Exploring the Cinque Terre

Set on one of Italy’s most dramatic coasts, there are five fishing villages known as Cinque Terre. Pastel coloured settlements, which date from the early medieval period, seem to cling to the steeply terraced cliffs connected by an ancient system of footpaths, a 19th-century railway line cutting through a series of coastal tunnels or a fantastic boat service. Over centuries, grapes and olives have been cultivated on carefully built terraces overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

We chose to stay in Levanto which is a busy and bustling seaside resort with a long sandy beach, bars, shop, restaurants and bike hire. It provided a perfect starting-point for visiting the Cinque Terre.

Short on time (3 night stay) we bought a day pass to visit four of the villages by boat. Our first stop was for coffee in Vernazza which is quite likely the most photographed village of the Cinque Terre. The tiny port is surrounded by colourful typical Ligurian houses and the charming piazza is lined with good restaurants and bars.

Next stop was, Riomaggiore which is one of the most peaceful and quiet villages and is basically a cascade of multi-coloured houses, all tightly clustered around a tiny natural harbour carved out in between the rocks.

We had lunch in Manarola which has a tiny harbour and boat ramp, picturesque multicoloured houses facing the sea and a tiny piazza with a choice of seafood restaurants. After lunch we walked around the coastal path (partially closed due to a land slide) to take a much-needed dip in the sea from some rocks. Very refreshing!

Our final stop was in Monterosso which is the largest of the five coastal villages and located on hills covered with lemon trees, vines and olives. It also has amazing beaches and crystal-clear waters make this small village one of the most popular with locals and tourists.

Corniglia (which I think is my favourite!) is situated in the middle of the five towns but is the only village which cannot be reached by sea or boat. It does have a station, so we took the train from Levanto the following day. It is a very pretty little town with fantastic views of the coastline and a cute little piazza with lots of little bars, restaurants and gelateria’s (the basil flavour was particularly good!)

On our last morning we hired bikes and cycled through the 4km disused railway tunnels to Framura where we had a quick coffee and brioche at a quirky little café in the old railway arches. On the way back we stopped for a refreshing swim in one of the many little coves.

A visit to Cinque Terre is a must and we plan to go back for a second visit when it is a bit cooler to walk and backpack between the villages. Can’t wait!