I’m sure you have already heard about the famous Cinque Terre in the northwest of Italy. Do you also know that Cinque Terre is a protected national park and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Clearly, Cinque Terre is a very special place that you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. The only downside is that it gets too crowded during summer.
The easiest way to visit all five villages of Cinque Terre is by the regional train line called Cinque Terre Express that goes back and forth. If you take the train in Monteresso, you will first arrive to Vernazza, then Corniglia, Manarola and finally Riomaggiore.
Monterosso Al Mare is the largest one of the Cinque Terre villages and also the easiest one to visit and also swim. It has a very long beach with side by side orange and blue coloured umbrellas and deck chairs. What I like about Italian beaches is that they separate each beach with umbrellas and deck chairs in different colours. It makes such a nice view.
Monterosso’s symbol is “Il Gigante”, which is a huge concrete statute of Neptune (the Sea God) built in the early 1900s. It was unfortunately damaged a lot during World War II bombings and sea storms. There are many cafes and restaurants overlooking the sea and a promenade where you can walk along without being disturbed by the traffic and take photographs of the beautiful beach.
There are actually two parts of this town, the old one and the new one. The seaside is the new town and you can go to the old town by walking through the under ground tunnel. The old town looks like any other small village in this area with pastel coloured buildings, cute little shops and restaurants.
Monterosso
Vernazza is considered the most beautiful one of the Cinque Terre villages. It is true that the view of Vernazza is like a postcard with the Santa Margherita di Antiochia Church overlooking the little port.
Vernazza
There is a very nice restaurant in Manarola called Da Aristide (Via Antonio Discovolo, 19017) with a small balcony on the street side. We had the best octopus and potato salad in this restaurant.
The famous Via dell’Amore (Lovers’ Lane) starts in Riomaggioreand leads to Manarola. Unfortunately this lane has been closed due to safety concerns and is expected to reopen in 2021.
Manarola
Manarola
