Cinque Terre means 'five lands' and it’s a region of five small villages on the hills of Northwest Italy. We got there by train from Pisa and stayed in La Spezia, which is not one of the five villages, but it’s a really good place to book a room/apartment, since it’s not as expensive as the actual Cinque Terre.
First village we visited was Manarola. There’s a restaurant with a gorgeous view called Nessum Dorma, where we had lunch and drank Aperol Spritz. Don’t forget to bring a swimsuit - when it gets hot, it’s tempting to jump into the crystal clear water from the rocks. That’s what we did after wandering around for a while.
Then, we jumped on a train to another town - Riomaggiore. We watched the sunset sitting on the rocks, surrounded by tons of people enjoying golden hour with wine and pizza. The village looked so beautiful in the golden light of the sunset and I have to admit, Riomaggiore may be my favourite out of all 5 towns.
The next day we woke up early and headed to Corniglia. It’s unique, as you need to climb about 400 stairs to get to town from the train station. There’s also a bus, which is free if you purchased an all-day train ticket. My friend decided to climb up the stairs, while I took the bus and she got lost! Somehow, she ended up way above Corniglia, on top of the hill and couldn’t find her way around. She was wandering around vineyards, with no phone coverage and mobile data for a few hours. Finally, after walking nearly 15 kilometers, she managed to get back to Corniglia. It was scary at the moment, but now makes for a good story.
She was exhausted, so we went to Monterosso al Mare - the only village that has a beach. Monterosso is the least breath-taking town, as there are no colourful houses hanging off a cliff, but it’s great to relax at the beach. We ended the day in Vernazza, where we got pizza, bought tiny, cute bottles of Aperol Spritz and watched the sunset.
In the morning we had to say goodbye to Cinque Terre. But not to Italy! We got on a train and headed to Florence, where I may have met my soulmate… But that’s a story for another time!
I'll never forget those two days in Cinque Terre, filled with picturesque views, delicious gelato and watching sunsets.
I highly recommend visiting this place when travel becomes more possible, and if you have any questions or want some tips, don’t hesitate to text me.
Have you heard of Cinque Terre before?
Featured image: Karolina's personal photography
Reading this article was a pure pleasure. Not only are you a great writer but also brilliant photographer. Looking at this pictures and reading your "travel journal" made me wanna be in Cirque Terre asap!!