but I now have 48 hours to change my plans, as it appears the strike is on, and it now appears Cinque Terre has been brought into my equation.

Flying into Milan. Out of the five villages, from what I can get from our guide books, I'm leaning towards Vernazza, for atmosphere. What are we looking for? A quiet place to locate for 2 or 3 nights, with some great views, and we will travel via train between the villages. or hike, if my fractured ankle is up to it.

..I don't want to be located in Monterosso.. It just seems to busy. Frankly, any of the smaller villages would be great, I'd have no problems leaving the rental behind in a lot, and training it into a small area.

Suggestions? I've searched the Cinque Terre references on here, but most of those posts seem to be regarding hotels... and I'd prefer an apartment unit, one bedroom, with kitchen, so we have the flexibility of going out and eating at restaurants, or staying home for the night and making our own meal.

Seriously, at this point.. I'm considering flying into Milan, parking the car at La Spezia or Levanto and going in via train to source out rentals on our own. My husband keeps laughing, telling me we will finally be sleeping on a beach, for the first time in our lives.

So I'm looking for some personal recommendations, for places that aren't on the internet. Phone numbers and cash are all ok. Question to the Mods: Am I allowed to post my email address here for personal messages?

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Amy,

I've been trying for close to two weeks to get a reservation in Vernazza and getting nowhere fast. It would appear that if a place is full for the time I have requested that they do not respond at all. I do understand that they have limited staff and must get bogged down with requests, but it can be a little frustrating from the other end when you wonder....did they get my e-mail? .....was their response blocked?....are they just busy and going to respond tomorrow?.....or are they full and I need to look elsewhere?

Anyway, I broke down and reserved with a much more expensive place than I had planned. La Mala - it looks really nice, but I am still going to keep trying for a cheaper alternative. Albergo Barbara gets good reviews, but they are one of the ones I cannot get a response from.

Good luck, I'll be monitoring this thread for suggestions, also.

Here's a website specilizing in apartments for Levanto and the CT. I would recommend searching also in Lerici.

Hi mercedespony.

You can put your email address into your personal profile like a lot of us do. I often get emails that way from posters who are not yet Premium Members and can't use the private messaging.

Go up to Go, then to Personal Zone, then to Profile. Then click on View/Edit Complete Profile. Scroll down to Diplay Email and then you can type it in.

Then be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click on Submit.

I hope you have a great trip. I loved Vernazza!

Except for the main little street, there are tons of stairs in Vernazza which may not agree with a fractured ankle. I have stayed there twice and both times, it was pretty noisy at night with many young tourists up late into the night.

I agree with Diana. You would probably be better off looking in Levanto if you want quiet or even Lerici. I have not stayed in Levanto but have stayed in Lerici and it was much more peaceful at night. I can't recommend a hotel though as I stayed at the Doria Park Hotel which I loved but which also at times was a little exhausting to reach due to all the steps leading up to the hotel and I walk 3-5 miles a day while in Italy.

Riomaggiore is smaller than the other towns in CT. We booked our apartment, with a view, through Affittacamere "Edi".

It wasn't expensive and overlooked the main street and small harbour.

We also used the train between towns, when we didn't walk.

Elly

Hi again mercedespony - Elly spent a whole week there last year and gave us this beaut website for booking information.

She used the train system and said that she loved Riomaggiore and found it very easy to get to the other town and to go on boat trips. The apartment she was in sounded great, with a balcony overlooking the main street and harbour.

You can go up to Find, then down to Advanced Search. In Search Words type in Riomaggiore. Then scroll down to Author Name and type in Elly, then click on Order by date.

Hey - I think I want to go where she went!

Although not on the train line, Portovenere is lovely, and the 5T can be visited from there by ferry or even hiking over the rather steep hills between them, from which there is a spectacular view.

Heard great things about Levanto and the next time I manage to get over there, that's what I'd like to explore.

I agree with Portovenere. While not in the Cinque Terre, it is my favorite along the coast. From my experience, you should definitely be able to get some quiet there. Last time I stayed there we took the ferry to 5T, hiked, and took the ferry back. I'll be heading back at the end of May and will do the hike this time from Portovenere all the way through.

Thank you everyone! Especially Leslie, you rock.

Elly, I read your posts and emailed Edi, and they actually have a vacancy. Can you email me please when you see this to talk about your experiences?

I wouldn't be so quick to jump at this, it's more expensive than what I would normally do, but we leave in 48 hours, Edi has a vacancy, and I'd really like to know I have somewhere to hang my hat and recuperate from jetlag before we move on..

ahhh.. the joys of dealing with a strike at the last moment. I'm thankful I had at least 72 hours to deal with this, before arriving at the airport.

If I had known this was happening long beforehand, I would have checked out Portovenere. Hopefully when we leave the CT, we can spend a day there.

Email sent.

Elly