The road passes right above Riomaggiore with its mostly yellow pastel houses that lead all the way down to the narrow harbor where you'll find multi-colored boats bobbing up and down on the azure waters.
in Italy, Travel Guide

Scintillating Cinque Terre, Italy

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Exploring Cinque Terre, Italy

I had fallen in love with Cinque Terre the moment I saw pictures of the colorful villages cascading down craggy mountainsides onto the azure Ligurian Sea and had always wanted to visit it ever since. That chance came when we went on a Mediterranean cruise and the ship docked in Livorno where we signed up for the day trip to explore this beautiful slice of Italy.

Leaving the Norwegian Lines' Epic docked in the port of Livorno which is a short 45-minute drive to Cinque Terre.
Leaving the Norwegian Lines’ Epic docked in the port of Livorno which is a short 45-minute drive to Cinque Terre.

The bus left the port early in the morning and we headed for La Spezia where we picked up our tour guide before disembarking in Riomaggiore, the first of the five villages. Here we walked down thru winding steps of the town to the harbor’s rocky and pebbly beach where we boarded the boat to the next stop: Manarola.

La Spezia is the second largest city in Liguria next to Genoa. It has a sprawling naval base which is the largest in Italy and makes for a good base to visit the five villages by train that runs through them. The view from the top of the winding road is postcard pretty and gives a preview of what is to come.
La Spezia is the second largest city in Liguria next to Genoa. It has a sprawling naval base which is the largest in Italy and makes for a good base to visit the five villages by train that runs through them. The view from the top of the winding road is postcard pretty and gives a preview of what is to come.
The road passes right above Riomaggiore with its mostly yellow pastel houses that lead all the way down to the narrow harbor where you'll find multi-colored boats bobbing up and down on the azure waters.
The road passes right above Riomaggiore with its mostly yellow pastel houses that lead all the way down to the narrow harbor where you’ll find multi-colored boats bobbing up and down on the azure waters.

The view of the rocky mountainsides here is the stuff that ‘s featured in postcards with the pastel-colored houses dangerously teetering above the edge of the stony waterfront promenade lined with fishing boats.

At sunset, with the deep blue waters contrasting against the orange-red sky hovering above the twinkling lights of the town, the stunning sight is otherworldy.

Just look at the colored houses perched on the rocky slopes of Manarola and you surely will fall in love with the place!
Just look at the colored houses perched on the rocky slopes of Manarola and you surely will fall in love with the place!
The terraced vineyards produce the famous local wine Sciacchetra which is quite sweet. This contraption is actually a railway of sorts where wooden boxes take down the harvested grapes from the top of the mountain all the way down to the town where they have the wineries.
The terraced vineyards produce the famous local wine Sciacchetra which is quite sweet. This contraption is actually a railway of sorts where wooden boxes take down the harvested grapes from the top of the mountain all the way down to the town where they have the wineries.
We bypassed Corniglia and thankfully so because it would take an arduous climb to reach the top from the small quay 100 meters down below.
We bypassed Corniglia and thankfully so because it would take an arduous climb to reach the top from the small quay 100 meters down below.

Corniglia sits atop a hundred-meter high rocky promontory and you need to walk across a mountain trail to reach it because there is no direct sea access. So we skipped it as the boat made its way to Vernazza. Here, the small crowded harbor was packed with tourists and you sort of have to fight your way to the main plaza which is lined with shops and restaurants that wind all the way to the center of town where you have, well, more of the same! In mid-summer, the cool interiors of the church of Sta. Margherital right by the calm waters of the bay was a welcome refuge from the heat outside and after some time we couldn’t resist the call of the ubiquitous gellato shops which were cheek-by-jowl everywhere.

Shooting the breeze on the boat that has just left Manarola and is on its way to Vernazza. We were about forty in the group and everyone was having fun based on the loud chatter and the raucous laughter that accompanied us all throughout the trip.
Shooting the breeze on the boat that has just left Manarola and is on its way to Vernazza. We were about forty in the group and everyone was having fun based on the loud chatter and the raucous laughter that accompanied us all throughout the trip.
The landing pier in Vernazza was pretty crowded and it took several minutes for our boat to dock which was okay for I was able to take nice pictures like this showing the colorful town with the mountains in the background. Really postcard pretty!
The landing pier in Vernazza was pretty crowded and it took several minutes for our boat to dock which was okay for I was able to take nice pictures like this showing the colorful town with the mountains in the background. Europe is really postcard pretty!
The quiet inlet beside the plaza drew visitors into town with the 13th-century Sta. Margherita church with its domed belfry that also doubled as a clock tower on the left and shops of all kinds on the right.
The quiet inlet beside the plaza drew visitors into town with the 13th-century Sta. Margherita church with its domed belfry that also doubled as a clock tower on the left and shops of all kinds on the right.
Aside from people-watching, we sat under the shade of these trees having our gellato icecream. It was so addictive that we had two in every stop trying to compare all the innumerable flavors and we were hard put deciding which was the best
Aside from people-watching, we sat under the shade of these trees having our gellato icecream. It was so addictive that we had two in every stop trying to compare all the innumerable flavors and we were hard put deciding which was the best

After about an hour of tramping around, we all boarded the boat for the last leg which was Monterosso. Of the five villages, this is the only one with a proper beach which stretched quite a bit running through the length of the town. We visited the beautiful old church of St. John the Baptist, sampled some of the local wine for free at one of the wine shops and sat down for a late lunch of delicious seafood pasta with plates of thick local bread at a trattoria whose stone wall interiors made it look like an impregnable fortress. Then we sat down eating gellato (what else?) on one of the park benches watching the locals go about their business. Before we knew it, time was over and we had to take the short train ride to the waiting bus that ferried us back to Livorno.

The narrow streets were filled with people jostling each other but it was fun meandering around through its nooks and crannies although it was tiring since most of the way was up!
The narrow streets were filled with people jostling each other but it was fun meandering around through its nooks and crannies although it was tiring since most of the way was up!
Monterosso is flatter than the other four villages and the beach is a big draw for the locals and tourists alike. It is divided into the old part of the the town and the new one with a tunnel that connects both of them. We had to pass thru this to get to the train station where we took the ride back to where we came from.
Monterosso is flatter than the other four villages and the beach is a big draw for the locals and tourists alike. It is divided into the old part of the the town and the new one with a tunnel that connects both of them. We had to pass thru this to get to the train station where we took the ride back to where we came from.
An old local sits on one of the numerous benches scattered around town watching the world go by.
An old local sits on one of the numerous benches scattered around town watching the world go by.
The train back to the city
The train back to the city

Our guide Matteo told us that there were several hiking trails between the villages which used to be the only link between them – aside from the sea – ages ago and that they were a photographer’s paradise. But since our brief stay of six hours only sampled the sights, I vowed that one day I shall return.

There is something in the Cinque Terre that I can’t put my finger on but the place sure hooks you and it becomes an itch that has to be scratched. Again.

Written by Al P. Manlangit

I'm a Filipino architect based in Kuwait who loves to travel everytime I get the chance to do so and shoot pictures. The genres that I explore are landscape, architecture and street photography which come in handy wherever my wandering spirit takes me. My travel/photoblog pretty much shows interesting places I've been to with short stories to tell behind each frame.

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