quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
On Cinque Terra, agree that it’s special, and happens to be one of my favorites, with a big caveat. It has become overrun with tourists in season. The rail between the villages is typically crammed full to the brim with bodies. If hiking between villages, do not overestimate your fitness. It’s not technically difficult but longer and more vertically challenging than most on the journey expect. You’ll pass lots of folks struggling. Beware pickpockets also favor La Spezia rail station, the terminus of the line. I managed to thwart an attempt there.

If you are visiting Cinque Terra, I recommend staying the night in one of the villages, perhaps Riomaggiore. Crowds exit late afternoon and you can really enjoy the intimate quiet beauty in the evening and early morning.

Honestly, my some of my favorite spots in Italy are on the water. Not only Cinque Terra and Venice, but Lake Cuomo north of Milan, and Sorento and Capri just north of the Amalfi Coast. I enjoy the culture, the history, and the archeology, but honestly, at some point, if I see one more church…

Yup, full agreement. The waterside communities in Italy are a nice relief from the humming, hustle-bustle of the hot spots. I think a lot of it has to do with the calm that water provides and many of these places restrict vehicles so, the dine of motor vehicle noise is eliminated.

As been mentioned Cinque Terre is quite a place, much of its popularity can be attributed to Rick Steves; the locals give appreciative-grumbling to him. The area is quite popular with English-speaking tourists, you don't see very many Eastern European, East Indian or, Asian tourists there, unless they're bilingual; Italians and other European tourists instead will flock to the Italian Riviera towns of San Remo, Santa Margherita, Portofino and, Forte de Marmi. The train connecting the towns is a constant, while the multitude of trails connecting each town is endless. The easiest section is the short coastal 'Lovers Trail' connecting Riomaggiore and Manarolo; my favorite section is between Corniglia and Vernazza. You can also take a boat ride between the towns and other parts of the Riviera, which gives a nice perspective of the coast line.

Pickpockets aren't unique to Italy, any and all tourist hot spots will have these low-end, petty thieves: Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdamn, Nice, London, Athens, Bruges, etc.... I despise the money pouch or, neck pouch, I try to wear pants/shorts with 1-2 zip pockets. ExOfficio made some fantastic strech-denium travel jeans that had several hidden zip-pockets; my search for a replacement continues. I've been wearing these Otte Gear Capitol Pants my last two trips. Other brands like Eddie Bauer, LL Bean, even Costco have offered basic chino style pants with 1-2 zip pockets to put your valuables. There was a brand, Clothing Arts, that came about touting its anti-pick pocket features on its pants. They had secure pockets but, the materials were horrible, the fit wasn't very dial'd and the pants were HEAVY; they were over-built and not smartly designed.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
May do a mid-week fly in/out, and make the Imola part over the weekend. Assuming train would be the best way to get between cities vs renting a car?
Or, if in-country flights are cheap enough, go that route.

Train is best. The amount of time it takes to travel to the airport, get through security, get everyone boarded and situated, taxi, fly, land, taxi, unboard, get through the airport, then figure out transportation....you'd be at your destination with time to spare using a train. Just remember, airports are at the edge of town, whereas trains are in the middle of town.

Italy's train system is the most developed in all of Europe, and its the cheapest. The Swiss & Germans have very modern and on-time trains but, Italy has the most extensive system going to virtually every town offering a variety of services.