All it took was one photo of Cinque Terre for me to want to go there. A stunning coastal area known for its colorful cliffside villages, rugged coastlines, and scenic ocean views. These five villages are located on the northern side of Italy, known as the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region. Not as well known as the Amalfi Coast, but just as comparable and worthy of a visit or stay. Best part, it’s much more accessible by public transportation than the Amalfi Coast where there are no train lines. During my stay in Florence, I hopped on a one-day tour to visit four beautiful fishing villages and honestly would love to come back for a longer stay. Here’s why….

But First a Bit of History

Cinque Terre translates to “Five Lands” in Italian. The formation of these five villages goes back as far as the Middle Ages. These were mostly small fishing and agricultural communities that were subject to attacks by invaders due to their coastal location. Maritime trade, fishing and boat building allowed these villages to prosper. Their culture and way of life was heavily influenced by the Romans. By the 19th century, Cinque Terre became more accessible with the construction of railways and roads, opening the doors for tourism. Today, it is one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations designated as a UNESCO site.

Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast?

  I have only been to Positano on the Amalfi Coast and frankly, it was not that much different from Cinque Terre. Both cliffside villages are just stunning. The Amalfi Coast is more popular, expensive and harder to travel to, especially in the summer months. Cinque, you can easily travel between all five villages by train and ferry. Ideally, to avoid the crowds and the heat, I recommend a stay in Cinque during the month of June or the Amalfi Coast in September.

 What to Do in Cinque Terre?

If you do a one-day tour to all five villages, you will mostly be strolling through them and grabbing something to eat before it is time to leave. The tour bus leaving out of Florence was a double decker with 80 of us and 2 tour guides. I was surprised how well organized they were at managing so many people from one train to the next reaching four of the villages with a scheduled lunch. These are very small villages that in one hour you can get through most of the streets; exploring their coastlines and shopping districts. There are no cars allowed in these villages. Trains run every 20-30 minutes, allowing you to hop from one village to the next. Preferably, a 2-3-day stay would have been ideal to enjoy the beach and fully experience what the mornings and evenings are like when the crowds are less and there is no rush.

What I Loved about These Villages

The four villages we visited were Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The fifth one, Corniglia was not possible due to time but also because it requires a bit of a hike –383 steps. It’s hard to imagine how these villages would have continued to thrive without tourism. While fishing is still an important trade, it is the retail and the restaurants that are sustaining these villages. But there is a cost to over-tourism. Managing the environmental impact of so many visitors and the preservation of the villages’ heritage and sense of community is a challenge. Probably the most compelling reason for managing over tourism is the amount of trash generated and the use of water and sewage on what is an old fragile infrastructure.

The villages are all beautiful with scenic trails that offer breathtaking views of the coastline. It is a paradise for hikers and photographers. I fell in love with the lineup of colorful traditional fishing boats dotting the harbors of these villages. The homes stacked up on the cliff are painted in a variety of colors. Villagers hang their clothes out to dry from their windows and terraces for tourists to experience a taste of a more authentic, laid-back, slow-moving lifestyle. The more reason to stay the night and enjoy the darkness of the coast, accompanied by a glass of Tuscan wine and local cuisine. Hopefully, another time.

 Lastly

On our way back to Florence, the bus drove near the town of Carrara  situated near the Apuan Alps. This enormous mountain range is home to over 300 marble quarries. The main source of white marble used by sculptors and churches for over 2,000 years. By chance, I had the right lens to shoot this gorgeous scene while the bus was passing by. The photos even surprised me. By staying in Cinque Terre, you can do a tour to see these mountains up close and what these quarries are like.

My photos are of all four villages, the coastline and the Apuan Alps. As always, remember to click the center of the photo to see a full view of each photograph.

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