Cinque Terre, Italy
The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of five small fishing villages set against cliffs, along the Ligurian coast, near the city of Genoa, Italy. To reach the first town, you will need to take the train to La Spezia. From La Spezia take the local train towards Sestri Levante. Riomaggiore is the first stop. The towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso are best reached by train. The Cinque Terre is a National Park and the Cinque Terre train card includes unlimited travel and use of the Eco buses. Alternatively, there are also boats that provide transport from La Spezia to the towns during certain months. Click here for more information. We arrived by cruise to the port of Livorno, hired a taxi to La Spezia and purchased the train pass for about 8 Euros. The train pass also provides free entrance into La Spezia museums. |
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It's possible to visit all the villages in one day. I would recommend starting with the last one Monterosso and work you way back. We also avoided the crowds going in the same direction. Don't forget to take a picture of the current train schedule because it can be confusing trying to remember which stop you're at.
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Monterosso Al Mare
At Monterosso, we stopped to play in the water and had ice cream along the boardwalk where some hotels are located. This may be a good place to spend the night if you have more than a day to enjoy this area. It is the only one of the villages that has a beach. Historical places to visit here are Torre Aurora, the tallest watchtower to defend it from attack by pirates, Castello, an ancient fortress which is now the town cemetery, the Church of San Francesco, a monastery built in the 17th century, and the Villa Montale, where Eugenio Montale wrote some of his greatest poems (he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1975). |
Vernazza
Vernazza was a fortified town from 1080 used to defend from pirates. It is consider the truest of fishing villages with no access by vehicles. It is famous for elegant homes and wine production. The creation of the Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia of Vernazza took place in the 10th century and the church is located at the waterfront. The church is unique for its east-facing entryway with an octagonal bell tower rising from the apse area. Manorola We stopped at Manarola for lunch and walked to the end of the road to watch the divers jump off the rocks into the water. It was so appealing that we climbed down the water and also jumped in as the locals encouraged us to join them! Riomaggiore On our way back to Riomaggiore, we walked through "Via dell′Amore", the trail linking to Riomaggiore. The views from the trail are spectacular and very romantic. |
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We reached this town on a cruise ship with only one day in the port of Livorno. We had to make a choice between the Cinque Terre and the museums in Florence. We like cruises because we can leave our luggage and belongings safe on the ship, in addition to having more affordable accommodations and meals compared to a staying in a hotel or being on a road trip through each country. The downside is having to choose between the best places to visit and making sure you're back at the port in time for the ship to leave, preferably with you on board!