CINQUE TERRE, ITALY LA TORRETTA LODGE - MANOROLA…read more UP FRONT: When you visit Cinque Terre in Italy, (literally "five lands"), you have five choices on where to stay out of the five fishing villages. If you're like most tourists, you're going to visit all of them, but one has to be your "home base". After visiting all of them, I think your best bet is either Manorola or Monterosso. The scenery in both places is astounding. Manorola is small and quiet and has some cliffs you can dive off at the bottom of the hill. Monterosso is a bit more sprawling and has a good stretch of beach. We stayed in Manorola two nights. Got the tip about La Torretta on Trip Advisor. This hotel is a dream. From start to finish, it felt too good to be true. Check in was a breeze - it was only us in the lobby - and we sipped Prosecco on the patio while the front desk copied our passports and finished up the paper work. Our room #7 was at the very top with the most breathtaking view (see photo). Bed was very comfortable, and the bathtub (we didn't use it) is literally the biggest I've ever seen - HUGE. No problems with the room - temperature control was good, mini-bar was complimentary. Be aware there is no phone in the room, and if you need something, you need to go down the steps to the office or call down from the window as you see the hotel staff moving about the property. lol. I did that once, we needed towels for the room, but no phone, so I just called out to the maid while I was standing on the balcony. It worked. The hotel sits on top of the hill. You walk down the hill to all the shops and restaurants. There's everything you need, ATM machine, train station, pharmacy, and more. At the bottom of the hill is the ocean, no beach, but there are places where you can lay out and many people do. There's also swimming allowed and the water is so cold and refreshing. You can dive in from many areas, and climb to the cliffs where you will be afraid to jump, but do it, it's so much fun. It took me 15 minutes to get enough courage to get off the cliff, but with the encouragement of fellow cliff divers, I was able to do it. Kept going back up to the top to do it again. There's breakfast in the mornings, all kinds of goodies - meats and cheeses, croissants, pastries and of course coffee. The hotel staff work hard to make sure you have everything you need. But keep in mind, they are not at the front desk 24/7. They close at 9:30 PM and they weren't clear about that when we checked in - neither did they say there was no phone in room. When we left, we were taking a train at the bottom of the hill, and they brought our luggage down with a golf cart. All the good things that have been said in the reviews are true - nothing hyped up about this place. Worth every dollar we spent on the room. Recommended restaurant around the corner: TRATTORIA DAL BILLY

La Toretta was a diamond in the rough for us, as we had started to plan our trip towards the Cinque…read moreTerra area, a friend recommended this hotel to us. Coming in on the offseason, we were still greated by a concierge who met us at the bottom of the mountain, and drove us up to the wonderful views that Manarolla had to offer. We checked in, but before that, we were given gifts of food and champagne to celebrate our arrival there. The view was outstanding, and the hosts were more than generous. They talked with us about where we had been, where we were coming from in the United States, and also about what else we had planned. To top off how great of a stay we had... they gave us an upgrade to the honeymoon suite for free! The room was absolutely gorgeous! A giant tub in the room, fiberoptic lights in the ceiling, and a gorgeous breakfast spread for nothing?!? It was amazing. To truly make it, what it was... as much as everyone always wants to be connected to the world... I was glad that I could not get any wifi at the hotel. It was nice to finally be away from everything, and not to be bothered by anything or anyone. We were left alone... to be alone. Waking up and taking in the view from our hotel room left us enjoying the beautiful views of the sea. Not to mention a nice little gift of bottle of champagne that was waiting for us once we got back from visiting the rest of Cinque Terra area.... as the concierge said... "Just because" I would recommend this place to ANYONE visiting the area... it is a little pricey, however I can tell you that the service is top notch, and well worth the euro's in my book.

We decided to stay in a hotel in Livorno vs an airBNB, bc we wanted a change of pace. Apts in…read moreItaly tend to be small, and the showers are tiny. The Palazzo is the nicest hotel in Livorno, and has been in biz for over 100 yrs. It has great views of the water fr the rooftop bar & restaurant. Single rooms were about €150,00 including taxes & fees. The rooms were spacious, and the bathrooms were good sized and inc a tub. We indulged in the bar & apps, bfast buffet and dinner during our stay. The service was excellent, but the pricing is high. For an example, an Americano cocktail was €18,00 vs elsewhere the drink would have been €8,00. Secondarily, the buffet is €22,00, but did not have made to order items. The scrambled eggs were runny, and the sausage were like hot dogs. I stuck to the charcuterie, boiled eggs, fresh fruit and croissants. I also grabbed take away for mija & ITC, that dropped the actual cost closer to €7,00/person. Lastly, dinner was +€100,00 for two entrees, a salad, a dessert and one glass of wine. All in all, a positive stay bc of the rooms, the location and excellent service. Apparently the Palazzo is popular for weddings and bachelorette parties too. I'm glad the Italian version of the latter are more tame vs the crap you see in Vegas - LOL!

I know I'm rating hotel, but I have to start with the food. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow…read moremorning of the breakfast buffet. It was beautiful - inside and out. Yes, inside of my belly. They have these small pizza bites (for breakfast - it's like college, I know) that were so amazing. The hotel is clean, the prices reasonable, the Internet fast and free and the parking is absolutely easy and free as well. If you pay for a small upgrade, you get a beach view. There's also a fitness studio with technogym equipment and a spa (spa I haven't tried). The TV has a few international channels. Everything fancy shmancy, you could say. My boyfriend wants me to add: the toilet paper roll isn't properly attached to the wall and there is some mold along the bathtub.

Rita Lucherini's hands on cooking class was a delight. With one day's notice, she picked us up at…read moreour hotel in Barga. In her large kitchen we made bruschetta, farro soup, 4 kinds of pasta from scratch (tagliatelle, maccheroni, ravioli, and spaghetti), 4 sauces (pomodoro, ragu, Salciccia , and butter with fresh sage), and tiramisu. Lots of chopping and simmering and getting our hands "dirty"! While cooking we had white wine, then red with dinner. She's a great teacher. Nothing fancy, just how to make good food in a simple way. Price was 85 euro each....we thought that was quite reasonable for 5 hours of cooking and eating, with recipes to take home! She's Italian, born in Scotland, so excellent English. Rita also has a few apartments and a B&B called La Mezzaluna, so she offers 4 and 7 day cooking experiences with some side trips to nearby places in Tuscany. Much less expensive than the upscale, pricey things I've seen advertised. I think her website is www.residencelamezzaluna.it She's also on Facebook.

From the owner: Have fun and join our cookery and wine tasting holiday in this beautiful part of Northern Tuscany…read more Combine cooking and wine tasting and learn all the basic Italian cooking techniques and traditions la bella "Garfagnana and Serchio Valley has to offer. We will visit our local market, wander the streets of Barga, known as one of the prettiest villages in Italy and we shall visit Lucca and Pisa .The most part of the time there are concerts, folk festivals, outdoor food festivals (where you can savour typical products), theatre, Barga Jazz and the Opera Barga. Available is my 4 night and 7 night holiday which includes accomodation all meals airport and local transfers,cooking and wine tasting sessions plus live entertainment with Alex. You may want to join my daily lesson which lasts 4 hours and we will then savour together our meal prepared with a glass of finest Tuscan wine. Come to La Mezzaluna and Cook and Dine with Rita Tuscan Style..

From the owner: Il nuovo Hotel 3 stelle Superior Rosso Frizzante, unica struttura di Modena situata a Sorbara -…read morecittà natale del più pregiato Lambrusco - ti sorprenderà per la sua filosofia inedita e ultramoderna. Pensato per offrirti un servizio perfettamente ritagliato sulle tue esigenze, qui potrai godere dei migliori comfort di un 3 stelle, in modo del tutto indipendente e alle tariffe più convenienti. Se sei in viaggio di lavoro, grazie alla posizione strategica dell'Hotel Rosso Frizzante puoi raggiungere in pochi minuti tutti i clienti e le aziende di Sorbara, Carpi, Nonantola, Mirandola e il centro di Modena.

The cutest hotel with a fantastic view from their panoramic terrace. Our room also had a little…read morebalcony. The hotel is located farther into Monterosso and up a bit of a climb - they can reserve a taxi for you which picks you up from the train station if you do not wish to lug your luggage up the entire way. There are only 2-3 taxis in Monterosso (costs 15 euros each way). Wait to buy your Cinque Terre pass and Via Dell'Amore ticket - they can help you purchase what you need here for up to half off! We also did the pasta, pesto, and tiramisu class here which was a lot of fun! Would definitely recommend it. It is 120 euros per person and has to be paid in cash - there are several ATMs nearby. We were here for the first day of the Lemon Festival (mid-May) so all the shops had lemon themed displays up!

My husband, my brother in law and sister in law and I stayed at Hotel Villa Steno for two of the…read moremost amazing nights in May 2025. The hotel is beautiful with amazing views out to sea. The rooms are very comfortable and have all the amenities you need including a terrace with a sea-view. The owners, Matteo and Carla, as well as the entire staff, are the best I have ever experienced. They are all kind and welcoming. They anticipated our needs by giving us information about the trains and hiking among villages in Cinque Terra. My brother in law wasn't feeling well and stayed at the hotel the first day. Carla called a doctor and also checked on him throughout the day. We all took a cooking class with Carla and it was fabulous. We made tiramisu, pasta, pesto and branzino. She was so patient with our lack of skills and made it fun. We all felt we might be able to do these recipes at home. We ate the delicious meal on an upper terrace with an even more amazing view. We were in Italy for two weeks and this was my favorite hotel. THE BEST!