Italy’s Cinque Terre on it’s Ligurian coast has been on our travel radar for several years. Touted as having spectacular beaches and challenging hiking trails, we decided we really should see it for ourselves.
Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the first Senate of the Italian Kingdom
This spring when we were in Turin (an overlooked but phenomenal city at the base of the Italian Alps), we hopped a high-speed train and headed south. We then changed trains in Genoa and took a smaller regional train to the Cinque Terre. Although we had only a few minutes between trains, it was an easy transition because we didn’t even have to change platforms.
Within a few minutes of leaving Genoa, we could see how difficult it must have been to build this railway system and lay the tracks. The route took us over high trestles that spanned valleys and through tunnels chiseled through mountain ranges. We seemed to float in the air one minute and then disappear into the side of the mountain the next. It is an amazing engineering marvel that has brought life and vitality to this previously isolated region.
An engineering marvel in the Cinque Terre
Feeling the train slow to a halt, we popped out of the last tunnel and arrived in the village of Monterosso al Mare, the northernmost village of Italy’s Cinque Terre on Italy’s Ligurian coast has been on our travel radar for several years. Touted as having spectacular beaches and challenging hiking trails, we decided we really should see it for ourselves.. We quickly gathered our belongings and exited the train.
Our mouths dropped open at our first sightings of this area. Gorgeous vistas of an idyllic seaside setting spread out before us. Steep hillsides covered with rock, thick brush, wild citrus, and olive groves, a beach with bright umbrellas and lounge chairs, and distant waves crashing against craggy cliffs and rock formations. It reminded me of a community living room in the middle of a sea-weathered oasis.
The beach area at Monterosso on the Cinque Terre in Italy
But it was the five little villages that cling to the wild coastline that stole our hearts. Stacked like chalk-colored Legos on rocky hillsides, they convey iconic Italy.
Riomaggiore, Italy is part of the Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Though these towns are not as isolated as they were before trains, little retail shops offer regional favorites like organic bath products, lemon specialties, and travel-sized containers of olive oil. Seafood restaurants with hand-written menus offer specialties made from local ingredients and the latest catch of the day. Locals, friendly and undeterred by visitors smitten with the natural beauty of the area, continue their workaday routines of fishing or cultivating the steep terraced gardens.
Terraced hillsides of the Cinque Terre are lined with vineyards and hiking trails.
Of the five villages, Vernazza was our favorite. It has a picturesque harbor that’s much smaller than Monterosso’s, except it’s more rugged. At the edge of the harbor, high atop the rugged cliffs, is an amazing 15th century Doria Castle with a lookout tower where you can see for miles. It’s a challenging climb, but well worth the effort.
Belforte Ristorante and Doria Castle in Vernazza, Italy
On the way back down from the Castle, be sure to stop at the Belforte Ristorante — you’ll be so glad you did. We had a wonderful and leisurely lunch on their patio, taking in the amazing mountain and seaside views and watching people climb the rock stairway to the tower. We didn’t know it at the time, but this place is shown on Rick Steves’ video about Vernazza.
Andrea at Belforte Ristorante in Vernazza, Italy
Inside the restaurant, there’s even a picture of Rick Steves and Andre, who was our wonderful and entertaining host.
Andrea and Shelli at Belfort Ristorante in Vernazza, Italy
Manarola and Riomaggiore are also adorable little villages. Manarola has a waterwheel and a lookout point where the iconic picture of the Cinque Terre was taken from. Riomaggiore is the southernmost village and was also one of our favorite villages. Walk through the village center, past the waterwheel, and up to the church where there’s a lookout point where you can see for miles. This is where some of the most famous pictures of the Cinque Terre are taken from.
Beautiful street in Manarola, Italy is part of the Cinque Terre
We were very happy with our accommodations in Monterosso, the Hotel Souvenir. Yes, I do love any décor that includes a purple loveseat, but beyond that, it’s a comfortable place to come home to after long days of exploring and hiking. And, they have an excellent breakfast that’s included with the price of the room. We stayed on the top floor, so we had good views of the hillsides and the Ligurian Sea.
Hotel Souvenir in Monterosso al Mare, Italy
When we opened the windows, we could smell the lemons growing on nearby trees. However, there’s no elevator. So, if you don’t want to drag your suitcases like we did, just ask for a room on the ground floor.
Monterosso on Italy’s Cinque Terre has a lot of excellent restaurants for such a tiny town and two of our favorite places are Emy’s Way and the Torre Aurora Mare Cucina.
Emy’s Way is informal, inexpensive, and the food is delicious. It’s also a fun place because Emy, the owner, is quite the friendly and outgoing soul who loves to serve people in his tiny restaurant. Emy’s has patio tables, too, so there’s always room for more people.
The Torre Aurora Mare Cucina is really a phenomenal place to enjoy a nice dinner. Although we aren’t meat eaters, we do splurge on occasion. And we had decided several months prior that the next time we were in Italy, we’d share a small Florentine-prepared steak.
Monterosso al Mare, Italy as viewed from Torre Aurora Restaurant.
And share, we did! We sat outside, enjoying the views of the Monterosso bay and the other villages is the distance. It was a phenomenal meal and the ambiance were a great send-off, as we were heading to Florence the next morning.
Corniglia, Italy on the left, Manarola in the middle and Riomaggiore on the right.
Have you been to Italy’s Cinque Terre? If so, what are your impressions of the region?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain
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