Vernazza to Florence

That's similar to what we are doing next spring. We are leaving Florence about 1 or 2 PM and it's about a 2 hour train trip to Lucca, were actually staying in Lucca two nights. Then it's on to Cinque Terre for us.

Not that you'll know for sure til after your trip, but you've read that Lucca is worth an overnight or two? What if the options are 1 night Lucca/3 nights Florence OR a few hours in Lucca/4 nights in Florence. Actually there probably ian't a BAD choice....We're in Italia!!

Since we are spending a good part of the day in Florence before we leave we really will only have one full day in Lucca and leave mid morning the following day. It's much cheaper to stay in Lucca about 100E vs. 225E where we are staying in Florence. I have thought of 4 nights Florence but so far this looks good.

Personally, I'd choose Florence - or another town. The best thing about Lucca, compared to the hill towns in Tuscany, is it's flat. If you have limited mobility and don't want to walk up and down hills, it's the place for you. Lucca is also easier to reach than most hill towns. If you love the scenic Tuscan hill towns, Lucca isn't one of them. It has a nice wall turned park but is otherwise not special in any way. Lucca may also be less crowded than other towns because it is less appealing. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. I just don't want you to waste valuable vacation time planning for Lucca and expecting something it isn't.

Hi Shar. What are you planning to do in Lucca? We took a daytrip there from Florence and that was plenty of time. We took a tour of Puccini's house, ate lunch, walked around part of the town, and did some shopping. Extend your stay in Florence by another night - there's so much to see!

Since you already plan to stop in Pisa, trying to squeeze in Lucca that same day on your way to Florence would be too much. I love Lucca (was there yesterday to see a friend), and it's well worth a visit. You could either take the short train ride from Pisa and stay overnight or do Lucca as a day trip from Florence. It's 1 hour 20 minutes by train or Lazzi bus from Florence (avoid the slow train) and only EUR 5.20 each way, so it's easy to do as a day trip. My preference is to avoid 1 night stays, so I'd recommend doing Lucca as a day trip from Florence.

OK, that brings another question to mind. Lucca OR Pisa on our way to Florence. Is the tower in Pisa a huge deal? I read that they have a nice duomo there. We are just walker/lookers. We'll have enough museums and churches in Florence and Rome, I'm sure. Sounds like we'll extend Florence and pick one of the above for a stop on the way to Florence. Then once in Florence perhaps we'd plan a day trip out of Florence if we're feeling like travelling. It will probably be a Thursday, I think. Thanks for the input.

I'm with Brad in his opinion of Lucca - that emperor has no clothes. It's okay, but there are so many more interesting Tuscan and Umbrian towns to see, that I would choose some place else. Siena, for example.

So, Your advise about Pisa/Lucca is great. NOW, After Florence we plan on renting a car and driving around Tuscany/Umbria for 3 days/2 nights. Like Frank, we're not all that excited about 1 night stays, so where would you suggest we stay for 2 nights and 3 days of day trips in the hilltowns. Sienna, SanG. Volterra, Motalcino? Perhaps an agriturismo ? Again, just walking and gawking mostly. Anyone ever been to Cicita di Bagnoregio? (one of Rick's favorites). Thanks.
(By the way, we do have RS Italy 2011)

Since we are going from Florence to Cinque Terre, Lucca seemed like a good stop over. But if many think it's too much I can always change my plans. It doesn't make sense for us to do a day trip since we are passing through anyway but from what I read it looked nice for a bike ride and a bit of waking around but perhaps we could do all that in a one night stay. We are already day tripping to Sienna and San G from Florence. Advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Lisa, If you have the Italy 2011 book, Ricks description of San G. on page 599 is thought provoking....

We spent 2 nights in Lucca (after Florence) and loved it, precisely because there is "nothing" to see. It is a lovely town, pleasant to walk around as it is (mainly) car-free. the park on top of the walls is a great idea, and it is fun to bike the circuit, as well and walk it or run (as we did once.) It's a nice place to get the "feel" of Italy without having a lot of "must sees". If you do decide to overnight there, pick a place inside the walls.

Shar, no I don't have RS's Italy 2011. I wil get it if it comes out on the Kindle. I'll have a look next time I'm at a bookstore. <br> I came up with a plan B for my trip, right now we have 3 nights in Florence, 2 Lucca and final 3 night in Cinque Terre. I am spending 9 nights in Venice at a Photo workshop before Florence. <br> We could change to 5 nights in Florence and plan 2 day trips that week into Tuscany. Another option would be 2 nights in Siena instead of Lucca and do a daytrip to another Tuscan area on Monday. <br> Is there an easy way to get from Siena to Lucca for when we continue to C.T? Or is there a better way? I have yet to look into it. <br>
Thanks again.

Lisa, re your "Is there an easy way to get from Siena to Lucca?" Not really, although not sure what you mean by easy way. Problem is there's a bunch of hills between Siena and Lucca. You can go by bus, train, or drive. Buses and trains aren't direct, because of the hills. Driving is probably fastest, around 2 hours--but renting a car is going to be more trouble than it's worth, unless you're going to have the car anyway. Siena has kinda sparse train connections. And the bus routes to Lucca aren't direct, either.