Guide Cinque Terre
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Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre are five coastal villages in the province of La Spezia in Italy. "Discovered" by foreigners in the late 20th century they have come to be among the most touristed areas of Italy; they can be reached by train via the line from La Spezia to Genoa. The coast line, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all encapsulated in a national park of the same name. There are nominal fees to use the more popular trails, but the less frequently travelled (and most arduous) are free of charge. Most of the hotels in the village accept advance reservations. There are many bed and breakfast throughout the area and these offer excellant service and frequently beautiful views of the Mediterranean and the surrounding hills. The best times to visit are in April-May, before the summer crowd comes, or after August, when all the crowds have left. The five villages (in order from LaSpezia) are: (from East to West): Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. A local train connects all the five villages from La Spezia. In addition, there are well-laid out walking trails connecting each village to its neighbors. The path from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Via Dell'Amore (or roughly "Lovers Walk"). This winds along the shore, is very picturesque and is very easy to hike. The stretch from Manarola to Corniglia is also easy to hike although the main trail into Corniglia finishes with a climb of over 400 stairs. The trail from Corniglia to Vernazza is steep at certain places. The trail from Vernazza to Monterosso is by far the steepest. It winds through olive orchards and vineyards, is rough in some places but offers the best views of the bay and the spectacular approaches to both Monterosso and Vernazza. The train connecting the five villages runs in what is mainly a tunnel for the full distance between Riomaggiore and Monterosso, emerging from the rock infrequently for quick glimpses of the Mediterranean down the hill. Train service is quick and frequent although it can get busy on the weekends. In addition to the train there is a passenger ferry service running between the five villages. This ferry service provides a different vantage point to see the rugged coastline and the shore line at each village. It is more expensive then the train, and certainly more expensive then walking, but after a long climb it is a very relaxing, and romantic way to return to your home village.