Cinque Terre Italy Five Villages Trails and Pesto

Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso is the largest and northernmost village, and the only one with long sandy beaches.

Allow half a day, or a full day if you want beach time. Many stretches of beach are equipped with paid sunbeds and umbrellas, with smaller free sections in between.

At the western end of Fegina, look for the Gigante, a giant statue of Neptune built in the early twentieth century that once held up a terrace of a seaside villa. Storms and wartime damage left it battered, but it remains a local landmark and a favorite photo stop.

Fegina, in the newer part of Monterosso, is the longest sandy beach in the Cinque Terre. Photo: Chabe01, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Vernazza

Many people consider Vernazza the most picturesque of the five. Its single main street runs down from the station to a small square and harbor, where colored houses surround a tiny beach and a breakwater.

Allow two to three hours. For the classic photograph of the village, walk a few minutes up the trail toward Corniglia or Monterosso, where viewpoints look back over the harbor.

Vernazza's harbor is framed by the Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia and the Doria tower. Photo: WikiLucas00, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Corniglia

Corniglia is the odd one out: it sits about 100 meters above the sea on a promontory surrounded by vineyards, rather than at the water's edge. From the station you can climb the Lardarina, a zigzag brick stairway of more than 300 steps, or take the park shuttle bus.

Allow one to two hours. Corniglia has no harbor or ferry stop, so it is generally the least crowded village and a good spot for a quiet lunch.

Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre village not set directly on the water. Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but please me…, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Riomaggiore

The southernmost village sits in a steep, narrow valley. Its main street climbs inland from the marina, where boats are hauled up between tall, narrow houses.

Riomaggiore's houses climb both sides of a narrow valley above its tiny marina. Photo: Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Via dell'Amore

The Via dell'Amore is a short, mostly level cliffside walkway between Riomaggiore and Manarola, carved into the rock in the 1920s and closed for many years after a rockfall in 2012. It reopened in 2024 after major safety work.

The Via dell'Amore is a short cliffside walkway linking Riomaggiore and Manarola. Photo: Twice25 & Rinina25, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Sentiero Azzurro

The Sentiero Azzurro, or Blue Trail, is the historic coastal path that links the villages. The sections between Monterosso and Vernazza and between Vernazza and Corniglia are the most popular and require a Cinque Terre Card, which you can buy online or at park offices and stations.

Hiking boots or trail shoes are essential. Local rules allow fines for walking the trails in flip-flops or unsuitable footwear, and paths can close at short notice during heavy rain or weather alerts.

The Sentiero Azzurro winds through terraced vineyards and olive groves between the villages. Photo: СССР, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca

Portovenere

Just south of Cinque Terre, Portovenere is part of the same UNESCO site and an easy add-on by ferry or bus from La Spezia. Its colorful harbor front leads to the striped Gothic Church of San Pietro, perched on a rocky point, and to Byron's Grotto, a sea cave named after the poet who is said to have swum from here across the gulf.

The Church of San Pietro stands on the rocky tip of the promontory at Portovenere. Photo: Colin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0