Cinque Terre, Italy
I remember reading the “Famous Five” book series as a kid, but I now suspect that the real Famous Five might just be located on the Ligurian Sea in Italy… a.k.a. the Italian Riviera. These five are beautiful coastal villages that, together, make up the UNESCO World Heritage site known as “Cinque Terre”.
Cinque Terre literally means “Five Lands”, referring to the five small towns of (from north to south) Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Each of these hamlets feel a little different, but they are all beautifully situated on the water with steep inclines and surrounded by terraced vineyards and olive groves.
The villages feature ultra-colorful architecture, church steeples, ancient stone Forts and small harbors with old-school fishing boats (except in Corniglia, which sits too high up on the bluff to reach by sea).
Getting there
Of the five villages, only the towns of Monterosso al Mare, at the north end, and Riomaggiore, at the south end, can be accessed by car. In order to reach the other towns, you can travel by train, ferry (in summer only) or hike the spectacular trails along the cliffs.
Depending on which direction you are coming from and where you choose to stay, you can either park your car at the public parking lots in Monterosso al Mare or Riomaggiore, or your hotel/Airbnb may offer parking for an additional fee. We found that it was much cheaper to take up our Airbnb host’s offer for parking than it was to use the public lot.
Another option, if you are coming from the south, is to park in La Spezia at the train station, and then take the train from there to Cinque Terre.
More About Each of the Five Towns
Monterosso al Mare
Not only is Monterosso one of the two towns that you can drive to, it is also the only town in Cinque Terre that has a real beach (three beaches in fact!). In summer, you can even rent a deck chair and umbrella to relax on in between swims, which I definitely recommend since the beach is pebbly, not sandy (as is the case in much of Italy). If you have particularly sensitive feet you may even want to wear water shoes/slippers to avoid hobbling from your chair to the water and back!
The town of Monterosso has lots of lovely restaurants in the main village area. Our favorite was Ristorante Ciak (www.ristoranteciak.net), near the striped Church of San Giovanni Battista. We ordered the Baked Fish for our second course which was a whole Branzino cooked with potatoes and tomatoes, which the waiter brought to the table and fileted it right there to serve to us. It was absolutely delicious! There really is nothing like the taste of seafood that was caught that same day!
Another fabulous (and cheap) way to enjoy seafood in Cinque Terre is the the famous seafood cone “friggitorio” (fried seafood piled into a paper cone “to go”), which we enjoyed at Il Bocconcino on Monterosso beach just near the train station. Delicious!
We stayed in an Airbnb that was up the hill on the north side of Monterosso. It required a bit of a walk up the hill but it was definitely worth the effort to have the spectacular view out to the ocean!
Another thing we were able to see on the northside of town was the famous Statua del Gigante, which is the remains of an enormous statue of Neptune, God of the Sea, that was built over 100 years ago and presides over the beach.
Vernazza
Vernazza boasts a lovely little harbor just a few steps away from the main piazza which is surrounded by an abundance of colorful restaurants, shops and places to stay. It really is quite amazing how much you can find in such a small town!
There are some lovely short walks you can take that provide spectacular views over the ocean and back towards the town. We took the northern coast trail that wound past the Santa Margherita di Antiochia Church, which is the beginning of the trail back to Monterosso, and found some stunning vistas to snap pics of before walking back down into Vernazza.
When researching Cinque Terre in preparation for our visit, I was fortunate to have stumbled upon a blog that talked about Ristorante Belforte (www.ristorantebelforte.it), located in the remains of an ancient fort perched above the water in Vernazza. Determined to experience a seafood feast in these delightful surroundings, I booked several months ahead via email, requesting a table on the outer terrace. This turned out to be an absolute highlight of our visit and I couldn’t recommend it more highly!
Corniglia
Corniglia can be accessed by train or walking, but not by boat, since it sits up very high on the bluff. This, of course, means that it has spectacular views, and that it’s probably the quietest of the villages, being less accessible and right in the middle of Cinque Terre.
If you choose not to hike in, you should still be prepared for a decent uphill walk (380 stairs!) from the train station to get into Corniglia. The only alternative is to wait for the shuttle, although you are likely to be waiting a while before cramming in to drive up the winding road, so we chose the stairs.
Despite being a little quieter (and that is a relative term, because Cinque Terre is a very popular tourist destination), Corniglia still has plenty of bars, restaurants and shops to enjoy, along with quaint cobbled streets, church steeples and piazzas. Plus, if you choose to ride the train there and then to hike to a neighboring town, you will be starting from a highpoint so there will be a little less vertical rise on your hike than if you were going in the other direction!
Manarola
Manarola has a beautiful marina filled with fishing boats, and a main street that winds up the hill towards the medieval stone church of San Lorenzo, from which you will find a lovely view across the town towards the marina.
If you take the train to Manarola, you find the walk into town quite easy as there is a pedestrian tunnel that goes directly through the hill to the main street. If you are lucky you’ll hear some fabulous street busking while walking through the tunnel!
There are many restaurants and wine bars in the town (proudly featuring the locally produced Sciacchetrà wine, which is peculiar to Cinque Terre and is fabulous with cheese or dessert!). However, if you are looking for a great view with your meal, I would highly recommend Nessun Dorma, a restaurant featuring local cuisine with incredible vistas of the town & sea. To get there you would take the path from the marina to the Manarola Scenic Viewpoint (a short uphill walk that follows the coastline). Enjoy!
Riomaggiore
The most southern of the five villages, Riomaggiore is every bit as charming as the other four, with its colorful stone buildings stacked on the hill leading down to the small marina. It also has the remnants of a 12th century castle (Castillo di Riomaggiore) which boasts panoramic views from its terrace.
You can reach Riomaggiore by car (parking outside of the town and walking in) or by taking the Cinque Terre train line. It is a short, easy walk from the train station, through a pedestrian tunnel, into the center of the town.
The famous “Via dell’Amore” (Lover’s Lane) short hiking trail starts in Riomaggiore and follows the coastline to Manarola with spectacular views. As of the time of writing this, the trail is still closed for repairs after some major rockslides made it too dangerous to hike, however it is expected to reopen in 2022.
There is also a small pebbly beach on the south side of Riomaggiore for those who want a beach experience, and there are plenty of great restaurants and wine bars along the main street of Via Colombo.
Other Tips
The Sentiero Azura (Blue Trail) is the main trail that links the five villages, although unfortunately the southern part of the trail from Corniglia through Manarola to Riomaggiore is under repairs as of the time of writing. The section from Riomaggiore to Manarola is expected to reopen in 2021 and the Manarola to Corniglia “Via dell’Amore” portion is intended to be opened again in 2022.
The entire Sentiero Azura, an old mule trail, is a total of 12 kms long and boasts spectacular views. You will need some level of fitness to do the trail, given that each section takes around 2 hours, and you will need to take plenty of water if doing it during the summer months as it can get quite hot! (Note also that there is a fee to use the Blue Trail.)
The Cinque Terre card is a great option if you plan to use the train or hiking trails more than once. There are several options based on how many days you will use it, so it can definitely provide you with some savings as well as convenience.
There are also many different options to get out on the water in a self-guided tour or with a skipper. Angelo’s Boat Tours (www.angelosboattours.com), based in Monterosso, has some fabulous tours available, including one at sunset! Or you can rent a boat and choose your own adventure from places such as from Cinque Terre travel, based in Vernazza (www.cinqueterre-travel.com/tours). Many different types of boats are available, from simple gozzo motorboats to fancy yachts, depending on your budget and preference.
Final Word
Our experience at Cinque Terre, in mid-summer, was dreamy and we loved every minute of it, despite it being quite hot. We chose not to hike because of the heat, and made the most of the train and ferries, so it was very relaxed and we got some fantastic views of each town from the water! Cinque Terre is a very unique and tranquil place and definitely one you should add to your bucket list!
