The Cinque Terre, meaning five lands in Italian, offers visitors five charming villages along the coast of the Ligurian Sea. It has a distinctly relaxed Mediterranean feel, and you can’t help but sink into holiday mode. I had a busy summer that year: volunteering one month to recover victims of the Spanish Civil War, living one month in Madrid, travelling to Italy to visit the Cinque Terre, then spending another month at an archaeology field school in Tuscany, travelling to Rome, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast, and then returning to Spain before going back to school in Canada. As you can imagine it was a summer that flew by in a blur of activity. The Cinque Terre was not only a highlight, but a pleasant respite from the physical labour and long days of archaeology. It was a moment to sit back, and enjoy life. Here, you’ll find it easy to fall in love with Italy, but especially with the alluring lifestyle of the Cinque Terre. These are my top five reasons you may not want to leave.
1. The Absence of Cars
For me, a big selling feature of any destination is a lack of cars. This might seem like a strange desire, but one year, after spending a week in Venice and then travelling to Forence, I had an epiphany. Cars really detract from the travel experience. They are loud, dangerous, increase feelings of rushing and anxiety, they pollute… Must I go on? The Cinque Terre is free of cars and that makes it special. We have so few options these days where we can escape vehicular traffic. In the Cinque Terre, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You leave the cars behind in La Spezia, where you can board a train that takes you to the peace and tranquility of Riomaggiore, the first of the five villages.
How does one get from one village to the next? You have a couple of options. You can walk. The five villages are small and there are walking trails between the villages. Note that some years there are landslides that cause the walking trails to close. The other option is to take the train. Trains run frequently between the villages and it is easy to move around that way. You should note that this is rugged coastline, and even if you take the train, there will be elevation changes that you will have to face on foot. Arriving at Corniglia, the third village from south to north, even by train, you will still have to climb 382 steps to get to the village itself.
2. The Colours
If you’ve ever seen pictures of the Cinque Terre, and in the era of Instagram I’m sure you have, you’ve seen the variety of colours the area has to offer. Since I visited the Cinque Terre in my pre-Instagram life, I’m not sure how the app has changed the tourism landscape, i.e. it’s probably a lot busier than it used to be with tripod-wielding photographers and selfie-sticks galore.
I am a big fan of warm colour choices and there’s no shortage of that here. The houses are vibrant pinks and yellows, sunset shades that contrast with the verdant hillsides and the deep blues of the sea. You will even encounter bright oleander along the walking trails to frame your photos of the coastal villages. There is nothing muted about the palette and nothing blends into the background. It’s colourful here in every sense, and that’s a perfect reason to visit.
3. The Sea
If no cars is an appealing feature for me, then the sea is an even bigger attraction. I love the water. The sound of the waves breaking against the shore, the fresh sea breeze, the feeling of a vast expanse where the water stretches to the horizon. The sea may hold certain dangers, but it has the capacity to bewitch observers as much as any sight.
We stayed in Riomaggiore, using it as a base from which to explore the other villages. The beach at Riomaggiore is beautiful, but treacherous, composed of large rocks and pebbles on which algae accumulates. I swam here on several occasions, trying not to slip as I entered the water. Finally, seeing me struggle to get into the water, a man called out in I’m not sure what language, but I understood his sentiment. “Just get in!” There’s no wading slowly out to sea at Riomaggiore. You get in the first chance you get or the waves will knock you down on the rocks. I watched this happen, and it wasn’t pretty.
If the rock beach doesn’t appeal to you, there are many other beaches along the coast of the Cinque Terre. From hidden coves to expanses of sandy beach having rows of sun loungers with matching umbrellas. If you want the traditional, standard Italian beach experience, the last village, Monterosso is the place for you.
If you are seeking a more natural, undevelopped environment, then try Corniglia. On the north side of the village, there are stairs that take you down to a secluded cove where you can swim in the sea in a pristine area. It’s a bit rocky as well, but it makes up for it in beauty as the water close to the shore is a stunning turqoise colour.
4. The Views
Whether you’re perched up above one of the villages of the Cinque Terre, or right down along the water’s edge, the views here are spectacular. There’s something about a rugged coastline that speaks directly to your senses, the wild winds whipping at your hair, the sheer drop over the cliff that makes your heart beat a little faster, or that sense of freedom and scale as you look out from the highest point at the faint figures far below.
All along the coast you’ll find something that will astonish you and make you reach once more for your camera. Looking inland, you’ll see the vineyards, terraced and organized on the sloping hills. Looking back from where you’ve come, you’ll see the colourful village you’ve just visited, it’s port sparkling in the sunlight, the little fishing boats shifting gently on the waves. The views of the Cinque Terre do not disappoint. You may as well keep your camera accessible.
5. The Terraces Al Fresco
If you read my Italy at home post from the Travel from Home Series, you’ll know I love dining al fresco in Italy. With the views I’ve just mentioned, how can you not take a seat under a colourful umbrella, sip an Aperol Spritz, and relax Mediterranean style?
It’s been so many years since I visited the Cinque Terre that I don’t remember many specifics about the food we ate or where we ate it. I know we ate many meals on the main street in Riomaggiore near our hotel, but the details have grown hazy and my memories vague. I do, however, remember that we stopped in at Ristorante La Posada, a restaurant with a garden terrace in Corniglia, after climbing all those hundreds of stairs from the train station to the village.
Certainly you will deserve many breaks for food and drink on the patios of the Cinque Terre with all the walking you will undoubtedly do here. Embrace the lifestyle and let yourself fall in love with these beautiful villages.
One Tip for your stay in the Cinque Terre
Visiting the Cinque Terre is quite straight forward and doesn’t require a lot of know-before-you-go information. However, one tip that saved us time and effort was, if you have lots of luggage, stay at a hotel near the train station. I had a large suitcase and needed to drag it uphill to our hotel in Riomaggiore. Luckily, we stayed quite close to the station at Hotel Zorza. If you are backpacking, you will have more options, but luggage-burdened people like me will want to make things easy! If you are concerned about luggage, check some of the trip forums about the Cinque Terre where you can find further tips on baggage and hotels. Although I said there are no cars (and mostly there aren’t any), there are a few villages where you can arrive by car and park at a hotel. This is another option.
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I agree. The best thing about Cinque Terre are the views. I spent most afternoon over a long lunch al fresco with my share of Aperol spritzs.
That sounds absolutely ideal right now!