What is the Cinque Terre?

Five miles of spectacular rocky coast, two promontories, thousands of kilometers of dry walls built on terraces cultivated with vineyards, five medieval fishing villages built on rock…add to this the incredible color of the sea and the sky, and you may understand what the Cinque Terre is.

Monterosso, Vernazza, Cornaglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are their names.

Each village is unique in its own way; all are part of a national park system protected by UNESCO since 1997. Inaccessible until fairly recently, in spite of tourism, the Cinque Terre have kept the charm that make them so special.

This is a delightful itinerary, one that you can either do on your own or with the assistance of a tour guide.

If you want to explore the five towns on your own, your driver will pick you up and take you first to the lovely Portovenere and from here to Manarola. He will then drop you off and make arrangements to pick you up in the afternoon in one of the villages.

If you prefer, you can have a guide meet you in Carrara and drive with you along the panoramic road that goes to Manarola.

The views from here are wonderful! You will have a short break in Manarola and then you will continue along the famous “Via dell’Amore” until you reach Riomaggiore. Don’t forget to bring your camera! The panorama from this paved walking path, is something you will want to remember forever! You will then take a local train to Monterosso, where you will visit the village and have some free time for lunch.

Afterwards, board a ferry to go to Portovenere, passing by the villages of Vernazza, Cornaglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, which you will visit and have some free time for souvenir shopping. Make sure you taste the delicious “focaccia Genovese”!

At La Spezia, your driver will be waiting for you to bring you back to your accommodation.