Perched along the mountainside overlooking the Ligurian Sea, Cinque Terre is a not-to-be-missed location. You may recognize its iconic imagery from travel books, documentaries, or the Pixar animated film “Lucca,” whose setting was based on this beautiful area.
Meaning “five lands,” Cinque Terre encompasses the five towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. All of these towns have distinct personalities. Each is connected to the sea except Corniglia, which is perched high on the mountaintop overlooking the water below. Here is a brief highlight of each town:
Riomaggiore
Located at the southernmost point of the Cinque Terre region, Riomaggiore is known for its iconic tower homes set along the river. Dating back to at least the 1200s, Riomaggiore is the largest of the five towns. Its pastel-hued houses climb the mountainside with an imposing castle gazing down from above.
Manarola
Famous for its wine, Manarola has a long history of agriculture. In fact, its name comes from the local dialect’s word for “mill wheel.” You can still see the mill wheel near the main street, directly below the church tower. Manarola’s tiny harbor and central piazza make it one of Cinque Terre’s most picturesque towns.
Corniglia
As mentioned, Corniglia is perched atop the mountain, overlooking the sea. To get there, you can climb the “Lardarina,” a staircase with over 300 steps, or you can catch the bus from the train station below. While Corniglia can be a little harder to get to, it is well worth the effort for its incredible and breathtaking views. Interestingly, Corniglia is a historic wine producer. Archaeologists have even found clay wine containers called “anforas” labeled with “gens Cornelia” (the Roman name for Corniglia) in the ruins of Pompeii.
Vernazza
An incredibly picturesque seaside town, Vernazza originally developed as a fortified city designed to defend against marauding pirates. Its narrow main street gives way to Cinque Terre’s only natural port, which is a beautiful place to enjoy a coffee or gelato in the afternoons. The view from the water is especially enchanting.
Monterosso
Monterosso is two-towns-in-one, with a small tunnel forming a natural divide between the new and old sections. It was completely isolated until the railway was built in the late 1800’s. Prior to this, the only way to access the town was by sea or mule trail. Visitors will be amazed by the giant statue of Neptune, which was sculpted in 1910 and has survived the passage of time, wars and many extreme weather events.
To Do
Cinque Terre has something for every kind of traveler. It is a wonderful place for water activities like kayaking and boating. If you’d like to explore the olive groves and vineyards between towns, just follow the area’s network of incredible hiking trails. Each town also boasts unique shopping opportunities and the culinary offerings are not to be missed. The region is especially well known for its focaccia bread, pesto pasta, anchovies, farinata di ceci (a savory chickpea-flour pancake), mussels, and be sure to get a paper cone full of fried seafood (“fritto misto”) with fresh lemon.
How to get there from Camp Darby:
The easiest way to get to Cinque Terre from Camp Darby is to drive to your local train station and catch the train. Most trains will take you to La Spezia Centrale, where you will transfer to another train bound for your desired Cinque Terre town. The Cinque Terre trains run between La Spezia and Levanto, so look for that route on the departures board (look for the word “partenze”) at the station. You can get tickets for the train at the station or at trenitalia.com/en.html.
*Remember, if you’re departing from the Pisa Train Station, you can park at the PisaMover parking lot and then ride the tram to the Pisa Train Station for only the cost of parking (usually only a few Euros) plus one Euro per additional passenger. You can see parking rates and details in English at https://pisa-mover.com/en/.
Cinque Terre Card
You have several options when it comes to visiting Cinque Terre. You can buy a train ticket directly to your desired town and back, plus individual tickets between towns. Or you can purchase a Cinque Terre Card, which allows you unlimited train rides between Cinque Terre towns for one-, two-, or three-day visits. You can buy the Cinque Terre Card online at card.parconazionale5terre.it/en.
If you’re planning to use certain hiking trails, you’ll also need a Cinque Terre Trekking Card, which is available at the same link. For more information on the Cinque Terre Cards, visit parconazionale5terre.it/Ecinque-terre-card.php.
For more information on Cinque Terre, visit discovertuscany.com/cinque-terre/.
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