Tuscany or Cinque Terre

Kate, I don't know as the recent quakes are a reason to avoid Perugia as the areas most affected were off the tourist track. A very recent similar question

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/italy-trip-in-may-june-wise-in-light-of-the-earthquakes

Hello Kathy. When the 1st quake occurred I did not think of changing plans but now I view that area as unpredictable. Thank you for your suggestions; a co worker also loves that area so I will check it out.

Kathy. Part of my reply to you, about another area of Italy, makes no sense, so I think I got your reply mixed up with another from a different travel site. I am referring to the Lake Como area that someone else suggested. Sorry.

Kate, I edited my first reply as the suggestion I made (Varenna/Lake Como) wasn't for Tuscany, as you desired. Oops! It's still a possibility, though, if you could do your Tuscan daytripping from Florence: great hub for that.

The Cinque Terra villages are small, certainly, but they've also become seriously overrun in recent years, and I don't know as I'd spend 5 nights there unless wanting to do some hiking. It's also not really a great transport hub depending on where you want to go.

Kathy: Thanks for the clarification. You are suggesting Lake Como?

We spent the month of September in Italy with 3 nights in both Vernazza and Varenna. A car is not necessary in either area and would be quite an inconvenience. I think that was the adequate amount of time for each but if I had to extend a stay in one or the other it would be the Lake Como area. About 10 years ago we rented the upstairs of a farm house north of Perugia and it was wonderful but a car is necessary.

Siena is a great town for lodging , sights and hub. U can take local bus from Siena to great tuscan villages like Montepulciano, pienza and San Gimi.gnano.
And more. Have fun.

I loved the Cinque Terre and with a couple of ferry rides could easily stay there 4-5 nights. I just returned from 3 nights in Manarola, ferries were not in service due to rough seas but our 3 nights went by quick and had the ferries been running I would have had no problem finding enough to do for a couple of more days, especially if the ferry to Portofino for a day trip was running.
That said to view it as a transportation hub is a terrible idea. It is out of the way and not meant for that at all.
Lake Como would be equally bad for that and of the 2 areas, definitely found Cinque Terre more beautiful and enjoyed it more but am more of a sea than lake person.

If you want a hub for seeing other places choose a town in Tuscany most definitely. Florence works best but Siena as mentioned above is really nice and a good option. Lucca could work for that as well.

This is 5 nights/4 days between Rome and Florence, correct? I would find 5 nights too long a stay in Cinque Terre, but you could do something like 3 nights CT and two nights in Lucca, which is right on the way to Florence.

Great suggestion, Lola.

Thanks to all for your ideas. I am now between CT and Lake Como, tending more toward Lake Como because it has both the Lake and the Alps for scenery. Northern Italy seems different than the other areas I will be visiting so this would give me a more varied picture of the country. I think that there are ferries connecting the towns on the lake, so perhaps a car would not be necessary. Does anyone have experience with this?

No, you will not need a car. There is train service to Varenna, and ferries around the lake from there and other villages. This site should be helpful (note that 2017 schedules are not up yet):

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp

There is also bus service, which can be handy at times because lake boats tend to be rather s-l-o-w.

you can also look at Umbria and stopping in Orvieto which is on the train line from Rome to Florence

With 5-days to spend in/around the Tuscany area, there's a myriad of places you can visit.

Cinque Terre if you've not visited should be high on your list, you'll be arriving before the crush of crowds; 2-nights stay should be sufficient to enjoy. Doesn't really matter which town you choose to stay in, you'll be hopping back-n-forth between the towns anyways. Just be prepared to lug your luggage up a few stairs, stairways are narrow and steep.

Lucca is very pleasant and many multi-time visitors to that region of Tuscany enjoy Lucca over Florence, if only to avoid the crush of worldwide humanity that descends there. Historically, Lucca has enjoyed better food and weather over Florence, due to more agriculture and the heat/humidity isn't as oppressive. You can stay in Lucca, and visit Florence one day, Pisa on another. On the coast, is charming Forte de Marmi, think of it as the Italian Santa Barbara, it's where many Northern Italians go to vacation. On Wednesday morning is a market where many big fashion brands sell-off their overages and out-of-season inventory of goods. My g/f went nuts, and I was more surprised how much she saved. All three are train accessible.

Siena is a strong recommendation, as its also more central to many of the charming hill towns Tuscany is known for.

Thanks to all who responded. We will go to Varenna on Lake Como rather than Umbria. We will fly into Rome, then to Florence and Venice. Take the long train from Venice to Varenna and then the trip to fly out of Milan will be short.

Kate, one note about Varenna?
It has a train station but no ticket agent or ticket machine (odd, I know). There's a travel agency close to the station where you can purchase tickets for your train to Milan or if you want to take a day trip (Bergamo is nice!). I believe they're closed on Sundays.

http://www.tivanotours.com/en/index.php

They're also supposed to sell them at a tabacchi (tobacco shop) in town. As with any ticket for a regional train (what you'll most likely be taking from Varenna), don't forget to validate your ticket before boarding.

Pitty you are not going to Umbria. Specially that you are going in April. It is one of my favorite regions in Italy and at this time the earthquake will most probably be old memory. Moreover, should it be the case, authorities would not let you go, so you can change your travel plans at that time. If you are going to Florence, it is sad that you do not explore Tuscany.
If going to the lake region I would opt for lake Orta. Have a good trip