Cinque Terre is a coastal section in the north of Italy, encompassing five villages (Cinque Terre means ‘Five Lands’), a coastline and some magnificent hills. It’s a very popular destination due to just how beautiful the area is. Each village has its own personality and there’s enough to see for a good few days. What can you see there? We’ll go over that today.
Monterosso al mare
The town with the largest sandy beach
Monterosso al Mare is our first town – a perfect place if you’re looking for a massive beach surrounded by loads of greenery. The beach is free and has (not-free) equipment rentals on site. Monterosso also has some lovely churches, like the St John the Baptist and the Oratory of the Confraternita dei Bianchi nearby. There’s also a Baroque church of Madonna di Soviore a tad higher up. Monterosso is the largest town in terms of shops and services and is the only one with a sandy beach.
Vernazza
The prettiest town in the Cinque Terre?
This lovely town consists of a mass of adorable colourful houses perched atop a seaside cliff. It has a charming harbour, a circular tower and defensive walls. You can climb onto the promontory right next to the tower for the best views. If you’re visiting in summer, be aware that a very special celebration takes place on the 20th of July – the Festa di Santa Margherita di Antochia. During the day, you can stock up on local specialities from the various stalls which are put up – during the evening, there’s a whole celebratory procession which ends with fireworks.
It may be obvious from the word choices used in this paragraph, but this was our personal favourite town.
Corniglia
The only non-coastal town
Corniglia is the only village in Cinque Terre not located directly by the sea. The town is actually nearly 200 metres above sea level and, if you arrive here by train, you’ll have to climb 383 steps to reach the village. At the top, there’s a small church of St Peter dating back to the 14th century. The village offers a wonderful view.
The focal point of the town is the Largo Taragio square with a Monument to the Fallen and the Oratory of Santa Caterina.
Riomaggiore
A fabulous town in the Cinque Terre
Riomaggiore was where Telemaco Signorini, a famous 19th century Macchiaioli painter, stayed and painted, inspired by the town and the surrounding beauty. The most important thing not to miss here is the historic Church of St John the Baptist, the most important religious building in town. From there, head to the castle from the 13th century and enjoy the magnificent view from its terraces. If you have enough time, you can also visit the harbour, the single most photographed part of Riomaggiore, by strolling down Via Colombo street.
Manarola
The best place for watching sunsets
Manarola’s main attractions are located primarily along Via Discovolo, the town’s main street. We start at the top with the church of San Lorenzo, Gothic on the outside and Baroque on the inside. Heading down towards the harbour, you will reach Piazza Capellini and then the marina. It’s the most beautiful part of the village and the one you’ll most commonly see in pictures. Manarola is incredibly beautiful during sunsets, when all the colourful houses get covered in the warm sun rays.
Walking paths
Routes in Cinque Terre
While you can travel between the towns by train, you can also use walking trails – these are quite narrow and lead along vineyards and olive groves. The most popular is the Sentiero Azzurro (the Azure Trail) which connects all five villages. It’s not a very difficult trail. Sadly, some sections may be closed off during the time you visit because they simply often are – this is due to common landslides in the area. There was a Lover’s Trail too, though it was closed after a landslide in 2019. The rest of the paths are more high up and challenging. You can read more about the walking paths in Cinque Terre here.
Cinque Terre is one of the most romantic places in all of Italy – it’s a fantastic spot for anyone who would like a holiday for walking along beautiful nature and visiting towns which are far from modern and luxurious but all the more charming for it. We’d recommend you spend at least 2-3 days in the Cinque Terre to get the full feel of the towns. You can use the nearby La Spezia as your base of operations. If you’d prefer to avoid all the crowds, though, you may also stay in one of the five towns themselves – in the mornings and evenings, the crowds typically disappear, as they return to other nearby towns where they’re actually staying.
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