay there, though.

Thanks, Claudette. We're feeling like we really made the right choice to stay at La Spiaggia rather than the smaller bed and breakfast places in town. Cantina di Miky is defintely on our list as well as the scrumptious appetizer you describe. Since we'll be there the weekend of Corpus Domini, I'm thinking that I should probably try to contact Miky about reservations so we don't miss out on a fabulous meal. Kathy, yes we are beer drinkers so thanks for the tip. We would have stuck to wine otherwise. And that Florentine elevator is a tiny hoot!