Italian Time Travel from Tuscan to Etruscan

A Weekend Trip  in Tuscany - Piombino and Populonia.

Midway from Rome to Florence - Visit & Discover the Largest Etruscan City on the Sea.

Detail of the pure silver amphora of Baratti in the Museum of Populonia in Piombino.  One of the finest relics
of Etruscan civilization ever found, it weighs 16 pounds. It was recovered by a Livorno fisherman in 1968. 

We think of the Roman Empire as one of the wellsprings of civilization, as an ancient and powerful state that enabled the rise of western culture. But before Roman times, when the Etruscans were in charge, Rome was a farming village, low on the scale of desirable property. The Etruscan civilization flourished for over half a millennium, from about 900 BC to 300 BC, and left intriguing traces of industry and wealth in many of their ancient centers. Populonia, now a part of Piombino, was once a busy center for Etruscan trade, and was renowned as a smelting facility, since deposits of iron, copper and tin were plentiful in the region. They minted coins, worked metal, grew wine, and traded extensively with Sardinia. Funeral customs were important to the Etruscans, and they buried their dead with painstaking care in special buildings with many personal effects.

Down to the sea. Piombino.

You can have a wonderful introduction to this civilization by visiting Piombino, a rather small (35,000) city in Tuscany just south of Livorno. Most visitors hurry through Piombino on their way the the island of Elba on the ferry from Piombino. That would be a shame - the town is well worth a stop. It makes a great weekend jaunt, and also an excellent stopover when traveling between Rome and Florence. It is packed with interest for history buffs and perfect for kids who are intrigued by hikes, tombs, rocks, or metals. The complete trip really needs a car, although rail connections are possible to Piombino.

Old town Piombino.   Corso Emanuele.

The historic center of Piombino is small and full of one way streets, but parking is relatively easy on the perimeter, and after you settle in, most of the parts of town you'll want to see are in pedestrian zones. The small cobbled main street winds through the old town to the sea, where there is a walk along the water and a fabulous view of the surrounding islands that make up the Tuscan archipelago, including Elba. The street is lined with restaurants featuring – what else? – fresh seafood. We had lunch at Osteria Mamma Carla, where the staff are friendly, the octopus salad is wonderful and the spaghetti allo scoglio delicious.

Roman mosiac with a squid in sunglasses. Museum of Populonia, Piombino.. 

When you're tired of walking around town, it's time for the famous museum, the Museo Archeologico del Territorio di Populonia. We visited in late October, in fact on the last weekend that the site was open to the public, and hours were somewhat restricted – it's best to check before you plan your trip Archaeological Museum of Populonia. It's an easy walk out to the museum from the center of town. The museum itself is beautifully designed, and moves you along through the history of the area. It starts before history began and moves through the bronze age to Etruscans and Romans. The variety of exhibits insures something for everyone. There are early Etruscan arrowheads and spears, which look a lot like rocks to the uninitiated, explanations of early mining, dioramas with hairy people and gorgeous mosaics and an exquisite silver amphora that is as sophisticated as it is lovely. It takes a few hours to wend your way through the exhibits, it's quiet and subtly lit, you'll have a great time.

Every Answer You Need for Your Cinque Terre Trip.

Your Visit Made Easy with Our Travel Guide to Cinque Terre.

 Local Experts Answer 103 FAQ's.

Your fellow Italian travelers give clear answers on every Cinque Terre subject.

Get detailed info from experienced travelers on every aspect of the Cinque Terre. When to Go, How Long to Stay, What to See, Best Villages, Avoiding Crowds, Best Guidebook, Parking for the Cinque Terre, etc. We are Mike and Martha from Boston & Italy and we explain more about ourselves at the bottom of the article.

The Cinque Terre Village of Manarola in Twilight          CC by Lorraine Tan

You will have a great visit to Italy's Cinque Terre region. We will also help you decide if you should get a Cinque Terre Card;  which food specialties to eat; find your favorite activity; allay mobility concerns; what to do with children; and even decide what to do if it rains.

You should know that, despite erroneous past news reports, there are no restrictions or quotas or limits or required reservations for travelers to the Cinque Terre. None.

This first article does not cover Accommodation, Travel To & From Cinque Terre, or Hiking specifics. Stay tuned: we are writing more now.

Category Index

Click the Section Title to Jump Down

What are the Cinque Terre       Questions about the villages, the land, the fame, the trails.
When to Go       .                        Weather, the temperatures, the crowds, off season, winter.
How Long to Stay                      One day, Four Days,Ten Days.
Cinque Terre Card & App         Get the CT Card & the new Official Cinque Terre Park Hiking App.

What to See & Do                      Sights by Town, Activities, for you, for kids, for teens, in the rain.
What & Where to Eat                 Food specialties, Wine, Restaurant Suggestions,Veggie, Gluten-free.
Information Questions              Guidebooks, Maps, Language, Tour Guides, Websites.
Metaphysical Questions            The good, the bad, the missing, expense, crime, safety, gay-friendly.
Cell phone, wifi, internet           Signal availability, apps, wifi & getting advice.
Cars, Parking, Car Hire             Driving advice, ZTL, dropping off & getting a rental car, parking advice.
Limited Mobility Issues             Stairs, Access, Other lovely level Ligurian Towns.

Click Liguria / Cinque Terre / Portofino Map to see the Cinque Terre towns & nearby Base towns.

What are the Cinque Terre?

Corniglia from trail 6d  near Volastra in mid May

The Cinque Terre are five small villages and the surrounding coastline in the region of Liguria, Italy. Because land access was (and is) difficult, there has been little modern development. As a result the dramatic, rugged coastline and the five little towns have a timeless romantic aspect. The Cinque Terre along with Portovenere is an Italian National Park and a United Nations' UNESCO World Heritage Site. The five villages have become extremely popular with tourists of every nation, and the Cinque Terre Park is a famous hiking destination thanks to its trails over the stunning seaside hills and through vineyards.

What are the five villages of the Cinque Terre?

• Monterosso The largest village with the most services
• Vernazza   The most charming village but often crowded
• Manarola  Very photogenic with a tiny harbor
•  Corniglia  High above the sea with the best views
• Riomaggiore  Characteristic and closest to La Spezia.

The historic neighboring town of Portovenere and nearby offshore islands including
Palmaria are also included in the Cinque Terre UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. 

Which Cinque Terre village is the best?

• Vernazza is the prettiest and the cutest and the most evocative. 
• Manarola is the next prettiest and at its best at sunset. 
• Monterosso has the best accommodations and the best beach.
•  Corniglia has the best views. 
• Riomaggiore has characteristic towering buildings .

 We think the result of a visitor popularity contest for Best Village results would be:
 1.) Vernazza  2.) Manarola  3.) Corniglia  4.) Monterosso  5.) Riomaggiore
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Plan to Enjoy.
You can have a great trip to the Cinque Terre, but you really must learn and plan. The numbers tell you why. There are six million visitors each year to these five small towns which have a total of 4,000 residents - more visitors per resident than Venice.* We have specific advice below to help you minimize the crowds you encounter. We are not travel writers, we are fellow travelers, so the answers here are intentionally frank. Bear in mind that some of our answers will reflect our orientation toward visitors coming to Italy from abroad on a trip of one to four weeks. We are recently retired photo editors Mike and Martha from Boston and we explain more about ourselves below.
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What are the Cinque Terre villages like?

Monterosso  The largest little town with a resort feel & the most restaurants and hotels. The only real beach in CT, some parking & the best train connections. There's an old town and a new section and it's fairly level. Monterosso has the most service and most activity in the Cinque Terre.   What's It Like? - Our Monterosso Photo Gallery Link

Great Italian Hill Towns Near Cinque Terre for 2018

Seven Pretty Liguria and Tuscany Hill Towns near Cinque Terre. 

Explore Evocative Old Italian Hill Villages with Castles & Medieval Streets.

Stay In a Castle Hotel / A Hotel In an Ex-Convent / or A Room with a 10 Mile View.

Fosdinovo & the Malaspina Castle/Hotel with Portovenere & the Gulf of La Spezia  . Giorgio Freschi /Turismo In Toscana

Good news, fellow travelers. If you thought you didn't have time to see the Cinque Terre fishing villages and an Italian hill town, you're in luck. You can easily see some wonderful hill towns as you drive to or from Cinque Terre, Lucca or Pisa. We guarantee they are authentic, evocative, pretty, historic, and five other adjectives of your choice.

These seven diverse hill towns are in the border area of Tuscany and Liguria - the part of Italy referred to as Lunigiana. They sit on hills around the lower valley of the Magra River adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and the dramatic Apuan Alps. They are much older than the Cinque Terre villages and you can enjoy them without a crowd.  We recommend them all, and we've visited each many times. See our Liguria & Tuscany Hill Town Map for orientation and the Getting There section below.

Italian hill towns are a fascinating example of human adaptation, so don't miss the opportunity to explore one or two to imagine and appreciate this unique way of life. They developed first and foremost for defense from attack, but continued to develop for other factors - access to pastures, escape from malaria, to control trade routes, as a visible symbol of power, and more. Modern life and modern economies have passed them by, but they are still available for you. Take the time to visit - you'll be rewarded with timeless sights and memories.

Scroll down or Click the hill town name to jump to the description. Note: We use these names to refer to the Historic Center (Centro Storico). You may also see the name used on maps to refer to the larger comune.

Fosdinovo                 Great views, good churches, and the region's best castle (and a unique hotel).
Castelnuovo Magra   Panoramic views and the ruin of an historic castle with a maze of lanes.
Ortonovo                   In the foothills of the Apuan Alps, it also has a prominent sanctuary and forest paths.
Nicola                         Occupying its own knobby hill, it's the most medieval town and has a good restaurant.
Vezzano Ligure        Two towns - the older perched above the valley; the newer, at age 400, is higher still.
Ameglia                      Ex-home to the Counts of Luni, its castle is surrounded by medieval lanes and houses.
Montemarcello           A Roman army outpost became a movie-set-pretty Ligurian village.

Independent Car Rental Price Comparisons for Italy.

Economy & Compact Size Car Hire Prices Compared. 

 Easily Find the Best Car Hire Deals with our Price Tables. 

Beware 'cheap car rental' offers, fly-by-night internet brokers & unknown car rental companies. 

Of course you are looking for the best and lowest price for a car rental in Italy. But if you just take the cheapest price, you may well regret it as the car hire industry has some bad actors and bad practices.

One danger: low ball quotes are used to hook you, but later you may find expensive add-ons, intense 'upselling' of insurance, high mileage cars, and off-airport facilities.  Another danger - car classes can be deceptive - be sure you're comparing similar models. For example, the Fiat Panda is separate below because it is smaller than the other Economy models - especially for baggage. More danger: don't decide from the initial quote - look at the final total including tax and deceptive 'franchise' and refueling fees. Hertz quoted $141. for a Panda on the first web page, but the total to pay at the reservation page was $381.00 !

Blue parking lines signal pay parking.  Carrara, Tuscany.
Shown are a Fiat 500 Mini (not the 'L' or 'X') & a Renault Captur Compact.

In the 1980's, we hired our first rental in Italy:  a VW Beetle with no seat belts and a full ashtray. Since then we've learned a lot that can help you. We've rented cars in Italy over 50 times since that first dog - from every major car rental company and all over the country. We also monitor Italian news, related Italian & English blogs, and several Italian traveler forums.

If this article is not for you, see the Car Rental Help tab above, but be sure to read our most popular car hire article:
Link: Independent Car Rental Reviews for Italy

Independent Car Hire Price Comparisons
Read the three tables below with price comparisons and you'll quickly see why you need this research - the price spreads are BIG. The prices are shown for: Compact Size, Economy Size, and Economy Fiat Panda.  We list the assumptions used below the price comparisons.  In particular, we have not reported some companies' lower prices because - in our opinion - they have way too many complaints. Also, your travel circumstances might have different needs - an additional driver, a child seat, or a different pick-up city could change the price balance.

The Day Italy Tried to Stop Mussolini's Fascism.

The Unsung Story of a Small City's Resistance to Fascism. 

  The 'Facts of Sarzana' Begin With A Fascist / Socialist Confrontation. 

It Ends with Fourteen Fascists Killed by Carabinieri or Political Opponents. 

 

First victim of fascist violence, here fell Luigi
 Gastardelli, June 12, 1921. Sarzana, Liguria. 

On a back street in the peaceful Ligurian city of Sarzana, a little plaque marks an infamous event in Italian history. It is the spot where an innocent man, Luigi Gastardelli, became the area's first victim of fascist violence - shot by a squadrista firing carelessly as fascists rampaged in Sarzana's streets. Italian politics in 1921 were chaotic and political violence between rival groups was becoming common, but the symbolism of this death was clear: Mussolini's new political ideology had evolved and the fascist squadrons felt they could act with impunity.

The violence that erupted in Sarzana on June 12, 1921, was the opening of a series of conflicts over several weeks known as  'I Fatti di Sarzana' (The Facts of Sarzana).  It is historically important as one of the few armed resistance efforts against the rise of fascism in Italy. Reflecting the times, it involved armed fascists, the Royal Army, police, socialists, communists, anarchists, farmers, workers, and a paramilitary group known as the Arditi del Popolo (comprised of socialist-communist workers). The Sarzana conflict culminated on July 21 with the death of 14 fascists by carabinieri rifle fire or sectarian assault, and of one corporal of the Royal Army by fascist fire.  Ominously, although the events drew national attention, the example of the event at Sarzana did not serve as a spur for meaningful resistance to fascism by the King, the government, or other political parties.

The Cinque Terre Express Train Service Begins.

The '5 Terre Express' Train Runs Every 30 Minutes to All Five Cinque Terre Villages. 

Stops: La Spezia Migliarina, Centrale,  Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso, Levanto. 

Manarola at Twilight                                                     CC By Lorraine Tan

Just in time for the long Easter weekend in the Cinque Terre, the new "Cinque Terre Express" train service begins Saturday, March 26, 2016. Operated by Trenitalia Regionale with support from the Region of Liguria, the new service will enhance transportation options to the famous five villages comprising part of the Ligurian UNESCO World Heritage Site.


There will be 44 daily trips in both directions between Levanto and La Spezia Migliarina Station* every half hour with intermediate stops at La Spezia Centrale, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia,Vernazza, and Monterosso. Trenitalia Regionale Liguria is to provide reception, information and assistance to passengers, and enhanced 'customer care' during busy times.

For 2016 the new 'Cinque Terre Express' train will mean much less crowding.

Vernazza Train Station.    CC By Kylie & Rob (and Helen)

In the first phase of the service, fares will be kept unchanged at the current rates for all, both residents and tourists.   The "5 Terre Express" will remain active until 1 November and will benefit both commuters and tourists with less crowded trains.


It is expected that La Spezia's many cruise ship passengers travelling to the Cinque Terre will be boarded at Migliarina Station, thus relieving congestion at La Spezia's Centrale Station.

See our map of La Spezia for the Centrale and Migliarina train station locations. Map: La Spezia Transportation Hubs

* Traveler beware. We visited Migliarina station on May 30, and there was no notice on the schedule board or other signs about CT trains. There's also no one to ask, as there's no ticket window.