The Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino, and Tinetto) site is a masterpiece of the Italian Riviera, where human ingenuity has carved a living space out of a rugged, vertical wilderness over the last millennium.
Stretching across 15 km of the Ligurian coast in northwestern Italy, this site is a “cultural landscape” of dramatic beauty. It is composed of three distinct yet interconnected zones:
- The Cinque Terre: The “Five Lands”—Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore—are colorful fishing villages that seem to defy gravity, clinging to steep cliffs.
- Portovenere: A historic port town at the western tip of the Gulf of La Spezia, featuring the striking striped Gothic Church of San Pietro perched on a rocky promontory.
- The Islands: Palmaria, Tino, and Tinetto form a small archipelago just offshore. Palmaria is known for its sea caves and beaches, while Tino and Tinetto hold ruins of early Christian monasteries.
Attraction
The site is a magnet for travelers seeking the quintessence of “La Dolce Vita”:
- Visual Splendor: The contrast of candy-colored houses against the turquoise Ligurian Sea makes it one of the most photographed locations in the world.
- Trekking Paradise: A network of ancient footpaths, like the famous Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail), connects the villages through terraced vineyards and olive groves.
- Ligurian Gastronomy: It is the birthplace of Pesto alla Genovese and is world-renowned for its salted anchovies and Sciacchetrà, a rare sweet dessert wine produced on the local terraces.
- Maritime Mystery: Sea caves like Byron’s Grotto (named after the poet Lord Byron) and the crystal-clear waters of the Marine Protected Area attract divers and boaters.
Heritage
The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.
- Criteria (ii), (iv), and (v): It is recognized for representing a “harmonious interaction between people and nature.” For over 1,000 years, inhabitants have transformed the steep, inhospitable slopes into productive agricultural terraces. This constant human effort has created a landscape of exceptional scenic quality that illustrates a traditional way of life that continues today.
Gateway
- Gateway City: La Spezia is the logistical heart of the region.
- Commercial Airport: The closest major airports are Pisa International Airport (PSA) (approx. 1 hour by train) and Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA) (approx. 1.5 hours).
- Lodging: La Spezia offers significantly more affordable and accessible lodging than the villages themselves. It serves as the primary hub for the Cinque Terre Express train and the ferry lines that reach Portovenere and the islands.
When
- Shoulder Season (April to May & September to October): These months offer the perfect balance of mild hiking weather and manageable crowds.
- September 13th: A unique time to visit, as the military-restricted Tino Island opens to the public for the Feast of San Venerio.
- Avoid: July and August, when the heat is intense and the narrow village streets become extremely congested with cruise ship day-trippers.
Consideration
- The Cinque Terre Card: To hike the main coastal trails or use the regional trains frequently, you must purchase this card.
- Stairs and Terrain: This is not a destination for the mobility-impaired. Even the “flat” villages involve significant climbing; Corniglia, for instance, requires ascending 365 steps from the train station.
- Vehicle Restrictions: Cars are essentially useless (and often banned) inside the villages. Park your car in La Spezia or Levanto and rely on the train or ferry.
- Sustainable Travel: The region suffers from over-tourism. Staying overnight in the villages or visiting in the off-season helps support the local economy more sustainably.
Resources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Portovenere & Cinque Terre: For the official technical history and conservation status.
- Cinque Terre National Park (Official): The primary source for trail status, “Cinque Terre Card” purchases, and weather alerts.
- Portovenere Regional Natural Park: Essential for information on ferry schedules to the islands and hiking routes around Portovenere.
- Cinque Terre Insider: A highly detailed independent guide for logistical planning and hidden gems.
- Cinque Terre Riviera: A popular platform for booking luxury villa rentals and curated boat tours across the region.
Featured Image
Manarola, Cinque Terre (Rodrigo Argenton, Wikimedia/CC0 1.0).
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12 responses to “Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)”
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There are a lot of ups and downs on the Cinque Terre, so that’s worth taking into consideration for your knee. There’s no climbing per se though, it’s more walking on trails :). However the Cinque Terre can also be enjoyed by non-walkers. There are trains between all the villages, and you can get a day ticket and take trains between villages, stop whenever you like, stroll around towns, and then continue to the next village.
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My favorite among the Cinque Terre was Vernazza. As soon as I arrived this town unfolded in a picturesque labyrinth of cobbled lanes and stairways wide enough for barely two people to pass at a time. The magic was alluring and I soaked in its atmosphere, all spruced up for the Christmas season. Hobbit-like houses leaned over narrow paved stairways and steep alleys were festooned with laundry hanging from the windows, almost as if to assert their Italian style.
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Walking the Cinque Terre track is not tramping as we know it in New Zealand. Parts of the track are steep and narrow, but most of it is a meander along pathways through orchards and small settlements. A highlight was watching the local folk working in the vineyards and olive groves, perched on impossibly-narrow terraces, or rather ledges, which have been carved into the hillsides over the centuries.
We dawdled along the 10km path in the spring sunshine, sampling the local delicacies of anchovies, pesto, farinata and focaccia, cooling off in the heat of the day with gelato made from Corniglia honey, and refreshing plunges in the ocean.
The track could easily be walked in a day but if you want to absorb the beauty and the atmosphere of the region, spend at least three days in one of the little villages and explore some of the hinterland and history of the region.
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Manarola was my personal favourite, colourful houses stacked on top of one another cling to the rock face and create a colourful mosaic which you just can’t resist photographing. We enjoyed lunch at a cafe and watched fellow tourists enjoying the sunshine and a cooling swim at the rocky foreshore while local fishermen went about their business.
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Some of our favorite things to do in the Cinque Terre (besides walking):
• Sit on the square in Manarola, watching the local kids race their foot-powered scooters around the plaza as parents cheer them on. Stop by the toy stand there, where you can buy an Italian comic book about Texans working in the oil field.
• Grab a bottle of wine and take the stroll out Via dell’Amore, the walkway between Manarola and Riomaggiore. Even though it was closed when we were there, we could walk partway out, sit on a bench and watch the sunset.
• For spectacular photos of Manarola, walk north of town on the main trail, stopping just below the little pocket park, where the sidewalk curves with the coast. At dusk, the buildings practically glow in the most beautiful light.
• If the coastal path between Manarola and Corniglia is closed (and even if it’s not), take the high road instead, climbing up to the village of Volastra. Grab a lemonade at the tiny grocery and peek into the beautiful chapel.
• In Vernazza, dine at Ristorante Belforte and order the steamed mussels or grilled octopus. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to sit on one of the terraces clinging to the cliff.
• Walk beneath a stone arch at the foot of Vernazza to a gravel beach created during the devastating floods of 2011. Then dive into the ocean.
• Rent a beach umbrella in Monterosso.
• Eat gelato in Corniglia — it was some of the best we found during our 10-day trip to Italy.
• Eat dinner — and order the seafood antipasti — at Billy’s in Manarola. http://www.trattoriabilly.com
• Stay at least two nights. High season runs from mid-June to mid-September. Day trippers flood the towns, but by dusk most of the crowds are gone.
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After a night spent relaxing on the boat, we set our alarms early, put on our hiking clothes and caught the first train from our hotel in La Spezia to trek one portion of the five trails – from Vernazza to Corniglia. The guide books say you can complete the entire trek, across all five villages, in six to eight hours – which we considered overly ambitious. If you prefer a leisurely pace, stopping for lunch, gelato and picture breaks, pick one or two portions of the trail and expect the abbreviated trek to take three to four hours.
There are two trails, the red and blue. Blue is is the easier – though still quite challenging for those who simply want to stroll. There are steep hills and craggy steps, but it’s the kind of hike that will leave you tired and thirsty at the end, but feeling so glad you did it.
And as noted above, bring your swimsuit in your daypack and cool off with a dive into the bay. Don’t attempt the challenging red trail unless you are a seasoned trekker, and bring along enough water and snacks to get you through.
Take note, the train will save you. It makes a stop at each of the five villages, making it easy to call it a day at any village along the and head back home– or to a restaurant for a scenic meal.
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I visited all five towns in the cluster and, while Monterroso al Mare, one train stop to the north, has a longer, more crowded beach and a livelier nightlife, Vernazza was, to me, clearly the most appealing of the five. After days of scouring the art museums of Florence, it was a pleasant contrast to visit here. A visit to Vernazza should include an exploration of the few back alleys to get a sense of the rhythm of the relaxed local lifestyle. To explore the surrounding area, buy a Cinque Terre pass that allows for hiking and train travel between the five towns. The latter can get quite crowded midday during high season. Some of the hiking trails were closed during my visit. I recommend that, even if you don’t hike the trail between the five towns, at least hike up the steep trail overlooking Vernazza for a magnificent view. It’s a particularly striking sight in the early morning.
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Each comes with its own personality, and the best way to see the lot is to pick one as a home base (we’ve chosen Manarola because it’s smaller and quieter than the others), then spend a few days hiking between them, eat grilled octopus and cool off with a swim in the sea. We’re in no hurry. Here in the Cinque Terre, it’s all about walking, relaxing and soaking up the views. Make sure you have proper footwear before you strike out. Some of the trails (especially the one from Vernazza to Monterosso) are extremely narrow and crowded. In sections, passage is only single file, so if you meet someone coming the other direction you’ll have to wait your turn.
And the steps! The Vernazza to Monterosso section of the trail has as many as a skyscraper — hike it northbound or your quads will stage a protest. And only attempt the walk if you’re reasonably fit.
Happily, Vernazzo and Monterosso offer fine swimming, too, so once you’ve worked up a sweat hiking you can cool off in the sea. We braved the tiny gravel beach in Vernazza in our hiking duds — and it was totally worth it.
If you walk from one town to the next and don’t feel like hiking back, you can catch the train for a few euros. Even better, hop on a ferry boat for a different perspective of the Cinque Terre.
Some of our favorite things to do in the Cinque Terre (besides walking):
• Sit on the square in Manarola, watching the local kids race their foot-powered scooters around the plaza as parents cheer them on. Stop by the toy stand there, where you can buy an Italian comic book about Texans working in the oil field.
• Take the stroll out Via dell’Amore, the walkway between Manarola and Riomaggiore. Even though it was closed when we were there, we could walk partway out, sit on a bench and watch the sunset.
• For spectacular photos of Manarola, walk north of town on the main trail, stopping just below the little pocket park, where the sidewalk curves with the coast. At dusk, the buildings practically glow in the most beautiful light.
• If the coastal path between Manarola and Corniglia is closed (and even if it’s not), take the high road instead, climbing up to the village of Volastra. Grab a lemonade at the tiny grocery and peek into the beautiful chapel.
• In Vernazza, dine at Ristorante Belforte and order the steamed mussels or grilled octopus. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to sit on one of the terraces clinging to the cliff.
• Walk beneath a stone arch at the foot of Vernazza to a gravel beach created during the devastating floods of 2011. Then dive into the ocean.
• Rent a beach umbrella in Monterosso.
• Eat gelato in Corniglia — it was some of the best we found during our 10-day trip to Italy.
• Eat dinner — and order the seafood antipasti — at Billy’s in Manarola. http://www.trattoriabilly.com
• Stay at least two nights. High season runs from mid-June to mid-September. Day trippers flood the towns, but by dusk most of the crowds are gone.
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WHAT SHOULD I BRING WITH ME? Not too much! Chances are you’ll have to climb a huge hill or a flight of stairs to reach your accommodation, so try to bring as little as possible. If you’re walking then don’t forget decent shoes as well as a hat of scarf in summer, as there’s not a lot of shade along the paths. Also pack a water bottle as there are free water taps in each village where you can refill it.
Although Monterosso’s the only village with a real beach, you can swim from each of the villages – amazing after a sweaty day walking – so bring your swimmers. If you forget things like sunscreen there are shops in each village, but because it’s a touristy area they do charge a premium. And if you get stuck English is widely spoken around the Cinque Terre.
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Each of the five villages is connected by railway, water taxi and a network of hiking trails, so it’s easy to get from one to another. Each village is unique, with its own restaurants and shops and overall atmosphere, despite the fact that they are only separated by a few kilometres. When you visit, just choose one village as your base — you can’t pick wrongly — and day-trip to the others.
We spend three days exploring the Cinque Terre, which was not nearly enough for some parts of my body, and way too much for others. Leaving this quiet, beautiful part of the world is as easy as arriving — just two train rides and we are back in in the hustle and bustle of Rome.
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One of my favourite views in Cinque Terre has to be of Manarola that can be seen from the Manarola Scenic Viewpoint. Honestly, I think it’s one of the things to do in Cinque Terre for a truly stunning view, plus it’s a great photo spot! The walk to the viewpoint is only about 200 metres or so from the harbourfront, so it’s easy to see when you’re in the town itself.
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