Cinque Terre means crystal clear waters, laid-back coastal towns, picturesque coastlines lined with colorful homes, amazing hikes and great food.
1.Walking the Cinque Terre hiking trail
If you possibly can, walk at least one portion of the path carved in the cliffs between the villages. The shortest and widest of these connects Riomaggiore and Manarola, called, in typical Italian fashion, Via dell'Amore (Path of Love). It's also the most crowded, so if you visit in high season and seek more solitude, walk another section. Maps are available in park offices (at train stations) where you need to buy an entrance ticket to use the trails or a Cinque Terre card.
2.Manarola Cinque Terre
Claim a table in one of the little restaurants in the piazza and savor just-caught seafood with a view over the miniature harbor. Manarola is small and the oldest. Around Manarola there are vineyards so this is the perfect place to drink a glass of wine at ease and to enjoy the wonderful surroundings.
Tip: follow the footpath up in the mountain fromt the harbor and you will see a resaurant in the mountain its great for luch and enjoy the great view form here.
3.The village of Riomaggiore rises between two steep cliffs. It looks like a nativity scene with all its little colored houses built in a vertical way.
The originality of Riomaggiore’s houses is due to the fact that each one has two entries: the front door on the alley and the back door on the upper street. The houses had this particular structure since 1500 to allow a fast escape in case of Saracen raids. In Riomaggiore starts the famous Via dell’Amore (Love Path): a paved path, dug into the rock, that ends in Manarola. The path is wonderful, you can walk into the wild and hear the sound of waves breaking on the rocks. Riomaggiore is a shy town, you’ll slowly discover the village, the Castello in Cerricò with its great sea view, and the church of San Giovanni Battista.
4.Vernazza is situated on an impressive cliff, nowadays is a calm seaside village but, in the past, it was the harbor of the boats in charge to protect the coasts from the Saracens.
The magical atmosphere of this village will seduce you: mysterious alleys, among the little red, yellow and pink houses in the summertime are crowded of tourists. Vernazza is considered one of the 100 most beautiful villages of Italy with its maritime vocation. We suggest you to reach this town by sea to see at once the beautiful harbor. You can visit also the church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia and the remains of the ancient fortress: the towers of the XI century and the Doria’s castle, the Monastery’s tower of Padri Riformati di San Francesco and the tower Belforte. The astonishing Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Reggio isn’t easy to reach, you’ll have to walk through a wild road. Maybe it will be hard but it’s really worth it.
7 Things To Do in
Cinque Terre