I had great expectations for the Cinque Terre and I wasn’t disappointed. The scenic beauty was breathtaking and the towns were unbelievably picturesque. The food was luscious, the weather was delightful. The only negative was how crowded it was.
The five seaside villages on the Mediterranean coast are part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I can’t resist sharing a bit of their history. Originally, the inhabitants of the area lived up high in the inland valleys rather than right on the coast. However, when Genoa began to build defenses along the coast, people started to move down from the valleys. The villages date back to the 11th century when they began as agricultural settlements.
By the 12th century, the coastal villages were under the control of the Republic of Genoa. Due to attacks by North African pirates and Turks in the 16th and 17th centuries, the villages erected additional fortifications and watchtowers. All of the villages remained quite isolated, with no land connection, until the arrival of the railroad in the 1870s. This led to an improvement in the economy, which was based on agriculture and fishing. During the Second World War, the villages were bombed during the Allied drive to push the Nazis out of the Italian peninsula. Tourism started to increase in the 1960s and today, tourism is a major industry. This presents a challenge to the residents who are trying to preserve their traditional way of life.
The map below shows the area covered by the national park and the location of the five villages.
Over the course of the three days we spent on the Italian Riviera, I was able to visit all five of the Cinque Terre. Fortunately, we were based in Monterosso al Mare, the largest (population 1,300) and northernmost town, which wasn’t quite as overrun with tourists as the other towns along the coast. Early morning and evening were best since we didn’t have to contend with the day trippers.
Selecting photos to accompany this post was difficult because I had so many gorgeous shots to choose from. My favorite picture is at the top of this post. It’s a photo of Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the Cinque Terre, photographed in the late afternoon light.
The Cinque Terre are just a short distance, about 60 miles, from Genoa. Like Genoa, they’re in the Liguria region. The drive brought us through the hilly and fertile agricultural area of Levanto, which is known for producing olive oil and white wine. There are abundant groves of lemon, orange, tangerine, and almond trees. As we neared Monterosso, everyone was excited to get a glimpse of the Mediterranean.
When reached the town in the mid morning, it seemed relatively quiet.
Elena pointed out the flag flying from one of the boats in the harbor. It’s the tricolor (red, white, green) Italian flag plus the symbols of the four maritime republics: Genoa – red cross of St. George on a white field; Venice – the golden winged lion of St. Mark on a deep red field; Amalfi – a white Maltese cross on a blue field; Pisa – a white cross with flared ends on a red field.
She then led us on a brief tour of the historic area of the town. The most notable sight was Monterosso’s main church, the Church of St. John the Baptist. The church features a distinctive black and white striped façade that was a reminder of the Moorish influence. The black stone is serpentinite and the white stone is marble. Built in the latter half of the 13thcentury, it’s an example of Ligurian Gothic architecture. However, the interior of the church is new since it sustained a great deal of damage during several wars.
Another historic sight was the Santa Croce Oratory. The interior of the 15th century chapel is beautifully decorated. Notice the small model of a sailing ship that’s suspended in mid-air.
We had some time to explore the old town on our own. Not surprisingly, there were plenty of restaurants and shops catering to tourists. Since it was nearly lunchtime, the smell of fried fish pervaded the town.
At an enoteca in the old town, our group shared a selection of charcuterie, cheese, and salad for lunch. The three different bruschette (fresh tomato; olive spread; pesto) were my favorite items. The apricot crostata was also delicious.
Then we took a leisurely walk from Monterosso’s old town to the newer beach area where our hotel was located.
Later in the afternoon, we traveled by train to Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the Cinque Terre. Unlike Monterosso, the village of Riomaggiore is set on steep cliffs. We were constantly climbing up and down as we explored the village.
Historic sights included the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It was built in 1340.
The pastel colored houses that spilled down the cliffside glowed in the late day sunlight. (See the same photo that appears at the beginning of the post.)
From Riomaggiore, Elena led us along the coastal walkway called the Via dell’Amore that links Riomaggiore to the neighboring village of Manarola. This gave us a chance to view the distinctive coastal rock formations, made of deep-sea sandstone and claystone that were folded together millions of years ago.
In Manarola, a common sight was boats “parked” in front of houses.
Since I always seem to be hungry, I stopped for a wonderful octopus sandwich before we boarded the local train to take us back to Monterosso.
Before we continued our exploration of the Cinque Terre the next morning, I took an early walk along the shore in Monterosso. This large rock formation is known as Scoglio di Monterosso.
Then it was time to see the Cinque Terre from a different vantage point, i.e. from the water. We were able to get closeup views of the convoluted rock formations. In addition, Elena pointed out holes in the rockface that are entrances to tunnels (galleria means tunnel in Italian) that were dug in the late 1800s to enable workers to build the railroad. Until then, the only way to travel overland from one village to another was on a mule path.
Our boat docked at the tiny port at the foot of the village of Vernazza, another of the Cinque Terre, with a population of less than 300 people. It’s surrounded by terraced vineyards and olive groves.
In addition to the expected shops and restaurants, Vernazza has the 14th century Romanesque church of St. Margaret of Antioch that’s located adjacent to the sea.
There was time to explore the quieter side streets and to walk up to the 11th century Doria castle that’s perched on a rocky spur for wonderful views. Only the base of the massive fortress remains.
When we continued exploring the coast by boat, Elena pointed out where a landslide had recently taken place between the villages of Manarola and Corniglia. Such occurrences are fairly common. As a result, parts of the seaside walking path were closed until repairs could be made.
From the boat, I could clearly see how the houses of the Cinque Terre villages seemed to tumble down the steep hillsides.
Back in Monterosso, we enjoyed an al fresco lunch in the shade of a giant fig tree in the main square of the old town. We started once again with tomato and basil bruschetta that was bursting with fresh flavor. Likewise, the pasta with seafood was gustoso (Italian for delicious).
Later in the afternoon, after a break to support the local economy by shopping (a T-shirt and some silver earrings), I was ready to resume my explorations of Monterosso. Elena led some of us on a hike up to a monastery set high above the village. We enjoyed wonderful panoramic vistas bathed in golden sunlight.
Our group dinner that evening gave me the chance to try a specialty of the Ligurian region. Trofie is a traditional short twisted type of pasta that pairs perfectly with pesto alla Genovese. And the dessert, simply described as pistachio cheesecake, was spectacular.
On our last day in the area, we finally visited Corniglia, the smallest and least visited of the Cinque Terre. Located on a rocky promontory 300 feet above the sea, it can’t be reached by boat. To get there, we had to travel in 4x4 vehicles up steep and twisting 2-lane roads through the Cinque Terre National Park. Along the way, we passed terraced vineyards, olive groves, and rows of prickly pear cactus, brought to Europe from the Americas by the Spanish. Although Cinque Terre is in the north of Italy, its climate is close to that of Campania in the south, making it perfect for agriculture. However, people don’t raise animals because the terrain is too steep.
From our high elevation, we stopped to take photos of the coastal village of Vernazza before we reached Corniglia.
The village of Corniglia is tiny, with less than 200 residents. You can see in the photo below how it's set on a plateau high above the sea.
Because of its compact size, Corniglia was easy to explore.
The Church of San Pietro (Saint Peter) was built in the 14th century. The Ligurian Gothic façade features a marble rose window and the interior is ornately decorated in the Baroque style.
From the village’s Santa Maria Terrace, we had excellent views of the coast.
When we left Corniglia, we returned to the main road through the national park, stopping occasionally to take photos of the stunning views.
Shortly after noon, the road descended into the city of La Spezia, a major naval port. It’s also where the enormous cruise ships dock and disgorge passengers taking day trips to the Cinque Terre. Our destination was a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city where a typical Ligurian lunch was waiting for us. The meal began with an array of appetizers including focaccia with cheese and rosemary; bruschetta with artichoke cream and sundried tomatoes; bruschetta with caramelized onions and goat cheese; and spinach pie. The main course was an unusual and delicious dish of pumpkin polpetti stuffed with camorza (smoked cheese). For dessert, our hosts brought out wedges of crostata with a cherry jam filling. Of course, local wine accompanied the meal.
After that filling lunch, all I wanted for dinner on our last evening back in Monterosso was a simple pizza.
I’d love to see the Cinque Terre at a less crowded time of year – maybe in the winter? However, according to Elena, everything shuts down by November 2 and doesn’t reopen until a little before Easter. Despite the crowds, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience the incomparable beauty of the Italian Riviera.
Gorgeous photos. Thank you for sharing!
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