07 - The 5 best coastal towns in the Cinque Terre, number 4 will shock you!

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The next stop on our trip is the Cinque Terre, a picturesque coastal national park in the Italian Riviera, south-east of Genoa. The region consists of a number of towns but is famed for it’s 5 coastal towns, hence the name that translates to “5 Lands”.

The towns can be accessed by road, but with the long narrow winding roads and notoriously sparse parking opportunities, they are best accessed by train. This meant that Trevor was given a break and dutifully parked at La Spezia train station as we hopped on the train to our home for the next 4 days in the Cinque Terre.

As well as the train, the towns are linked by a series of well marked hiking trails that wind through the hillside. Through a combination of train and walking, Melissa and I made our way around the towns, exploring what each had to offer.

1: Riomaggiore

(referred to by Melissa as “Reo-maj-wah-wah”)

The first of the 5 towns coming from the south, Riomaggiore offers a hillside town with a picturesque harbour adorned by colourful buildings that were specifically built with the future postcard trade in mind. Melissa is still keen to point out the room in the yellow building on the front that she stayed in when she was here with Pegah 7 years ago.

Sadly, following a series of landslides in 2011 (coinciding with Melissa’s last visit here), the main hiking trail into Riomaggiore is still closed. This didn’t stop Matt and Vanessa from hiking the high route into the town 12 months ago, with a quick stop for Matt to propose on the way there. Melissa and I aren’t quite at that stage in our relationship, so we took the train.

Top dining tip: buy a pizza from the man by the train station, though be prepared for a long wait while he yells Italian profanities at his young cashier for taking too many orders. Enjoy an al fresco dining experience and eat your pizza down in the harbour.

2: Manarola

(referred to by me as “um, the one between Riomaggiore and Corniglia”)

Read above. Beautiful colourful buildings and a lovely harbour. It may be similar to Riomaggiore, but you can never have too much of a good thing.

Top dining tip: head to Nessun Dorma, a small hillside bar on the hiking trail into Manarola from Corniglia that provides a welcome glass of wine after a long hike. Be careful, they offer you a complimentary charcuterie board that means you are able to justify sharing a bottle of wine at 3pm. Thanks to Katherine for the recommendation.

3: Corniglia

(referred to as “the boring one on the hill”)

The middle town of Corniglia isn’t the most glamorous due to the absence of a harbour and is at the top of a hill which is cruel to those that have decided to hike there. It’s much quieter than the other towns as the swimming spots are at the bottom of the hill and the train station isn’t directly connected to the town.

Top dining tip: enjoy the classic combo of bread, prosciutto and cheese on the steps down to the beach while trying to evade the wasps.

4: Vernazza

(referred to as “Vernazza”)

Our temporary home in the Cinque Terre was also our favourite. The town has the now familiar colourful buildings, winding streets and beautiful harbour but has more of a buzz without feeling too touristy. Plus, the wealth of Gelateria’s there did their job in keeping Melissa happy.

Vernazza is in the middle of the spectacular hiking routes to Manarola (via Corniglia) one way and Monterosso the other (spoiler, Monterosso is number 5 in this list) and has a convenient train station that makes for a great place to base yourself to see all of the towns mentioned here.

Top dining tip: Restaurant Belforte, an old fort on the edge of the harbour (where all good forts are) has a stunning view of the sunset and eccentric Italian waiters that sing the James Bond theme tune to you if you book in the name of “James”. The squid ink spaghetti and zucchini and prawn tagliatelle were exquisite. Watch out for young couples proposing at the “lovers table” as this could put unwanted pressure on your relationship.

5: Monterosso al Mare

(referred to as “the big one at the end with all the tourists”)

While still beautiful, Monterosso is by far the biggest of the 5 towns in the Cinque Terre and therefore doesn’t carry the same old world quaint feel that the other towns do. Monterosso benefits from a number of large beaches, something the others do not. However, in peak season, 95% of the beach is privately owned by entrepreneurial locals renting you their beds and umbrellas. This means that if you don’t want to pay €20 for half an hours use, you are destined to fight with the other peasants at the small sections of the beach available to the public. Bloody capitalism.

Monterosso is a lovely beachside town nonetheless and still worth a visit. The size of the town means there are more options for accommodation and dining, however if you can find a spot in one of the smaller towns you’ll be rewarded with a more intimate and traditional setting.

Top dining tip: we enjoyed a great cup of coffee and focaccia at “Bar Focacceria Antonio” at the very western edge of the town.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS TIP FROM MELISSA!

Don’t forget to bring your practical (dorky) rock shoes so that you’re the envy of all other beach goers that painfully clamber over the rocks and stoney beach to swim. Shoutout to Melissa’s Mum, Sue, who persisted in gifting these despite initial resistance. Melissa now wants to wear them regardless and took some persuading to change into some more suitable footwear for dinner. This may become an issue.

We had a fantastic time in the Cinque Terre with a good mix of hiking, swimming, pasta, pizza and generally soaking in the age old atmosphere in each of these special towns. We returned to La Spezia to pick up Trevor and move on to our next destination by Lake Bracciano in the Lazio region of Italy. All roads lead to Rome...

J & M