badgerboy

I appreciate the suggestions, but my story is not unique- my teens want to see the Tower. And if the Tower and the Colosseum are the 2 things they want to see in a 2 week trip, I am obliged to accommodate their request. I have been to Pisa and Lucca, but have not explored anything else in the area. Maybe Porto Venere is the compromise?

Would the Regionale trains work as a backup if we don't make the 9:23? And the ferry tickets- those are just come and go as we please, correct? So we could watch the clock and hop off somewhere if needed and start heading back to La Spezia?

I know I will hear from people saying it is not worth it, but what can I say- I'm ambitious. So, is it possible to get from La Spezia port to Pisa, run up the tower and back, and still have time to take a ferry ride to see some of Cinque Terre? I'm not sure we would even get off the ferry- I think it would be nice just to see the towns from the boat. How can I pull this off independently? Thanks! (Port time listed as 830am-830pm)

I used eurocruiser's link to download the bus schedule. Am I reading this correctly that there seems to be a bus from Naples to Pompeii every half hour? Is the return route on here somewhere? I also don't seem to be able to find a definitive price for the on-site Pompeii guides? Thanks!