Cinque Terre are situated in the Northen West of Italy. They represent one of the most beautiful and natural Mediterranean area of its own region, Liguria.

Cinque Terre in Italian means “five lands” and departing from the main town, La Spezia, in Genoa’s direction, we can find those villages aas follow: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Those 5 villages with its coastline and the surrounding hillside are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is Unesco Wordls Heritage site.

Over the centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible corporate development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside. The Cinque Terre area is a very popular tourist destination.

The villages of the Cinque Terre were severely affected by torrential rains which caused floods and mudslides on October 25, 2011. Nine people were confirmed killed by the floods, and damage to the villages, particularly Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, was extensive.

It can be reached by trains, ferry boat or private boat; cars are allowed only till the higher part of those villages.

For the lovers of the hiking, Cinque Terre offer a variety of footpath in conjunction between the five villages; some of them nowadays are unfortunately closed due to some landslide and they’ve got limited access. However, there are lots of other paths to discover the beauty of this area passing through vineyards with unforgettable views!

Cinque Terre are well known as well for its own food and wine: from the sea where it can be fish anchovies, specialty of Monterosso together with Limoncello, to the hillside where they cultivate olives and grapes; this last one produce two locally made wines: the Cinque Terre wine and the Sciachetrà a liquor wine.

Sailing in the Cinque Terre

Departing in the morning from La Spezia, passing through the charming village of Porto Venere, we will reach the Cinque Terre. As the Cinque Terre is a marine protected area, the boats are not allowed to dock in their little port. If the sea condition are good we can anchor the boat in front of Vernazza and stop there for a short visit of this village or to have a seafood lunch; the same it can be done in Monterosso. Those villages are reachable with the tender of the boat.