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| Cinque Terre |
Riomaggiore | Manarola | Vernazza | Corniglia | Monterosso |
The Cinque Terre literally translated is the “five lands”, and comprises coastal villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. The Cinque Terre is located in the region of Liguria in the province of La Spezia. This guide provides information on the five major coastal villages.
Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is the first village of the Cinque Terre, directly by the sea. The village has been created long the small river with the old name Rivus Maior, which gave Riomaggiore its name. Now the river is covered by the only street that crosses the village. The oldest houses of the centre give an impression of the typical architecture of the Cinque Terre, adapted to the lack of space between sea and mountain. The narrow houses are sometimes like towers with often only one room per floor! The yellow, green, pink, red and brown fronts of the buildings enchant the visitor. Riomaggiore is easily reachable by train. For the travellers arriving by car there is a public parking place (on payment on the upper entrance of the village) with limited capacity. More uphill there are further parking possibilities along the street. A part of our hotels and apartments in Riomaggiore has own parking places (on payment and always at the upper entrance of the village), to be requested with the booking. The village offers some restaurants, bars, shops, a post office and ATMs. A diving centre organizes guided diving tours and rents equipment for diving, snorkelling and canoes. The ferry boats to the other villages of the Cinque Terre and to Portovenere depart from the harbour. For swimming there are several places in Riomaggiore – the stony beach or the various beautiful rocks of the famous Via dell’Amore which starts in Riomaggiore and connects it with the next village: Manarola. Also a good number of beautiful hiking trails is starting in Riomaggiore.
Cinque Terre: Manarola
Manarola is the second village of the Cinque Terre coming from the south. It is a picturesque historical village with pastel coloured houses, small streets and stairways and a little harbour for the fishermen's boats. Manarola has a railway station, which is reachable in only two minutes from the centre crossing a tunnel. In the village there are groceries, which are open from Monday to Saturday from 7.30 a.m. till 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. till 7.30 p.m. In the high season they open also on Sunday morning. Further there are a newspaper's shop, where also travel guides and maps are sold, a tabacco shop, a post office and several restaurants where the local pasta and seafood specialities are served, small bars. Manarola has also a boat's stop where the ferries stop which are running in the Cinque Terre between Portovenere and Monterosso (in the Summertime also to Levanto and Portofino). There are some beautiful places to swim on the rocky coast with comfortable stairways. The sea invites because of its rich biodiversity and the mostly clear water to enjoy snorkelling tours. The most famous footpath of the Cinque Terre is the Via dell'Amore which connects Manarola with Riomaggiore, the first village of the Cinque Terre. But there are many other very beautiful hiking paths starting from Manarola, which invites you to enjoy the beauty of the Cinque Terre by foot.
Cinque Terre: Vernazza
Vernazza offers the only natural port of the Cinque Terre. For those approaching Vernazza by boat many of the houses are obscured from view until arrival. The properties are similar to those found in Riomaggiore, Manarola and Monterosso although visitors will find that they are more elaborate due the prosperity the village enjoyed under the rule of the Genoan's. There are some fantastic ancient castles which are well maintained. In the summer months the square directly in front of the marina can fill up quickly with tourists, but that doesn't stop the enjoyment of this town for first time visitors.
Cinque Terre: Corniglia
Corniglia is the third and smallest of the villages of the Cinque Terre and the one which most has kept its originality. Here you will still find them: the old wine makers of former times, here you can still take part in the life of the village. The small central "Piazza" is very cosy, where you can enjoy together with the local people the atmosphere of the village by tasting a glass of the typical wine in one of the bars. Corniglia is an unusual village of the Cinque Terre: it is not situated down by the water as the others but on a small rock about 80 m over the sea. This gives a special charm to the village: from no other place you can enjoy panoramic views over the sea as from here. To reach the sea or the railway station, located a little over sea level, there is a street or a stairway, which brings you in about 15 minutes to the train station and the sea. A more comfortable way is the minibus which runs everyday between 7.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. connecting the railway station at every train's arrival or departure with the centre. Corniglia is easily reachable by car coming from La Spezia over the beautiful panoramic street of the Cinque Terre and the same from Monterosso. In the village there are public parking places on payment along the street nearest to the centre or outside also parking places free of charge. We suggest the arrival by train which is also very comfortable.
Cinque Terre: Monterosso
Monterosso is the biggest village of the Cinque Terre, surrounded by green hills and the cape Punta Mesco in the north. On the terrace fields around the village there are olive and lemon trees and, of course, vineyards. The village is divided into two parts, both on the sandy beach: the old Monterosso and the more modern part Fegina. Fegina has been created in the last hundred years with beautiful villas of the rich families and nice hotels surrounded by green gardens. The two parts are connected by the wonderful beach promenade with a short walk. In the modern part there is also situated the train station of Monterosso. Monterosso offers hotels, restaurants, shops and bars and has a long sandy beach where during the summer season can be rented deskchairs, umbrellas and canoes. The village is easily reachable by car taking the highway exit Brugnato or coming from La Spezia or Levanto. At the entrance of the village there are parking places available (on payment). From the train station are frequently departing regional trains to the other villages of the Cinque Terre and the neighbouring villages but also Express trains to Genoa, Pisa or La Spezia. In the old part of Monterosso there is the ferry stop.
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Arbaspàa
Via Molini, 11 - 19017 Manarola (SP) - tel:
+39.0187.760083 fax: +39.0187.760798
 P.I.
01120490113
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