7 days in Italy - help picking a region!

Hi Boston -
Off the top of my head...

heading to Cinque Terra for 3 nights before heading back to Florence to fly home. We'll probably do this in June before the crush of the crowds in July/August.

I'm afraid that missing the "crush" in the CT isn't going to happen in June: May is already high season there. You can lose a lot of the mob if willing to hike some of the higher trails but the villages promise to be VERY busy during the day, especially if there is a huge ship or two scheduled to dock in La Spezia during your stay. They do settle down at night when the day-trippers have gone, though. June will be busy enough in most of the "hot spots" in Italy.

We love mountains

You won't find those in the CT or Lucca, although the hills are impressive and very pretty. You'd need to head further north for "real" mountains: Lake Como would provide more of that sort of scenery.

then heading into the countryside near Lucca to spend 2-3 nights exploring the vineyards and hill towns

Are you willing to rent a car for these few days? That is almost a necessity to efficiently explore hill towns. Do be aware that you will not be allowed to drive into those with extensive ZTLs: you'll park outside and either walk or take a bus in.

would CT be too similar to Amalfi that it's not worth it to do both?

Tough question. I didn't find them to be all that similar, and my lens (I shoot a lot of pix) definitely preferred the CT.
I'll say they're just different enough to be happy to have done both. Again, because of the mountains in the distance, you might prefer Como: Varenna is a very pretty base for that area.

If you are flying in/out of Florence, you're not going to want to be very far away on the night prior to departure. You might want to choose a location - like Lucca - that's not a long train ride from the city, go directly there on arrival day, and save Florence for the end of the trip to be closer to the airport. I really like Firenze and would personally recommend more than a day there but if scenery versus Renaissance art/Medieval architecture is the goal, then maybe one day will do ya.

Ooh thank you SO much.

I'm afraid that missing the "crush" in the CT isn't going to happen in June: May is already high season there.

Ah interesting. We were in Positano in mid-May and it was perfect. Flowers in bloom, too cold for beach traffic. There were people there during the day but not crushing crowds. Perhaps because Positano is physically so much bigger than the towns in the CT, it was better handling the influx. If you think it would be just crazy masses of people in May/June, we may not bother.

Are you willing to rent a car for these few days?

Yes we'd rent a car. We just aren't sure if this is the right scene for us? What is there to do other than drive around and go to vineyards and see towns? :)

would CT be too similar to Amalfi that it's not worth it to do both?

Tough question. I didn't find them to be all that similar, and my lens (I shoot a lot of pix) definitely preferred the CT.
I'll say they're just different enough to be happy to have done both.

That's the bottom line, I think, so thank you - are they different enough to make the trip worthwhile.

Have you been to Isola de Giglio?
>

It really isn't possible to pick out a destination someone else will like, so just have to hope for the best! Agree about CT - the only time it's not crowded is when the weather is bad enough to keep people away.

If you go back to posts on here for the last couple of days, there was a discussion about Lucca and tbe surrounding area including the beaches at Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi. As for mountains, the area north of Lucca is where carrara marble is quarried up in the Apuan Alps which is also a national park. The train from Pisa via Lucca goes to Barga and Aulla every could of hours. At Aulla it meets the line coming up the mountain from Parma, and which then drops down to the coast at La Spezia, the town immediately to the south of CT. So I would suggest you might research this area - it's different from Amalfi, but most of the things you want are within 30 to 60 minutes of Lucca, and it's about 75 minutes on frequent trains to Florence. The one item missing is vineyards, but as I always try to explain, you'll learn more by visiting an enoteca, and there's probably one a few streets away from your hotel. Train details on the trenitalia website, buses around Lucca on tbe ctt nord website. Note there is an hourly bus direct to Pisa airport if that helps.

Have you been to Isola de Giglio?

Nope, sorry.

What is there to do other than drive around and go to vineyards and see towns? :)

The big reason to rent a car is to get to places trains/buses don't go or are too time-consuming with both/either. If serious wine-tasting is on the list, then you definitely do not want to have to get behind the wheel. Look at bases from which a number of trips can be easily done via public transit.

If you think it (the CT) would be just crazy masses of people in May/June, we may not bother.

It's a crapshoot? As I said before, much can depend on the cruise-ship schedules for La Spezia so I don't like to dissuade people from going. Along with higher trails, you can also lose the masses - should those be an issue - by exploring upper parts of the villages where most of them don't venture. I DO know that accommodations start filling up months in advance. We were there in May but it was the first "season" after the devastating Oct. 2011 flood so tourism was down somewhat. The plus for multiple days there is to have some flex in case of rain. I know some folks who only allowed for 1 day and that 1 day poured buckets: no fun!

Oh this is super helpful @mike9 thank you!

If we could do 2-3 days in mountains/national park and 2-3 days in a coastal town on the beach, that would be perfect. Vineyards are not high on my list of priorities, to be honest. Let me go research all your suggestions and find the Lucca thread and i'll be back with more questions, thank you :)

Thank you!!! We're looking at travel end of May/early June 2018 so have plenty of time ;) this is how excited I am to be traveling without my kids, ha ha.

As for mountains, the area north of Lucca is where carrara marble is quarried up in the Apuan Alps which is also a national park.

Good suggestion from Mike. We haven't spent any real time in that area but have been through it (train) and it's very pretty.

Looks like the Apuan Alps are perhaps more a day trip, I don't see hotels in that area?

I found several in a few seconds on Trip advisor by looking under Aulla. If you are looking to stay in a rural area, and you have a car, also look for agriturismos - I guess there won't be many in such a mountainous area, but still worth a look.