Enrico Massetti

Cinque Terre is not a Disney Theme Park; its unique environment results from thousands of human civilizations surviving and adapting to challenging conditions.

You can take a boat tour, visit the five towns in three hours, and rightfully claim that you have been to the Cinque Terre; millions of tourists do just that.

Suppose you want a more profound, more complete experience. In that case, this guide gives you all the information you need to plan a more extended staying, with details on the restaurants, the places where you can have a drink, where you can sleep, and where you can buy unique souvenirs from each of the five villages.

It also lists the places you should visit.

Cinque Terre is the place for walking experiences; the guide presents all the trails, from the simplest to the most difficult ones, even outside the Cinque Terre’s proper area. In addition, the courses have an illustration to see and decide where to go.

The guide also lists the bicycle rental places and the itineraries for a regular and electric bicycle tour.

There is a long tradition of culinary excellence; the pesto has its origin here.

This culinary tradition also comes from the nearby Magra Valley area. It is now frequented by culinary experts, even if it is not as famous as the internationally known main attraction. It’s an even better deal, good quality of the service, in a less crowded environment for superior service. If you come to the area, don’t miss the opportunity to expand your experience.

The Liguria region’s cuisine is rich and varied; at the end of the guide, you have a section covering all its recipes; the links are active when you have an internet connection. You have access to a recipe database for some of them. You will be able to cook at home some of the dishes that you tasted while visiting or dreamed of enjoying it. It’s not the same as consuming the specialty sitting at a restaurant table in the Piazza of Vernazza, but at least it is better than nothing!

Author Enrico Massetti

Language English

Publisher Massetti Publishing Washington DC, U.S.A.

Italian edition

German edition

Portuguese edition

Spanish edition

English edition

Table of content

Enrico Massetti i

The Cinque Terre 1

Links to the establishments’ websites 2

How to get to the Cinque Terre 3

A human-made landscape 3

The rocky sea of the Cinque Terre 4

The five villages 5

Riomaggiore 6

What to do and see in Riomaggiore 6

Kayaks and Watersports 7

Shopping in Riomaggiore 7

Nightlife in Riomaggiore 8

Where to eat in Riomaggiore 8

Accommodations in Riomaggiore 8

Room rentals and hotels for Riomaggiore 9

Manarola 10

Making wine in the Cinque Terre 11

What to do and see in Manarola 13

Where to eat in Manarola 14

Shopping in Manarola 16

Hotels in Manarola 16

Bed & Breakfasts in Manarola 17

Accommodations in Volastra  about 2 km from Manarola 18

Corniglia 19

What to do and see in Corniglia 20

Where to shop in Corniglia 20

Where to eat in Corniglia 21

Accommodations in Corniglia 23

Vernazza 26

What to do and see in Vernazza:  Best photo-ops pop views 26

Vernazza Harbor 27

Shopping in Vernazza 28

Nightlife in Vernazza 30

Where to eat in Vernazza 31

Accommodations in Vernazza 32

Private Rooms (Affitta Camere) in Vernazza 34

Monterosso 35

What to do and see in Monterosso  Convento dei Cappuccini 36

Kayaks in Monterosso 36

Nightlife in Monterosso 37

Shopping in Monterosso 37

Where to eat in Monterosso 38

Hotel accommodations in Monterosso 40

Along the path of the Mediterranean bush 44

The Cinque Terre by boat 45

The train connection 46

How to get to the Cinque Terre 47

Parking at La Spezia train station 48

Cinque Terre walking trails 50

Trail number 2 - Sentiero Azzurro (blue trail) 51

Riomaggiore - Manarola (20 Minutes) Via dell’Amore 52

Manarola - Corniglia (45 Minutes) 53

Corniglia - Vernazza (1.5 hours) 54

Vernazza - Monterosso (1.5 hours) 55

C.A.I. route AV5T - Portovenere - Levanto 56

Tr. AV5T Portovenere – Colle del Telegrafo 516 m 58

Trail AV5T: Colle del Telegrafo 516 m. – Sella della Cigoletta 605 m 59

Trail AV5T: Sella della Cigoletta 605 m.  Colle del Termine 60

Trail AV5T: Colle del Termine – Sant'Antonio 62

Trail AV5T: Sant'Antonio. – Levanto. 63

C.A.I. route no. 3 64

C.A.I. route no. 7 65

C.A.I. route no. 8 66

C.A.I. route no. 9 68

Mountain Bike rentals and trails 71

Renting E-Bikes in the Park 72

1 – Trail from Montenero Sanctuary  to Volastra Sanctuary and back 73

2 – Trail from Montenero Sanctuary  to Soviore Sanctuary and back 74

3 – Trail from Montenero Sanctuary  to the village of Carpena and back 75

Cinque Terre cuisine Anchovies of Monterosso 77

Production area 78

Cinque Terre, Riviera, and Vara Valley food 79

Pesto - gourmet excellence 81

Gastronomy in “Golfo dei Poeti” and Magra Valley 85

Portovenere 88

A Taverna 89

Locanda dell’Angelo 92

The Spongata 94

Liguria Food and Recipes 95

Typical food from Liguria 97

Other tourism guides 101

Italian-visits.com 101

The Author 101

Travel books of the same author: 102

Things to Know 105

Table of content 111