Cinque Terre: attractions of the five lands

The unique place of Cinque Terre, located in the province of La Spezia, is very attractive for tourists from all over the world, and for Italians themselves. On its territory, which is the national park of Italy, five small communal villages are sheltered, descending along the rocky shores directly to the Ligurian Sea: Monterosso, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Manarola and Vernazza. By the way, translated from Italian, "Cinque Terre" and means "five lands."

Until the twentieth century, when tourists discovered the Cinque Terre, locals earned their living by winemaking and fishing, today the tourism business is well developed here - comfortable hotels, restaurants, taverns are opened, and transport links are organized.

It should be noted that car traffic is prohibited in the territory of the national park, only the village of Monterosso is an exception, while for the rest you can only travel on environmentally friendly local buses, and between villages - by train.

The climate of the Cinque Terre is favorable for relaxation

Villages Cinque TerreDue to its inaccessibility, they perfectly preserved their medieval appearance - bright 4-5-story houses, narrow streets, ancient sanctuaries, defensive structures created to protect against sea pirates.

All five lands are interconnected by picturesque paths - both simple and even, and quite difficult, rising high into the mountains, from where unique panoramic views of the Ligurian coast and wonderful coastal landscapes open.

The length of the most difficult route for the High Path is about 40 kilometers, it can be overcome in about 12 hours. On the lightest Cote d'Azur, all five villages can be leisurely walked around in 5 hours.

Love Trail - Cinque Terre's most famous landmark

Climate and weather

The climate of the Cinque Terre is quite favorable for relaxation - the summer is long and very warm, the winter is short, typical of the Mediterranean. There is almost no rainfall here - rainy Cinque Terre Weather It happens only in winter, and that is infrequent.

In the winter months, the temperature ranges from + 12 ° C during the day to + 4 ° C at night, the thermometer’s column drops extremely rarely below zero. In summer, the air sometimes warms up to + 40 ° C, but due to the proximity of the sea the heat is not exhausting.

How to get to the Cinque Terre

There is no airport in the town, so you can get to it only by rail from Genoa or La Spezia. The train from Genoa goes to Riomaggiore, where the train station is located, for about two hours. You can get to Cinque Terre from La Spezia much faster - the road to Riomaggiore takes no more than 10 minutes.

You can only get to the Cinque Terre by rail

A train also runs between the villages, but if time permits, it is much more pleasant to walk on foot: for example, the road from Riomaggiore to Manarola takes about 20 minutes, from Corniglia to Vernazza - about 1.5 hours.

Hotels

The choice of hotels in the resort is quite wide - there are both cozy inexpensive hotels and luxurious apartments that can satisfy even the most demanding travelers.

Many Cinque Terre hotels They are located in ancient medieval houses built on the shore - from the balconies and terraces there are magnificent views of the sea. An excellent and detailed selection of hotels in Chiqua Terre with photos, reviews and the possibility of booking can be found here.

What to see in the Cinque Terre and the surrounding area

The most famous Landmark Cinque Terre - The path of love connecting Riomaggiore and Manarola. A beautiful legend is connected with this path, the length of which is only two kilometers - of course, about love, in the middle of the way you will certainly see a monument to unfortunate lovers who died due to hostility of the inhabitants of two villages.

The majestic statue of Neptune sitting on a rock with a huge shell on his shoulders

In Riomaggiore, tourists are offered to see the ruins of a castle built to protect against Saracen raids back in the days of the Genoese Republic. Unfortunately, to date, only two towers are well preserved.

In the village of Monterosso, too, a lot of interesting things. Firstly, the majestic statue of Neptune, sitting on a rock with a huge shell on his shoulders - once there was a dance floor in this shell, but during the Second World War the sculpture was badly damaged by bombing, and then by storms. Nevertheless, the huge statue still impresses today.

Second attraction Monterosso - Aurora tower, one of the three towers left from the medieval fortress. The tower stands on the border of the old and new cities, from it you can see the ruins of the castle, and the village, and the panorama of the sea.

In Monterosso, there is the Capuchin Monastery, as well as the Church of St. Francis, which houses many religious paintings by famous Italian artists, including Anthony van Dyck.

From the tower of Aurora you can see the ruins of a medieval castle

What else to see in the Cinque Terre? Of course, the Wine Museum in Manarola! The museum, located in the homeland of noble white wines, is dedicated to the shaketra - wine made from grapes grown on the rocky terraces caressed by the sun, hanging over the sea.

In the museum you can familiarize yourself with the history of wine production, take part in tastings, as well as purchase a bottle or two.

Not far from Manarola are the wine cellars of the Agrarian Cooperative, where you can taste the best wines, as well as stroll through the vineyards.

Inspect the surroundings of Corniglia better from the stairs of Lardarin

To explore the surroundings of Corniglia - the highest mountain village of the Cinque Terre, it is better from the stairs of Lardarin. Of course, to overcome 377 steep stone steps is not easy, but the efforts are worth it - from a height of 100 meters above sea level, beautiful views are opened.

Vernazza is famous for its religious monuments - in the very center of the town is the church of St. Margaret of Antioch, a little further - the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary, as well as several old chapels.

Beaches

The coast of the resort town is very rocky and steep, so there are not many beaches here. Most beaches of the Cinque Terre - pebble, the exception is only the beaches in Monterosso - sandy and relatively flat. There is also a nudist beach - it is located near Corniglia, you can get on it through an abandoned railway tunnel.