Exploring Cinque Terre, Italy

With so much stunning coastline to explore in Italy, it can be difficult to choose where to visit. While the southern coasts, like Positano and Sorrento, offer long, beautiful stretches of beaches, the northern coastline is much more rugged and dramatic. Cinque Terre, in particular, is a destination that’s hard to forget. If you’ve ever had the chance to visit, you’ll know just how captivating this charming region is.

The name "Cinque Terre" literally translates to "Five Towns." From south to north, these towns are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. If you're planning your trip, you’ll likely want to visit them all, but staying in one of the towns for a few nights is the perfect way to soak in the beauty and atmosphere. We stayed in Riomaggiore, the first town in the series, and it quickly became one of our favorite spots along the coast. It’s the ideal place to unwind and enjoy the coastal views.

Arriving in Cinque Terre is an adventure in itself, and the journey starts with a train ride from Florence to the town of La Spezia. From there, you can easily catch a local train that stops at all five towns of Cinque Terre. On this particular day, however, it was lightly raining, and with too much luggage to carry around, we opted for a cab. While the train is definitely the more affordable option, the cab ride offered us stunning coastal views along the winding roads—well worth the extra cost.

By the time we arrived, it was lunchtime, and we were hungry for a taste of the familiar. We headed straight to the same restaurant we’d visited 11 years ago, happy to see it still standing strong. We sat in the outdoor café, feeling incredibly grateful to be back in this beautiful part of Italy and excited for the adventures that awaited us.

A view looking up the street with our little cafe Bar Centrale on the left. This was early June before the tourist season really got rolling.

Since we were in an Airbnb we had a small kitchen. So we stopped at the most adorable Wine Shop to pick up some wine and some snacks to have in our apartment.

“Home sweet home.” After many weeks of traveling we took advantage of the washing machine and then hung our clothes to dry on the line. Look who’s doing the laundry!

Now it was time to explore the other towns of Cinque Terre. One of the unique things about this area is how the train stations are perched right on the edge of the sea—something you won't find in many places around the world. Stepping off the train and being greeted by the sound of waves crashing nearby creates an unforgettable experience. It’s one of those little details that makes Cinque Terre so special and unlike anywhere else.

The Five Towns

The train will take you to all 5 towns, which is the easiest way to get around. There are also hiking trails for the brave. We have another post with our Cinque Terre hiking adventures.

(Map credit: Cinque Terre EU.com)

If you are staying a bit in Cinque Terre do you research on how to best get around. We bought the Cinque Terre Pass for 2 days. It covers unlimited train rides, admission to the hiking trails (and they do have checkpoints!) and the local busses. It’s a very good value for the money. We also noticed that all of the trains were brand new and very modern, making the quick ride between towns very smooth.

The second town going north is Manarola. It is the second smallest town. It is also noted to be the oldest. With the small church in town having roots back to the 14th century. On this day we just made a quick stop here as we were anxious to see the other towns.

The pastel houses seemingly hang tight to the cliffs they have sat on for many years.

Like all of the villages of Cinque Terre, the only way to explore is to get out and walk. No taxi traffic through here!

Find any open spot to enjoy the beach!

In all of the towns, like Manarola, beach goers, simply laid their towels out near the water. It looked like a good way to cool off on a hot summer day. Since we didn’t have our swimsuits, we hopped the train for the next town.

Corniglia is the third town heading north. It is the only one of the 5 towns that does not have beach access from the town.

This is how you get from the train station into town. You hike up the switchback of stairs! It is said to be the equivalent of 33 flights.

The very narrow streets wind all around the town. Inside the little doorways are restaurants, hotels and cute little shops.

The narrow streets open to a very small piazza with a little church called Oratorio dei Disciplinati di Santa Caterina. Compared to the ornate churches that dominate Italy this one was a bit plain. It also was not as ancient as so many, having been built in the 18th century, but still added to the charm of the town.

Next was a stop for lunch in a small cafe. One of the most famous foods of this region is anchovies. Don’t think of the US version of anchovies in a can. The fisherman of this area are experts in catching this small fish and the restaurants know how to serve them. We chose one of the traditional ways to eat anchovies, simply marinated in olive oil and lemon. They were so fresh and so delicious. Of course we had to then to have a margarita pizza. It was delicious as well.

The last stop of the day was Vernazza, the fourth town heading north. Like the other towns in Cinque Terre, Vernazza is completely free of car and bus traffic, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the charm and serenity of the area. If you're a fan of the Disney movie Luca, you might recognize some similarities—Luca was inspired by the Cinque Terre region. The photo below really captures the essence of the fictional town of "Portorosso" featured in the movie, with its colorful buildings and picturesque harbor. It’s easy to see how this enchanting area could spark such creative inspiration.

Unlike Corniglia, Vernazza sits right on the water. There are a lot of picturesque cafes right along the sea where you will definitely see people out enjoying the area.

After checking out the area around the water, next, hike up to get a view of the church named, Church of St. Margaret of Antioch. The church itself is very small, with the octagon tower overlooking the chapel.

This church was built sometime between the 11th and 13th century. Researching shows conflicting dates. It was expanded at least once after that. On this very warm day, the church was cool inside the thick ancient stone walls.

After exploring Vernazza, it was time to head back to our "home" in Riomaggiore. Using the Trainline app on our phones, we were able to check the train schedule and reduce our wait time at the station. The ride back through the three towns only took about 10 minutes, winding along the beautiful coastline and weaving through tunnels—such a scenic and quick journey.

But you might be wondering, why didn’t we visit the fifth town, Monterosso? This townis famous for its sandy beaches, and we didn’t want to miss that! We spent the following day lounging at the beautiful beach there. If you're curious about how we hiked the towns and then enjoyed a day of relaxation by the sea, check out our post: HERE

Back to Riomaggiore. It was a great day exploring four of the five towns in Cinque Terre. We were glad to have this time here, as the little towns become very quiet in the evening, after all the day-trippers head back into the cities. I would highly recommend a few nights stay in any of the five towns in Cinque Terre!

The Last of the Five Towns

Want to see a hike and a day spent at the beach in Monterosso? Click: HERE