Le Cinque Terre
Monday, April 19 to Thursday, April 22
Benvenuti alle Cinque Terre!
Five little fishing villages tucked into the cliffs along the Italian Riviera, connected by trails, trains, and boats. No cars, no rush. We’ll spend three nights in Monterosso, the biggest village with the only real sandy beach, and spend our days hiking between villages, sipping local wine, and learning to make pesto where it was born.
Pack light enough to roll your own bag and bring your walking shoes!
The Italian Riviera, Giorno per Giorno
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About 9:15 AM: Two taxis from the apartment to Termini.
About 9:57 AM: Direct InterCity train to Monterosso (about 4 hours). Grab sandwiches at Termini for the ride.
About 2:00 PM: Arrive in Monterosso. There are no cars or taxis here, so we’ll walk from the station to the apartment, about 10 to 15 minutes flat along the seafront to the old town.
Afternoon: Check in, hit the beach, and wander the old town. Then walk up San Cristoforo hill to the Capuchin monastery, the Church of San Francesco, and the cemetery at the top (free; about 15 minutes up stone steps). The views over Monterosso and the coast are worth every step.
Evening: Sunset aperitivo, then dinner in the old town.
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9:00 AM: Train from Monterosso to Corniglia (about 10 min). From the station, take the shuttle bus up to the village or climb the 382 Lardarina steps.
Coffee in Corniglia: The quietest village, perched high on the cliff.
About 10:00 AM: Hike Corniglia to Vernazza (1.5 to 2 hours). A steady climb, then a descent with great views back over Corniglia.
About 12:30 PM: Lunch at La Torre, right on the trail just above Vernazza, overlooking the harbor.
After lunch: Walk down into Vernazza for the harbor and gelato.
About 2:30 PM: Wine tasting at CheO, a small family winery bringing Vernazza’s old terraced vineyards back to life. They’re closed Wednesdays, so Tuesday is our day.
Then choose your own adventure:
Keep hiking: Vernazza to Monterosso (1.5 to 2 hours). Leave around 3:45 PM to get in by about 5:30.
Done hiking: Take the ferry back to Monterosso (about €7, 15 min). It doubles as our boat ride! The train takes 4 minutes if the boat isn’t running.
Evening: Dinner in Monterosso.
Tip: We’ll need a Cinque Terre Train Card today. It covers the train to Corniglia and both trail stretches. If the trail is closed or it’s raining, we’ll swap Tuesday and Wednesday.
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About 9:45 AM: Train from Monterosso to Manarola (about 15 min).
10:30 AM: Pesto Experience at Nessun Dorma. We’ll make pesto the Ligurian way, then sit down to a big lunch of burrata, prosciutto, bruschetta, and focaccia with wine.
Afternoon, pick and choose:
Stroll out to Punta Bonfiglio for the classic postcard view back over Manarola.
Walk the flat Via dell’Amore to Riomaggiore and back (€10 add-on to a Cinque Terre card; timed entry).
Head back to Monterosso to rest or hit the beach.
Dinner: Trattoria dal Billy, at the top of Manarola up the lanes from the church square. Seafood and big sea views.
After dinner: Train back to Monterosso (about 15 min).
Rain plan: Swap the hike and Manarola days, or make Pisa a day trip (about 1.5 hours each way).
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Morning: Train to Florence via La Spezia (2.5 to 3 hours).
Optional Pisa stop: Store bags at Pisa Centrale, see the Leaning Tower (the tower climb is €20), and catch a later train to Florence (about 1 hour).
Il Meglio delle Cinque Terre
Life on the Riviera
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Limoncello: Monterosso is lemon country, and the whole town throws a lemon festival every May. Look for small-batch bottles made right in the village.
Lemon everything: Lemon soaps, candies, and lemon-scented treats make easy, light gifts.
Sciacchetrà: The Cinque Terre’s rare golden dessert wine, made from grapes dried after harvest. It takes a lot of grapes to make a little wine, so it’s pricey, but you won’t find it anywhere else.
Cinque Terre DOC white wine: Crisp, local, and grown on those impossibly steep terraces.
Monterosso anchovies: The village is famous for them. Look for jars of anchovies packed in salt or oil to take home.
Pesto from the source: Pick up a jar of Ligurian pesto, or the makings: pine nuts and good local olive oil. Pack jars in your checked bag.
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Pesto: It was born here in Liguria. Order it with trofie (little twisted pasta) or trenette, often tossed with potatoes and green beans.
Focaccia: Liguria’s pride and joy. Thin, salty, and soaked in olive oil. Breakfast, snack, or lunch, there’s no wrong time.
Acciughe: Monterosso’s famous anchovies, served fried, stuffed, marinated in lemon, or tossed with pasta. Even if you think you don’t like anchovies, try them here.
Fritto misto in a paper cone: Fried calamari, shrimp, and little fish, eaten on the go while you walk the harbor.
Muscoli ripieni: Stuffed mussels, a specialty of nearby La Spezia.
Farinata: A thin, crispy chickpea flatbread baked in a wood oven.
Pansoti with walnut sauce: Stuffed pasta with a creamy walnut sauce, a Ligurian classic.
Lemon gelato: Made with the local lemons. Perfect after a long hike.
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The terraces: Every hillside is carved into stone-walled terraces for grapes and olives, built by hand over centuries. There are thousands of kilometers of dry stone walls here, and it’s a big part of why the Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The little monorails: Look up the hillsides for tiny rack rails. Farmers use them to haul grapes up and down terraces too steep to walk with a load.
Colorful houses: Each village is painted in bright pinks, yellows, and oranges. The story goes that fishermen could spot their own house from the sea.
Il Gigante: A giant statue of Neptune carved into the rocks on Monterosso’s Fegina beach, near the train station. It was built in 1910 and damaged by bombs and storms, but he’s still holding up the cliff.
Corniglia, the odd one out: It’s the only one of the five villages not right on the water, perched 100 meters up the cliff instead.
Vernazza’s castle: The old Doria Castle tower above the harbor was built to watch for pirates.
The Via dell’Amore: The “Path of Love” between Manarola and Riomaggiore was closed for 12 years after a landslide and only reopened in 2024. Look for the love locks along the way.
Lemon trees everywhere: Gardens, terraces, and courtyards. April is a beautiful time to see them.
Casa Dolce Casa (Home Sweet Home)
Placeholder for the Monterosso apartment: address, check-in time, and walking directions from the station.