So You’re Going to Cinque Terre

We are going to be heading to Cinque Terre after the tourist season is over, so this is going to make things perhaps a little trickier but perhaps better? I would expect that we won’t be waiting in any lines and we won’t be fighting crowds but the trains only run once an hour during the off-season and some of the stores and restaurants will be closed, unfortunately.

What is Cinque Terre?

Cinque Terre is actually a national park and a UNESCO world heritage site. It consists of 5 Italian villages that are perched over the Mediterranean Sea. In order along the train from La Spezia those towns are:

• Riomaggiore
• Manarola
• Corniglia
• Vernazza
• Monterroso Al Mare

Villages of Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore

The first town on the list is Riomaggiore. Cinque Terre is well known for the wine produced in the area. The most famous wine from the region is Sciacchetra, a sweet, strong wine made from grapes that have been slightly dried over 50 days.

I wanted to try to get a tasting/tour at Terre Di Bargon but they only offer that on certain days and we weren’t going to be there at the right time. I think we might be able to see if they’re open for a glass of wine, but their website is not helpful. Either way, we should be able to try a glass of Sciacchetra in any number of wine bars throughout Cinque Terre.

If it’s early we can head to a bar for a cappuccino, because bars usually are open for coffee in the morning.

Manarola

Manarola is the second town as we head north. We will have to get off the train and into a tunnel for a walk to the town. Manarola has a small church built in 1338, Chiesa di San Lorezno. There is basically one main road that snakes through the town with restaurants, bars and shopping along it.

There is one offshoot road that goes north along the coast and leads to an overlook and a restaurant that I would really like to visit. Nessun Dorma is well known for their pesto, tagliere (charcuterie), and especially bruschetta. It has an amazing view of the sea from the terrazzo. Their hours are super short from 4:30 PM to 7 PM or 8 PM depending on the day, so this might not work out.

Corniglia

I suspect it is going to be difficult to do all of the towns in one day, and I assumed we would have to skip one or two. This is one I think we would want to skip. I didn’t find anything that made me think we had to go. But the number one reason not to go is the ridiculous number of steps from the train station to the town. It looks a little strenuous.

Vernazza

Vernazza is going to be super accessible as the train station is right smack dab in the center of town. While we definitely should visit as many enotecas (wine bars) as possible in Cinque Terre, there is a funky bar called the Monkey Artpub that I’d like to pop in for a visit.

The marina in Vernazza looks pretty awesome and has the Chiesa di Santa Margarita di Antioch right on it. The church is from the 14th century and hopefully the doors will be open and we can peak inside.

The most famous view in Cinque Terre is the view from the hiking trail overlooking the marina in Vernazza. We might manage to sneak up there if we have time.

Monterossa Al Mare

Monterossa Al Mare is the only one of the five towns that has a sandy beach. Like Vernazza, the train station is very close to the center of town and makes it very accessible. This area is much flatter than the other towns and actually has multiple streets rather than one narrow street in a valley. There are quite a few restaurants and shops that are in this town and we can probably just wonder around and see what we see.

Monterossa is separated into two parts by a large hill in between. On top of that hill is a monastery. Walking by the sea will be the best way to get around that hill. The area to the east has more restaurants and shops. The area to the west also has shops, but it also has a giant statue which is interesting.

Order of Operations

So in order to see as much as we can see, I think the optimal way to approach this is probably to go to Riomaggiore in the morning and then skip to Vernazza, then Monterossa Al Mare. If we have time, I would like to head back to Manarola to go to Nessun Dorma.

If we want to really simplify things, I think skipping to Vernazza and then going to Monterossa Al Mare makes sense. Those two towns will probably be the best two to visit.

This place is a major wine region, with a lot of wine styles that can only be experienced in Italy. We should do our best to visit as many enotecas as possible and hopefully get some tips from the store keepers.

We will always have to be mindful of the time, because we are off season in Cinque Terre and the trains will only come once an hour. Since there is a very good chance this turns into a high class pub crawl, someone needs to stay sober enough to get us to the damn trains on time.