Trip to Italy in October - Nothing Scheduled Yet - Need Help!

Don't waste time here--go straight to Booking.com (or whatever accommodation site you like) and start searching with your own parameters. That way, you will know what has availability immediately. Accommodation often influences where I choose to stay (such as your in Florence or not conundrum), so I heartily suggest you dive right in. October is not low season.

1. See the official park website for trail info. http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php

Where do you fly out of? Do you have anything other than your tours already booked?

You have lots of questions. Staying in one location in Tuscany is a good idea. I suggest you return the car, stay in Florence, then take the train to Venice.

There are plenty of places you can stay that will let you enjoy wine and also take cooking classes. For an agriturismo, you could stay at Castillo di Verrazzano. For cooking, there's plenty of choices nearby in Greve, including La Cantina.

You don't have much time. Finding accommodations might be a challenge. Finally, do research on CT. It's not the charming little place as pictured in the RS videos. Now that cruise ships dump 100,000 plus tourists there every month, there's an entirely different atmosphere.

Wow, this is so late in planning that any great recommendations would be long gone. For Cinque Terre, it looks like there is one left in Corniglia; otherwise, mostly just in Levanto.

For your car rental, are you aware of ZTL restrictions in cities? Google it or search on this site, so you don’t incur expensive fines.

If you have tours from Florence, I would stay in Florence those two nights. Maximize your time sightseeing vs. traveling back & forth in the car. In fact, I would shift your itinerary to go to Cinque Terre after Tuscany and get rid of your car before entering Florence. Then take the fast train to Venice.

For your Tuscany location, at this late date I would book anything near Siena and explore from there.

Hi Susan -
SO many of your questions can be answered with a forum search for, say, Florence hotels, Venice restaurants, etc. See the search box at the top of the page? Start there; you can narrow result down to relevant threads in the last 6 months, 1 year, two years, etc.

Booking.com is also a great resource for locating hotels as you can search by criteria: how many people; per night $ range, desired amenities, etc.

I absolutely would stay in Florence versus drive there for tours. You also do not want to drive IN Florence for all sorts of reasons. Use the car only to explore rural Tuscany/small towns in the region. Do be aware that you can't just drive into/around many of those just willynilly either due to restricted zoning (ZTLs).

IMHO, Florence makes a great base for daytrips to Lucca, Fiesole, Siena and some other locations via public transit.

Cinque Terre: book in any of the 5 villages, wherever you find an accommodation that suits your needs. Be cautious to read the details as many can involve a climb up a steep hill or lots of steps. My personal fave in Monterosso is La Spiaggia but I'm pretty sure it'll already be booked up for your dates. Still, you could look...

https://la-spiaggia-it.book.direct/en-us

Links to the Parco Cinque Terre website for trail and other info is below As trails can close suddenly to damage or bad weather, what shows as open today may not be by Oct (or occasionally the other way around). Lines on the map in BLACK are closed trails, and "Blue Trail" route between Corniglia>Manarola> Riomaggiore will remain closed for the season.

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Eindex.php
http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php

Hi Susan,

I have been travelling to Italy since 2009, usually multiple times per year and can hopefully help you out with your Tuscany leg of the trip. Early to mid-October is such a wonderful time to visit and we are sure your family will have a wonderful time.
My suggestion for Tuscany is probably my favorite town – Montepulciano. Rick Steves says that it is his favorite place to use as a base to explore the wine region of Tuscany. Montepulciano is full of amazing shopping, art galleries, and restaurants that will knock your socks off! Montepulciano is also a great place to explore parts of Tuscany and Umbria. Florence is 1.5 hours away, Siena is about 45 minutes, Cortona is 35 minutes, Assisi is about 1 hour, not to mention the many other hilltop towns just minutes away.

For a great place to stay, check out Fonte Martino B&B (www.fontemartino.com). I came across this place by accident and the stay was amazing. I am already planning a return visit this December for the Christmas market in Montepulciano. The hosts are two guys from the US who followed their dream and renovated an old estate. We found out during our stay that they were on House Hunters International and we finally were able to see their episode a few weeks ago!
For restaurants, there just are too many! We have been going to Montepulciano for a few years now and have our favorites. Check out La Grotta, L’Alrto Cantuccio, Caffe Poliziano, Pulcinos, Osteria Porta di Bacco, Ai Quatro Venti, La Pentolaccia, Le Logge del Vignola – like I said, endless list!

Ok – for your questions:

1) If you are comfortable driving in Italy, I would say get the car at the airport and be done with it. We have used Hertz and Avis and have always had a great experience. If you are starting out in Rome for the first 3 nights, then it might make sense to take the train. If you decide Montepulciano a destination for you, then you can take the train from Rome to Chiusi. Just outside the train station is a Hertz that we have used a few times. The guy who works there is so nice and speaks English. Just remember, they close at noon on Saturday and are not open at all on Sunday.
2) We are not a fan of constantly moving to different B&Bs/Hotels/etc. We prefer to unpack as few times as possible, but it all depends on what you like.
3) For Florence, same as above. It is a beautiful city, but there are so many tourists that for us, it becomes overwhelming. We like day trips, but it depends on where you are staying and how much you like to drive.

I am afraid I will not be much help for your question 4 and 5. Although we have been to both, it has been a few years.

One last word of advice – the other response said to use Booking.com. We have found that Booking, Expedia, Travelocity, etc… sometimes have higher prices for rooms. We may occasionally look at those sites to see places available, but ALWAYS book direct. We have found we generally get better prices booking directly with the B&B/Hotel/etc. Also, for some of the smaller B&Bs or agriturismos, Booking/Expedia/etc. takes a huge commission from them and quite honestly, I would rather my money go directly to the owner.

Have a wonderful time in Italy!

Thank you all. I know this will be a challenge to get it all arranged on such short notice but I am going for it. We may not get to stay in our first choices/recommendations but we are go with the flow people and I trust it will all work out. You are all the BEST!!!! Many, many thanks!!!

As noted, driving and parking in Florence is a hassle. Can you rent your car for driving around the rest of Tuscany, then turn it in and be in Florence/Cinque Terra/Venice without the car? We’ve stayed each time in Florence in the Oltrarno neighborhood, on the west side of the Arno river, and walked across a bridge to get to the parts of Florence on the eastern side.

Certainly check out your AirBnB options as it might give you more space for your buck.
I have some concerns about Venice. Are you departing from there or are you returning to Rome? If have to return to Rome, I would just forget Venice and add the extra 2 days to Rome at the end. Or perhaps Naples. Otherwise 2 nights in Venice is pretty limited to take advantage of what is off St. Mark's square.
Thankfully, cars rented in Italy don't have to be returned to the same place as picked up. You can drop it off in Florence after Tuscany and revert back to train travel.

We are flying to Rome from Los Angeles then flying home from Milan. We were planning to ditch the car either before heading to the Cinque Terra or Florence. We wanted the car for Tuscany only. Thinking of taking the train to Orvieto and renting the car there based on some other Italy threads I have read. This is going to be a tough trip planned in time I have left. Lots of researching to do!!!

We just returned from spending two weeks in Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice) traveling with our two teenage granddaughters. In each of these cities we were able to find very nice apartments that had at least two bedrooms and two bathrooms, for prices that we thought were reasonable. I just checked Florence on HomeAway for your timeframe and there are several places in the central area that are available.
Our granddaughters took cooking classes in Florence and Rome. We recommend MaMa Florence (in Florence) and Chef in a Day or Cook with Us in Rome. All of these did a good job teaching their trade and they kept the participants interested.

Well, at least Milan is closer to Venice :-)
Focus on the accommodations, then the car, then any train tickets that benefit from pre-purchasing and then whatever tickets need purchasing beforehand.
Personally, I'd also be roping in some or all of the other participants to do some planning of 'what to do'. Or let the primary driver review the 'driving in Italy' requirements - international driver's license, car size to fit luggage, automatic vs standard, toll areas and the ZTLs. Oh, and all relevant insurances.
Remember, you are not perfect and despite your efforts, things are not going to be perfect. Also remember there is a whole side of society that don't plan much of anything. Americans are notorious for planning every minute of a day and it really isn't required. So do the key logistics and add into it as you can. Some of the best trips are those less planned.

We did a spontaneous trip to Italy a few years ago. We ended up just going to Vernazza Cinque Terre and finding a fine room by talking to the locals. It is more stressful to arrive without reservations, but there are always rooms to be found, especially in the non high season.

then flying home from Milan

Your original post didn't mention Milan. You need to plan time to get there. What time is your flight out? Remember, especially with a party of 4 you need to be there 3 hours early.

You've got some serious homework to do. The devil is in the details. I suggest you make out a detailed day by itinerary. Remember you have to plan in time to get from one place to another. That can eat up at least 1/2 day easy.

Have you been to Europe before? Have you planned a trip like this before?

Just a to address some key logistics.....

While flexibility is a wonderful thing, there are attractions in both Rome and Florence that are going to require advance reservations/tickets or tours. You don't mention your interests beyond wine/vineyard and a cooking class so I'm unsure what is on your list for these two cities so I don't want to go into detail at this point but, well, it's something you're going to want to nail down sooner rather than later. ???

You did mention a couple of tours you have lined up for Florence so maybe those do cover a couple of most-visited attractions?

After our one visit to the Cinque Terra, a long time ago, before the National Park was established, we took the train next to Venice, but we had to change trains in Milan. It was July, and the Milan train station seemed to be the hottest place on the planet that day. Things, including train connections, may be very different now. You could almost use a round trip train ticket for Milan to Venice and back!

Check out Hotel Casci in Florence. I checked October 21 for two nights and there are still two rooms available. This is a family run hotel, not fancy but in a great location. As you plan to be in Florence for only two nights, I think this would be a great choice. They provide breakfast too.

For Tuscany, try here: http://www.panzanello.it

If you prefer your own place in Tuscany, I can recommend this place: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2278199?s=67&shared_item_type=1&virality_entry_point=1&sharer_id=28940826

Good luck!

DD

People keep referring to “Florence” and “Tuscany” as two separate places... i thought Florence was in Tuscany?

Regarding using a booking site (like booking.com) or contacting the hotel directly -- I use booking.com to lock in an adequate accomodation (not necessarily excellent, but at least better than settling for a park bench) with REFUNDABLE reservation, then explore better options. Have in the past booked all hotels for a month-long trip in one marathon session, then tweaked the plans as needed.

People keep referring to “Florence” and “Tuscany” as two separate
places... i thought Florence was in Tuscany?

Correct, Susan. Florence /Firenze is the capital of the Tuscany/Toscana region. It seems that when many posters say they want to "go to Tuscany" they usually mean anything BUT Florence: Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Siena, Cortona, Lucca, Pisa, etc.

For all the complaints about the crowds in Florence, it's a must-do for art and architecture geeks like me, not that I'd choose to do it during the summer months. Can't wait to go back.

We stayed in Vernazza last year and discovered Monterosso the day before we left. We were not thrilled with Vernazza, but loved Monterosso! Great beach to swim, nice old town and new town, many great places to eat, etc..

Check out the Agritorisimo Marciano outside of Siena...wonderful place to stay and good for the northern travel days.
Pienza area is a good place to stay for the southern travel days.

Have you considered staying in Florence rather than doing day trips-time savings?

Can go to Pienza area, Siena area, to Cinque Terre, to Florence, and then to Venice.

Have fun!

hey hey susan
life throws us lemons and now you make lemonicello. don't stress, it will all work out. look at whats available even if not in places you want to be in or length of time. your arrival time is not the greatest, so i would look for a hotel in rome with front desk 24/7. you may not arrive to hotel till midnight after getting off plane, customs/passport and i would take taxi to town. check out markets at termini station and testaccio, eatingeurope.com for a food tour. i picked budget places, you may have jet lag so i would just walk around, nothing planned, we walk near pantheon and a wine shop let us taste, i loved the lemoncello, campo de fiori a piazza with anything and everything to sell, roam thru the salami shops, bakeries, bring a goody home for a snack or breakfast, "free" entertainment, bring coins, carry small bills in euros, have lunch or dinner down an alley not at touristy area,
booking.com hotel filippo, little queen navona, inn rome rooms&suites, affreschi su roma luxury B&B (has breakfast) look at them call or email if you can get more of a discount. love this area to stay, walk to a lot of places, piazza navona, pantheon, campo de fiori, trestavere. don't know if too late to reserve attractions, you can check out mybesttour.com (golf cart tours of different places to see)
you can check airbnb.com for tuscany and apartments or houses with rooms.
also booking.com if you know what place you want to stay. another place is lucca. look for parking (fee or free), be careful driving because of ZTL's DO NOT enter city centers, get an IDP from AAA, $20 and 2 passport photos for every driver, coincides with your drivers license.
apartmentslucca.com it's a walled city, stay within walls, bikes to ride, luccatours.com for intro to city, take the train to pisa (if you plan to climb to top make reservations opapisa.it. walk the piazza, enjoy the evenings, sit have lunch or dinner, glass of vino, people watch. take the train to viareggio, walk the boardwalk of the beach. come&seeitaly.com has some tours to different areas, barga and gargafana, pinocchio's hometown is collodi not too far away. has a park, garzoni gardens and the butterfly house, wine tasting at fattoriaaldotto.it
cucina-italiana.com with chef paolo monti. he has half day cooking classes, also has accomodations, don't know if you have to take a class to stay
extravirginlucca.com is a cooking school in lucca
in panzano in chianti stop by the famous butcher, dario cecchini, a showman with his artsy style of cutting meat, likes rock and roll music, has a restaurant for lunch.
incinqueterre.com has places to stay and things to do, maybe take a class how to make pesto. it will be crowded, ride trains early morning or late afternoon. enjoy and smile with just being there.
venice: you can check albergo marin over grand canal bridge, rent 2 double rooms. and down alley way. away from crowds and noise but close to boats, walking around. we stayed at hotel near and loved area, just get lost to zig and zag through alley ways, maybe do a cichetti tour (bar crawl and appetizers) schezzini.it or streaty.com for a food tour, a gondola ride
you'll have a fabulous time, i know you can do it. have fun. hope this helps you get started, let us know how you did
aloha

1. Either rent the car at the airport or in the city. We picked up our car in Rome and drove north to Tuscany on our first trip to Italy. We have also picked up cars at FCO and driven north.
2. Staying in one location is a good idea. Tuscany is large and you won't see it all this time. We love the Chianti region. 3.Stay in Florence a few days. 4.Cinque Terre- We stayed in Monterosso at Hotel Porto Roca up on a bluff above the beach, stunning views of the sea and coast. Great restaurant too. They had a private section of the beach when we were there. 5.It doesn't matter where you stay in Venice as it is a small area. Walkable. We like being away from San Marco and the tourist crowds.