Finding a Pensioni in Cinque Terre Where English Is Spoken | Reader Feedback

Bravo for an absolutely stunning website. The most complete, attractive, useful, informative site I have ever seen. I found it on goggle, helping two friends plan a 2-week visit to Italy: Roma/Firenze and especially hill towns, and Cinque Terre.

They are being supremely sensible in:
a) going in May
b) preferring small towns to big cities
c) NOT renting a car
d) thus going only where train or bus will take them

Have ‘known’ about CT since 1990 when Rick Steves put it on the map (alas?) and finally got there in 1999 on a dreadfully inauspicious occasion August (yuk) and an unresponsive traveling companion we took the boat from Rapallo to Monterosso then trained to Vernazza and Corniglia (being 75 and not climbers, we skipped the town) and walked to Manarola (where we still owe a waterside cafe the price of a bottle of Pellegrino — as they couldn’t change a L 50,000 note) and then on to Riomaggiore.

Since my friends will be there in May, maybe, this far in advance (e con il mio ‘non tropo cattivo’ italiano al telefono) it will be possible to make a (secure?) reservation somewhere? After reading your comments, I think I’ll aim for Manarola or Riomaggiore. My friends seem amenable to my suggestion of only 3 nights in Roma and the same for Firenze. Do you know any ‘interesting’ pensioni in either city, that speak English. I know nothing about the hill towns other than Siena (where I spent four summers at the Accademia Chigiana) and beyond knowing the names of Perugia, Arezzo, Assisi and Chiusi della Verna, I am totally ignorant. Do you have any suggestions? I will be very grateful for any advice.

Do you mind my asking the linguistic derivation of your very interesting name? Since your site seems to be in Switzerland, can I assume you are Swiss and by a process of elimination I come to Romansch am I wrong? I would really like to know.

I recently sent Happy Birthday to a German friend in Los Angeles. I found the correct words on line, and starting with a North German dialect, and Denmark, clockwise, I sent greetings from Poland, Czech Rep, Austria (including Wiener dialect) Switzerland (all five!-including Schwitzer Deutch) France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Netherlands (couldn’t believe she didn’t get the geographical choice and arrangement). Bravo again for your incredible site, and thank you for any advice you are willing to give.

Dan Scarlett
Santa Rosa, California