staying 3 months in Cinque Terre

We don't plan on staying in any other country other then Italy, so we are good. Thanks for the info though.

To answer your question try
http://www.nerinarooms.it/ It's located in Vernazza, directly on the harbor - reasonably priced and a super location.

Ciao, Greg

Thank you for the link. I will be sure to check it out.

Hi Ryan,, I am confused,, you say you want short term lodging,, but actually are staying 3 months?( which is not a short visit to me)

I bet January is pretty slow in CT,, If I was you I would contact a few rental apartments and see if they could give you a monthly rate,, instead of the ones they likely have listed on their websites( and are likely more then you want to pay for a longer stay!)

Lucky you getting such a nice long visit. Will you plan some daytrips?

Yes, we plan on doing day trips, as well as weekend trips to other countries. CT will be our home base. We thought about staying in Rome, but having the beaches will give our son something to do when we are not out sightseeing.

Somehow I doubt if beaches or day trips will be terribly important to a one year old. Of if anything will be remembered.

Ummm... How do you think children learn and grow?

First child, no doubt. A one year old will remember none of this. This is not to say don't go. Go and enjoy every minute.It is to say- mind your manners. Remember, you are the one seeking advise. You may not like all of it, but it comes as a packaged gift.

Ryan,, you do realize that the beaches will chilly Jan thru March?
Sure,, not Edmonton cold,, but not swimming and sand castles much either..

I am curious as to what time of year you and your wife visited the CT previously? Generally CT and January don't go hand-in-hand. Nor does the CT strike me as the most central location for day-tripping.

That said, if that's where you want to base yourselves, please do! You know your tastes and interests better than the rest of us. The advice to find an apartment to rent for 3 months and negotiate a monthly rate is good, especially since it will be the off-season. Try venere.com or vrbo.com. Craigslist can be a good place to find apartments, but I think you will have trouble narrowing it down to the CT.

3 months anywhere in Italy is a dream come true. Have a fantastic time.

There should be plenty of apartments available at very reasonable rates in January, unless things are so closed up that even the owners are out of town. I would definitely haggle and not accept a "rack rate" for that time of year and for that long of stay. Do keep in mind, as others have mentioned, that this will be well off season. Many of the restaurants and shops will be closed, though a small selection in each town will likely be open. It will definitely not be beach weather. I do have to agree that it is not the ideal base for day trips, it always seems that it takes so long to get someplace to get a fast connection to another place. That said, the airport in Pisa does offer some budget flights, and La Spezia and Pisa are on major rail routes.

I hate to argue on a message board and get off topic. But to clarify, I was referring to the developmental stages and not just the memory. Sure, he won't remember the cobble stones and castles. But everything he sees, touches, tastes and hears will remain with him and will help him grow and learn. He already understands and speaks 3 languages, why not introduce him to another language ;)

Again, sorry for getting off topic. I appreciate everyone's opinion. Happy travels.

He's a very fortunate child to have parents who feel that it's important to expose him to different cultures and experiences. Enjoy your travels!

Monterosso has a small children's play area in the old town near Bar Centrale and in a piazza. There may be apartments in Monterosso near there and the parents could take their child to the playground every day. The playground is fenced in and I always saw lots of adults supervising the children. It looked very safe and maybe a place for the children to interact with each other. It would probably be a good place for visiting parents to meet other parents. There's nothing like having a puppy or baby if you want to meet people.

" He already understands and speaks 3 languages "

That is quite a remarkable ONE YEAR OLD you have there.

His grandfather (my dad) speaks nothing but Dene (north american native language) to him. My wife's mother speaks french. They are like sponges at this age.

He speaks,, at one,, all of my kids had a vocab of maybe 20 words,, your son is obviously very advanced.. genius really.

pat: he is quite advanced with his words. He is 20 months, just to be specific. My wife and I both work at home, and he spends alot of time with my mother and father. My mom has a background in early childhood development. So his development is always being nurtured. We also enjoy traveling alot, which allows us to constantly communicate with him.

Children are amazing. Their ability to learn is endless. When they become teenagers, their ability to resent and blame you is endless. You should take your son on this trip to Italy and enjoy yourselves. You should also be prepared in 12 years for a sullen kid who is mad that you took him to Italy when he was too young to remember it.

Karen: Let's hope this isn't our last trip to Europe! But as history shows, the older they get, the smaller our bank accounts will be.

Oh,, sorry ,, thought he was younger,, yes,, two years olds can talk up a storm. How nice,, he can now say "no no" in three langauges...LOL,

Go, have fun,, your're young and energetic,,and so likely is he,, I forget what that was like sometimes.. LOL

Ryan, I believe that Vernazza has a little children's play area at the top of town as well, but...I would personally suggest staying in Monterosso given the time of year that you will be there. Since many places might be closed, I would stay in Monterosso since it is the largest of the 5 towns, it is flatter than the other towns & there will likely be more establishments open. It also has a real beach so that your son could play in the sand. I can recommend a great hotel in Monterosso but it sounds like you need an apartment as opposed to a hotel. Have a great trip.

If you goal is to give your child exposure to another language plus the tactile experience of playing on the beach, why not stay in a larger town on the coast that doesn't "shut down" during the winter. That way your son could interact with Italian children at the playground, go on stroller walks around town, and hear people speak in the stores and markets. He won't gain much exposure to Italian if he only hears you and your wife all day. (I speak from experience, my children 6 and 3 are bilingual in English and Italian.) Also a larger town could be better for you and your wife to have more contact with locals, with more shops and cafes open, and the chance to take the daily passeggiata, and maybe you would have more options of things to do on the days when going to the beach isn't a possibility.

Check out Casa Lorenza in Riomaggiore. Small, modern, clean, private house at the top of the town. We stayed in the downstairs apartment and there is a smaller apartment or room upstairs as well. There is a patio, private yard with playground-type structures for children. It is up many stairs, but the view is spectacular and how many times per day would you be coming and going anyway? Lorenza, the owner, meets you in the town and takes you to the house. She speaks some English, enough to understand each other. Very nice and accomodating. It is fully furnished and you will want for nothing. The website is casalorenza.it. We were there in March and had a wonderful time. The walk down to Riomaggiore takes you through backyards, complete with roosters, steps to other homes, etc. We would bring groceries home from town and have breakfast or lunch in the house and out on the patio. The rate is reasonable and you may be able to negotiate a better price at that time if you are staying longer.

I am sorry, is this a travel board or a "I am an angry internet user telling your how to raise your child because I am so much smarter than you" board?

Anyway, most people realize Ryan that a child's ability to learn and use language is far beyond any adults. I think it is awesome that you are raising a multilingual traveler!

Have you considered staying in Levanto? It is 1 town north of the Cinque Terre...that is where I stayed during my CT stint and I actually ended up enjoying it more than the CT towns. There is a beautiful square/park with playground and grass etc. that was always packed with families. Also, there is a sandy beach with boardwalk and many choices for restaurants and shops. You can rent a 1 bedroom apt within 15 minutes of the square for about 800-1100 euros a month, which would obviously be negotiable during the off season. The receptionist at Ospitalia del Mare hostel has good contacts for apt renting, you should email her from the website...