Cinque Terre, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Riviera Levante, La Spezia

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a small stretch of coastline just west of La Spezia in Liguria. It is named after five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. It has a unique charm and was established as a National Park in 1999 and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The villages are set on the steep hillside where cultivated terraces cascade down to the sea. No cars are allowed into the villages, but there is a local train that runs from La Spezia to Genoa that connects them. There is also a passenger ferry that runs between the five villages, except Corniglia. You can get the ferry from Genoa's Old Harbour, La Spezia, Lerici or Portovenere.

For more energetic visitors, there is a trail, known as the 'Sentiero Azzurro' (The Blue Trail), that connects the five villages. It is 10 kilometres long and the height difference is over 600 metres throughout its length. It takes approximately five hours to complete. The stretch between Riomaggiore and Manarola is called the 'Via Dell'Amore' (The road of love) and varies in difficulty from easy to extremely difficult. The stretch between Manarola to Corniglia is the easiest part, although the main trail into Corniglia does end in 368 steps. The trail between Corniglia and Vernazza is steep at certain places but the stretch between Vernazza and Monterosso is by far the steepest. It winds through olive orchards and vineyards and can get rough but walkers are rewarded with the best view of the bay and the spectacular views of both Monterosso and Vernazza.