Cinque Terre

Five colorful clifftop fishing villages on the Ligurian coast, linked by the Blue Trail and the train: Italy's most photogenic coastline.

Cinque Terre is in the province of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy, a steep 15 km stretch of the Ligurian coast. From southeast to northwest, the five villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. In 1997 they were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Portovenere to the east, and a national park was established in 1999. The villages are built between cliffs and bays, with houses painted pink, yellow, orange and red, and behind them the hillsides are covered with vineyard terraces built by hand over a thousand years. The climate is mild; April–June and September–October, with temperatures of 18–25°C, suit hiking and are the best seasons. July–August is scorching and overcrowded, with queues for trains and trails, though the sea is best for swimming; November–March is rainy, some trails close because of landslides and many restaurants and guesthouses shut, but there are very few visitors. Getting there: the nearest airports are Genoa and Pisa (each about 1.5 hours by train); from Florence or Milan, the train takes 2.5–3 hours to La Spezia Centrale, where you change to the coastal regional train (5 Terre Express) that links the five villages, with only 3–5 minutes between villages. The Cinque Terre Card (train version about €19.5–32.5 per day, varying with season) includes unlimited train rides, the paid trails and village shuttle buses; from April to October, ferries also run from La Spezia and Portovenere via the villages (except Corniglia) to Monterosso. Cars can basically not enter the villages, so driving is not recommended. We suggest 2–3 days, staying in the villages (Manarola and Vernazza are the prettiest but pricey) or in La Spezia/Levanto (cheaper, with convenient trains). Note: in high season the Blue Trail is subject to visitor limits and reservations, and wearing sandals or flip-flops on the trail is prohibited and can result in fines; the villages have many steps, so pack light; station platforms are narrow, so take care; watch for surge when swimming off the rocks; please do not enter the private vineyards on the terraces.

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