I'm staying in Cinque Terra before heading to Florence for a few days during my trip in Italy (April 18-May 1). Are there any cities in between worth checking out for an afternoon? I was thinking about either Pisa or Lucca.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Of the two, I would go with Lucca. Walk up on the wall around the town for a quick view.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Lucca is about 2 hrs by train, one way, from Vernazza (you didn't say where in the CT you're staying). Adding for getting to stations, waiting for trains, etc, the total travel time is 5 hrs plus if you did just Lucca as a round trip from the CT. The station to station train time from Lucca to Pisa is about 30 minutes, add for time as above.The one way station to station time from Pisa to Vernazza is a little less than 2 hours.For train schedules go here http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en
Posted by
OP
Grand Rapids
2 posts
We're staying in Monterosso and then on to Florence. I was planning to stop in Pisa (to the famous tower), but after reading reviews, I'm thinking maybe not. Is the tower really worth it? Or, would Lucca be a better stop?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Lynn: Re the question in your last post (immediately above this), here's a link to a recent extensive discussion of Pisa and the fact that there's a lot more to it than just the Leaning Tower http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/27380/pisa-isnt-she-more-than-just-a-pretty-leaning-tower.htmlIMO (but some disagreed, see the link), it's a worthwhile stop, for the reasons I gave in my posts at the link provided.