Cinque Terre

Corniglia is a quiet village rising on top of the rock and the only village of the Cinque Terre not in contact with the sea. The most important monument of the village is the Church of San Pietro (St. Peter), built around 1350. Stop by the l’Oratorio dei Disciplinati (Oratory of the Disciplined), that has a breathtaking view of the sea. There is a little piazza with a communal olive press where you can sit and pass the time.

Vernazza considered by many to be the most charming of the Cinque Terre, is dominated by the remains of the “castrum” a series of Medieval forts dating back to the XI century, with a cylindrical castle and tower. Visit the XIII century Church Santa Margherita di Antiochia (St. Margaret of Antioch). It is lively and boisterous and has a great night scene, a beach, boats, and a large public space with umbrellas and tables.

Monterosso al Mare is the largest village of the Cinque Terre and consist of two districts, the old village and Fegina, and the more touristy, Monterosso al Mare. You can visit the XIV century church of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist), the castello dei Fieschi (the castle of Fieschi) and the church of San Francesco (St. Francis), that contains some works of art attributed to Van Dick, Cambiaso, Piola and Guido Reni. Villa Montale can be found at Fegina, and the Gigante (Giant), imposing statue in reinforced cement built at the beginning of 1900 which originally held up a terrace in the shape of a shell. Monterosso have a large sandy beach and beach-side restaurants and cafes.

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera, that is a part of the Liguria region of Italy. In 1999 the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre was set up to conserve the ecological balance, protect the landscape, and safeguard the anthropological values of the location.

Cinque Terre which means Five Lands, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Five villages, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Coniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare face onto the sea, an environment in which centuries old work of generations has transformed an inaccessible territory into a landscape of extraordinary beauty.

Riomaggiore boasts monuments of great interest, among which is the Church of San Giovanni Battista (St. Giovanni Baptist), and l’Oratorio di Santa Maria Assunta (Oratory of St. Mary Assumption). Also important is the Castello (castle) which dominates the historical center.

Manarola is a town filled with boats, and many lovely places to eat and drink. Try La Cantina Dello Zio Bramante that serves acciughe (anchovies) fresh from the sea, with lemon, olive oil, and fresh, crusty bread. There are stairs going all the way down to sea level, and a small little terrace about half-way down with picnic tables where you can join the locals enjoying a simple lunch.

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Things to do in Cinque Terre

Cuisine - Cinque Terre

The cuisine of the Cinque Terre almost perfectly conserves the characteristics of yesteryear. You can try trofie special pasta made from chestnut or wheat flour and is one of the forefathers of modern and more sophisticated pasta. Its condiment is still pesto sauce; an original Ligurian sauce made from basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, grated cheese, pine nuts, and marjoram. Tagliatelle, a broad handmade pasta, is used with sauces that contain mushrooms, cabbage and potatoes, beans, chickpeas and sometimes pesto. Vegetable pies, 'torte di verdura' are another traditional dishes and can be stuffed with artichokes, swiss chard, zucchini, potatoes, and leeks are combined with egg and ricotta cheese.

Other traditional dishes are: egg 'frittate', or flat omelettes, 'cotoletta di acciuga', the 'fritelle di bianchetti', fritters made from tiny newborn anchovies, stewed cuttlefish, stuffed calamari, mussels and spiced octopus. And don’t forget the famous dry white wine, simply called 'Cinque Terre' and the 'Sciacchetrà', a prized dessert wine made from prime grapes dried to the point of holding only a few drops of sweet juice.

Best Time to Visit

From May-June and Sept-Oct. In July and Aug is hot and crowded.

Getting There

By train - A frequent service runs on the Pisa-Genova line, especially in Spring & Summer. Many intercity trains stop at Riomaggiore and Monterosso. Numerous local trains leave from the railway station of La Spezia and stop at all the five villages. Info: www.ferroviedellostato.it

By Air - The closet airports are "Cristoforo Colombo", Genova and "Galileo Galilei", Pisa. Firenze is also a reasonable choice. Milan is about a 4 hour train ride to Genoa where one is able to change to the local train line.

By Car - Take the 'litoranea' road from La Spezia. It takes approximately 20-30 minutes from La Spezia to drive to Riomaggiore or Manarola. There is a good parking garage in Riomaggiore, up the hill from the train station. Traveling by car is by far the worst way to explore the Cinque Terre, due to a limited numbers of parking spaces that lies well outside the villages. To get from one village to the next involves driving all the way up to the high road and back down again. Better to leave the car and use the train.

Getting Around

By Car - From La Spezia follow signes to La Spezia centro and then direction for Cinque Terre panoramic road (SP 370).

By Boat - In Spring and Summer there are daily services by sea from La Spezia, Lerici, Porto Venere, Marina di Carrara and Portofino, with the terminus at Monterosso.

By Train - Numerous local trains leave from the railway station of La Spezia and stop at all the five villages. Info: www.ferroviedellostato.it

Walking - The Cinque Terre has the network of paths which cover the sea side of the mountains and connect the five villages, built into the rocks between the beach and the hills. They are the best ways of getting to know and appreciate the Cinque Terre. The three main paths all reasonably easy for reasonably fit people, and are well marked by the section of the CAI of La Spezia with a red and white sign. Walking the entire path (approximately 6 hours) gives you the best taste of the villages and countryside, terraced hills, olive groves and vineyards sloping steeply down to the sea.

The path from Riomaggiore to Manarola (20 minutes) is called the Via Dell'Amore (or roughly "Lovers Walk"). The beautiful trail along the shore is very easy to hike so is the hike from Manarola to Corniglia (45 minutes), a scenic low trail past a beach. Manarola also has its own beautiful vineyard walk.

The trail from Corniglia to Vernazza (90 minutes) offers incredible views of Vernazza, and is only steep at certain places. The trail from Vernazza to Monterosso (90 minutes) is the steepest (but not overly demanding), winding through olive orchards and vineyards and offering dramatic ocean views.

In order to walk along the trails between the villages, one must purchase a pass (5 Euros), which is available at the information offices near the train stations at any of the five villages, as well as the stations at Levanto and La Spezia. You can pay a small supplement (an extra €3) for the pass and get unlimited travel between the villages, Levanto, and La Spezia on regional trains for the duration of the pass. Additional information can be find on www.cinqueterre.eu.com

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