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Posted

I should clarify my last comment. I wasn’t saying that I think Tuscany is better than Cinque Terre. I like them equally.

If you choose to go to Tuscany, I think it’s better with a car because it’s spread out. Driving there is fairly easy, and most major car rental companies will rent you a car seat. If you stay in Rome, don’t get the car until you are leaving the city, and even then, try to get it on the outskirts of the city or even take a train to Florence or Sienna and pick it up there. Driving in Rome sucks.

On the other hand, if you choose Cinque Terre, a car is pointless. You can take a train into any of the towns and you can’t drive in the towns at all. You can also take a train to nearby places like Livanto, Porto Venere, and La Spezia. And there are small hikes and beaches. So that has a lot of upside for you. Damn, I might do that now.

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Posted
42 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

I would probably do some combination of either Rome or Tuscany, followed by Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast. That gives you access to historical stuff if you want it, then beautiful scenery and chill vibes, coastal Mediterranean slow pace of travel, and great food. You could fly into Rome, spend ~3 nights and see the Colosseum, The Forum, and the Vatican. Then leave the city and relax. Tuscany is better IMO with a car, which you could easily do. Cinque Terre you arrive by train and a car is completely unnecessary.

This is the exact trip we did - doing CT and not Amalfi. Fantastic trip. Combination on historical sites, beach and hiking, used a car and train for Tuscany.  Had some busy days and some much more slow and relaxed. I highly recommend it for a first visit to Italy. 

Posted
1 hour ago, Mo Horn said:

This is the exact trip we did - doing CT and not Amalfi. Fantastic trip. Combination on historical sites, beach and hiking, used a car and train for Tuscany.  Had some busy days and some much more slow and relaxed. I highly recommend it for a first visit to Italy. 

For CT, we stayed in Porto Venere and then took a boat over to the towns. The cruise ships have made the towns crowded as anything during the day, but once they clear out (around 5-6pm, if I recall), it was much more calm. I liked Porto Venere because it was never as crowded as the 5 towns and I felt like a local after a couple of days. 

Posted
16 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

For CT, we stayed in Porto Venere and then took a boat over to the towns. The cruise ships have made the towns crowded as anything during the day, but once they clear out (around 5-6pm, if I recall), it was much more calm. I liked Porto Venere because it was never as crowded as the 5 towns and I felt like a local after a couple of days. 

Fair. During the day we were hiking the trails so didn't really care what the towns looked like during the day. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

Fair. During the day we were hiking the trails so didn't really care what the towns looked like during the day. 

Were all the trails open?  We could only hike from Monterroso to Vernazza in 2018. 

Posted
For CT, we stayed in Porto Venere and then took a boat over to the towns. The cruise ships have made the towns crowded as anything during the day, but once they clear out (around 5-6pm, if I recall), it was much more calm. I liked Porto Venere because it was never as crowded as the 5 towns and I felt like a local after a couple of days. 

Both times I’ve been, we stayed in Monterosso. First time was June 2011 and it wasn’t too crowded. I think it was still gaining popularity. Second time was July 2017 and it was fairly crowded during the day. Didn’t bother me much because I wasn’t trying to see or get to anything, unlike fighting a crowd in a big city or historical site, which drives me nuts.

The crowds significantly thin out in the evening and it’s very pleasant then. Either stay in one of the towns, or maybe Porto Venere or Levanto so you can train home later at night and enjoy the evening after the day trippers have gone.
Posted (edited)

The only one not open when we went in 2022 was the lovers lane, which is the paved flat trail. It is now open, from what I understand. We did 1 in each direction from Vernazza, which is where we stayed. Breakfast was still quiet, hit the trail before the cruise people, get back after they leave.

Edited by Mo Horn
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Posted
10 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

I would probably lean against Sicily or Sardinia because you won’t get the true Italian experience. You deserve that first unless you have some burning reason to go to Sicily.

As an Italian... he's going to get a far more Italian experience in Sicily than he will visiting an overrun city like Florence.  The Italian experience is not in the big touristy cities.  Going to an Adriatic town like Numana, Ostuni, Mattinata or Rimini is as Italian as you can get @hookem2010.  Beach clubs on the Adriatic will be quite a bit cheaper than Liguria (and certainly cheaper than Sardegna).  Also, beach clubs are designed for families and children - you'll be in good hands.  Cinque Terre or Amalfi with a toddler and a stroller? Thoughts and prayers. 

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Posted

Rome is a great city, full of history and shit to see and do at every turn.  Was just there (for the second time) this summer as part of a much larger Italy trip (Rome, Florence, Lago Maggiore, little bit of Suisse, Milan, Bologna, Modena...you get the point

Rome with a 2 and 4-year-old would SUCK FUCKING ASS.

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