Last Updated on February 24, 2023
The five fishing villages on the Italian Riviera – known as Cinque Terre – are located in the beautiful region of Liguria. They are known for their colourful house facades, steep vineyards and small harbours with anchored fishing boats. The picturesque national park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
Since then many tourists have arrived and it’s been a bit crowded. Nevertheless they haven’t lost their beauty yet, which I tried to portray in the following photo diary.
1. Monterosso
This village was the first of our itinerary and at the same time the biggest of Cinque Terre. Arriving at the train station, we caught the first glimpse of the blue Mediterranean Sea and as we stepped out, the stone beach with its many beach loungers and umbrellas stretched out right in front of us. It was still early in the morning and due to the clouds not many people were there.
We strolled along the shore and the path eventually led us to a second smaller bay with small fishing boats and another beach. In the background, colourful houses were nestled in the vine-covered green hills.
2. Vernazza
From Monterosso we took the train to the next picturesque village of Cinque Terre – Vernazza. This village is also characterised by colourful Italian houses along vineyards on the steep coast.
There is no beach here, but there is a small harbour with fishing boats at anchor. The city center is full of little restaurants and shops offering local pasta, spices and fruits.
We also hiked up to a little view point from where we discovered a beautiful church surrounded by vineyards.
From Vernazza there is the possibility to hike to the next Village – Corniglia. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that much time, so we took the train again.
3. Corniglia
The third village is the only one, that is not built on sea level, but instead you have to climb up many stairs to reach the beautiful center on the hill. Finally we arrived on top and the path to the village led us along grapevines and lemon trees. After that we found ourselves in a little square with little fruit shops and restaurants and a stunning view of the surrounding hills and the sea. So we decided to take a coffee break admiring the view there, while it unfortunately started to rain.
4. Manarola
Manarola was probably next to Vernazza one of my favorites of the Cinque Terre. After getting off the train station the path led us through a tunnel and when we reached the village a bit of sun broke through the clouds. In the small harbour people were swimming around some fishing boats or eating in cute restaurants. We stopped for some ice cream as well and were finally able to enjoy it in the sun.
5. Riomaggiore
The last village of Cinque Terre was Riomaggiore and while is started raining again, we hiked a bit up and took the uncommon path over the hill to the center of the village. Also here we found colorful buildings, medieval churches and roof top terraces. When we reached the harbour we found ourselves soaked in rain water and after taking some shots, we sadly decided to leave.
Thanks a lot for this precious guide 🙂 I’ll have to go with my girlfriend in the future, I can’t wait.
Manarola looks amazing exactly as your pics. Astonishing job as usual Vera
Thank you! 🙂