Cinque Terra pastels
Cinque Terre (pronounced CHINK-weh TAY-reh) National park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site in the north west coast of Italy in the region of Liguria. Cinque means ‘five’ and terre means ‘earth/ground/land’, and refers to the five coastal villages that make up Cinque Terre – the villages of Corniglia, Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Manarola and Monterosso Al Mare.
These five pastel colored fishing villages, the surrounding hills and dramatic coastal scenery all together make up the Cinque Terre National park. Old mountain trails connect each of these five villages, and there is a railway line that cuts through the coast and connects all the five villages as well.
The Cinque Terre villages have now gained in popularity, and can be crowded. They are the poor man’s Amalfi Coast in the Italian Riviera. Most tourists also tend to do Cinque Terre as a day or a weekend trip. Do not do this, you will not be doing justice to the place, try to spend more time here. Naturally remote, these five villages still retain an old world charm about them. Cars are thankfully banned in all of the five villages. It also appears like the place is protected, and new construction not encouraged. The pace of life seems deliberately slow. Ancient traditions look to be to be still maintained, and there is not a single chain restaurant or shop anywhere. Life in these centuries old fishing villages are meant to be relished over a relaxed pace, watching the ageless sea washing up against the rocks.
Helpful pointers
If you’re driving, park at La Spezia
The roads to each of the Cinque Terre villages hug the coast, and are very narrow. The parking lots in the villages are also scarce in space, typically available only at the entrance to the village, and very expensive. The color of the lines indicate what type of parking it is. White is typically free parking, and is available way out of the village. Blue is for paid parking with rates between 10-15 euros. Also, pay attention to where you park, and ensure you do not park in areas reserved for residents. Parking fines in Italy are very expensive, and you will end up paying quite a bit.
Instead, if you are driving a car into Cinque Terre, try parking at La Spezia. La Spezia is connected to all the five Cinque Terre villages by rail, and is the nearest large city. It has multiple options for secure, relatively inexpensive parking.
Here’s the route we took from Florence to Manarola. There is also another route you can substitute if you want to break at the Leaning Tower of Pisa:
Have Cash at hand
When we were there, most small shops and restaurants in the five villages of Cinque Terre were not accepting international credit cards. ATM machines are also few and far between and tend to be crowded. Try to have euros at hand even before you set off to Cinque Terre.
Avoid the summer crowds
Owing to its popularity, summer brings with it hordes of tourists. If you like a more peaceful vacation, try avoiding a visit in summer, and try late spring, or early fall instead.
Limited Vegetarian & Vegan options
Expect very limited options for vegetarian and vegan food in Cinque Terre. There are also fewer restaurants here than most Italian towns. Breakfasts were our best options, and Pizza Margherita was widely available. For vegans, it is senza formaggio. There are other options as well and restaurants will customize. Another great option – buy fresh produce and cook at home. We ended up buying some pasta, a bottle of good Cinque Terre wine, fresh produce and a bottle of Liguria’s famous Pesto alla Genovese. There’s nothing like having a fresh home cooked dinner with a view of the stunning coast from the balcony and wash it down with local wine.
Getting around the five villages
The best way to get around the five villages is through rail. Convenient, frequent and inexpensive, they are never that crowded, and connect all the five villages. Ferry rides are also an option. And of course, all the five villages are connected through mountain trails if you are up for a fair bit of hiking.
Lodging is scarce
Lodging is very scarce in the five villages. Options are also very unexceptional and exhorbitant in the five villages. Most of it is owing to very high demand, and very limited supply. Book your stay well in advance.
We ended up doing an AirBnB stay in Manarola a very unremarkable apartment, yet paid a lot for a killer view from the balcony of the entire village and the coast.
Hike, Hike, Hike
Most tourists end up just doing the city center and catching a sunset or two at the famed photo spots before heading back. However, if you really want to experience the true Cinque Terre, you will need to put on a decent pair of shoes and do a few of the trails that connect the five villages.
The trails are an unbelievably beautiful experience – a constant cool sea breeze as you walk along these mountain trails across vineyards, terraced farms and olive gardens hugging the coast.
Need to be in decent shape
While it is not crazy, all of CInque Terre is in a mountain terrain, and there are quite a few ups and downs. Right from when we parked our car, we had to lug our bags from the top of the hill all the way down to the bottom where the village was. You can only imagine how challenging it was on our way back. Everything in these five villages involve going up and down streets, and you need to be in a decent physical shape to do that. Just pace yourself throughout, and stop at one of the many gelaterias that dot the five villages to recover.
The Five Villages
Manarola
My absolute favorite among the five villages, maybe so because this is where we stayed and spent most of our time. We drove from Florence to Manarola and arrived to find a storm brewing in the distance.
Manarola is the oldest and the second smallest village among the five. Trails lead up from here to the hills where local vineyards grow the grapes that produce the highly acclaimed local wine Sciacchetra.
Corniglia
The quietest of the five villages and the only one that does not sit right by the coast. It actually sits more than 300 feet above the Ligurian Sea and is accessible from the rail stop via a steep 350+ step climb through beautiful greenery and farms.
Vernazza
A jewel among the five villages, Vernazza is a must-do on a trip to Cinque Terre. It is the only village that has a natural harbor.
Monterosso Al Mare
While the other four villages have an old world charm about them, Monterosso has more of a beach resort feel. It is also the northernmost of all the five villages.
Riomaggiore
The largest and the southernmost of the five villages and the one with the most iconic photo of Cinque Terre. It’s main street is chock full of shops, groceries, restaurants and gelaterias & is an ideal place to grab something to eat and watch the idyllic Italian life around.
