Cinque Terre

Inspired by the pictures of the colorful houses hanging over the bays from the cliffs, I could not stop myself from seeing this beauty with my own eyes!

Cinque Terre is a famous national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gulf of Genova in Italy. It features perfectly preserved historical sites of the periods of Middle Ages and Ancient Rome.

This is the location of 5 settlements: Corniglia, Moterosso, Vennazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore. These villages are rather small, so that it is possible to visit them all in one day.

Despite big tourist traffic, the everyday life of Cinque Terre citizens has not changed a lot. It is all about fishing, olive farming and liqueurs and wine production. All this produce is available in local stores and restaurants.

You can get to Cinque Terre by train from Pisa in half an hour. “Pobeda” makes cheap and regular flights from Moscow to Pisa. 

If you are interested to have a photo shoot in Cinque Terre you can get more details regarding the professional photographer in Cinque Terre on this page.

One day will be enough to travel around all the 5 villages – there is a train and ferry connection between all of them. And the towns of Manarola and Riomaggiore are also joined together by the Path of Love, one of the most picturesque spots of this place. Currently, it is under the reconstruction and there is only one segment of the road that is open. It is better to check the details on the spot. 

My advice is to start the tour from Monterosso early in the morning. It is the biggest out of five towns with lots of places where you can have a morning wake-up coffee.

Monterosso features quite a number of landmarks: you can see the Avrora tower built in XVI century, Soviore, the oldest temple in Liguria over 800 years old or just have a nice promenade along its picturesque embankment.

Directly from the embankment you can set off to any other town by a motorboat and get there in 5-7 minutes.

I recommend using sea transport to get to the next town so that you will not have to go back to the Railway station the same way.

One way ticket is 8€, but they sell also a day ticket for trips between all the towns of Cinque Terre.

If you are not in a rush, you can have a pleasant foot trip from Monterosso to Vernazza along the mountain pathway 4 km long (from March until November there is a fee of 7,5 € per person). This trip will take around 2 hours.

The next town on your route can be Vernazza. The majority of tourists consider it the most beautiful town of Cinque Terre.

The key location to see here is Doria Castle, the palace with the galleries that offers a wonderful panorama of the bay. The entrance fee is 1,5 €. This town also features few interesting temples that you might visit as well.

You can take a train from Vernazza to Corniglia or you can just skip it.

Corniglia is located a bit higher above Vernazza. It is the smallest of the towns, but the highest one, so it offers the most fascinating view on the Gulf of Genoa. Corniglia does not have its own harbor, the only way to get there is by train (there is no road for cars). Therefore, there are just few tourists there.

The next along the coastline is Manarola. You can stroll along its picturesque streets and see the ruins of a fortress. There is not much left of the fortress wall, but, nevertheless, you can see these remains very well. 

Another place, that I also recommend visiting, is Nessun Dorma Cinque Terre restaurant (address: Localita Punta Bonfiglio, 19017, Manarola) offering a marvelous view on the seacoast.

It is easy to find this restaurant, if you stand facing the bay- it will be on your right side sitting on the cliff with its wonderful panoramic terrace. It is very busy during the season, so you have to book a table upfront using this phone number: +393408884133.

A special note! Manarola is very beautiful in winter when they install the Nativity Scene Presepe (the setting of Christ’s birth with statues).It is placed on the slope of the mountain so you can see it from miles away, especially at night time.

You can finish your visit to this amazing place in Riomaggiore, which is my favorite town.

In terms of its landmarks you have to see a castle from XII century.

And the place for romantic walks is the Blue Trail. If you have enough time, visit Montenero sanctuary built in VIII century, as the legend said. 

Riomaggiore is beautiful and interesting even apart of its landmarks.

There is also a restaurant marked in the Guide Michelene 2108 - Enoteca Dau Cila on Via S.Giacomo, 65, where you can try exquisite seafood.

Average price is from 39 € to 85 €.

Open hours are 12:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

The phone for booking: +390187760032

The village, itself, is just gorgeous during the sunset, so watching the sundown in Riomaggiore can be a perfect final point of your journey around this fabulous place.

You can choose out of two panoramic terraces in the village (from where I actually took these pictures).

1) One is on the right side of the bay, under the red house with the steps going down to the sea. This is a perfect place to finish your walk - there are just few tourists here. You can grab a bottle of local wine and sit here on the steps to observe this incredible sunset.

2) Another one is on the left side of the bay near the port. There are many tourists here taking selfi just having stepped from the boats, but if you go down along the narrow steps to the stones on the shore, you will find an amazing spot for the sunset pictures against the background of the city lights.