Levanto Vacation Rentals
I just updated the web site www.levanto.net that I run for Federico who runs the Levanto Hotel Villa Margherita. Federico is now offering vacation rentals (click Accommodations). They are apartments and cottages in Levanto (great location to explore Liguria and the Cinque Terre).

We stayed in one of the apartments (Red Diamond) last year and I will send in a review. Remember, this is a seaside town and the accommodations are a bit "basic" (not your Tuscany luxury). Still the prices are good and the accommodation fine. Levanto is a great town.

www.levanto.net
See the Slow Travelers Classified Listing.

Italian Excursion: Small Group Tours to Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany
Our own Cheryl is now offering small group tours to the area where she recently bought her house. The group stays in a villa in the area and explores southern Tuscany, Lazio, Rome and Umbria with Cheryl.

There are still spaces available in her spring group (March 20-27).

www.italianexcursion.com
See the Slow Travelers Classified Listing.

ChickTrips: Small group tours to Tuscany
Gail Hecko, seen frequently on this board, is now offering her ChickTrips tours to Tuscany for "girls only" or for couples. The group stays in a villa near Montisi (near Pienza) and explores Tuscany with Gail and her husband John.

Space is available for 2 couples (out of 5) in the week of May 15th through May 22.

For details: www.chicktrips.net

Hi Pauline,

I am interested in your Levanto page. We will be driving to Italy at the beginning of May from the UK. Our first night will be spent somewhere just inside the Italian border (coming in through the Mont Blanc tunnel)

We then have one spare night to spend somewhere before we start our rental in the Maremma region in South Tuscany.

I had been wondering where to stop off and am now wondering whether Levanto might be feasible. Obviously it would only provide us with a taste of a region that deserves more time.

What do you think - or is there somewhere more direct in Northern Tuscany that makes sense?

Also I could not find prices for Villa Margarita. Am I missing something?
Victoria

I have asked Federico to put the prices on the site, but he either does not want to or forgets to send me the information. You will have to email him to find out. I don't know what they are.

Coming from the Mont Blanc tunnel you could spent the night in Aosta - or even somewhere in the French Alps before the tunnel (Chamonix is a lovely town). Last year we drove from Gstaad in Switzerland, through the St. Bernard tunnel (close to the Mont Blanc tunnel) and to Levanto in one day.

You could either pick a place in the Piedmont and spend both nights there - a bit of a longer drive - or do the one night just past the tunnel and then a night in Liguria.

Levanto would be good. It is 10 minutes from the autostrada and the town is really easy to drive in. Villa Margherita is supposed to have a parking lot now beside the hotel. There is a great pizza restaurant in town - run by a great young couple (friends of Federico) - Taverna Garibaldi. From Levanto, you can drive straight down the autostrada along the coast to the Maremma. It will take a few hours. It took us over 3 hours last year to drive from Levanto to Siena.

Other Liguria towns would also be good - Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure both are close to the autostrada. We have driven in Camogli, but not Santa Margherita Ligure.

Thanks very much, Pauline. This is very helpful. The important thing seems to be that its not out of our way. Will look into prices at Villa Margarita and also Camogli and the other place you mention.

Thanks Pauline! Because of your enthusiastic recommendastion, Levanto is at the top of our list!