Cinque Terre - a trip to the Italian Riviera
This is my fifth time in Italy and my first time in the northwestern region of the country.
If you are excited by houses that are each painted a different color, picturesque alleys, views of the endless sea and one and only Italian ice cream – there is no doubt that the Italian Riviera and the Liguria region are tailored for you.
This is an area full of colorful villages, crowded houses built on cliffs, alleys where you will find fashion shops, handicrafts, souvenirs, restaurants and pizzerias because you can’t without them. Did we say Italy?
Genoa - a port city in Italy
We started our vacation with a direct flight to Milan, we rented a car because in my eyes it is the most convenient way to get around and I prefer to decide for myself where and when to stop. to compare car rental prices in Italy.
From Milan it is a two-hour drive to Genoa (Genova) – a beautiful port city and the capital of the Liguria region (which is the smallest province in Italy). It’s great to spend half a day there, it has a beautiful harbor (Porto antico) ith a fish market and a giant wheel at the end of the harbor from which you can see the view of the houses of Genoa.
Recommended places to stay in Genoa
In addition, you will find several food stalls in the port, we took a cone with deep-fried seafood. It was delicious but it’s a tourist area and the prices accordingly.
There are alleys in the city that are nice to wander through, a vegetable and fruit market called Mercato Orientale and one view point at the end of the mountain on street Spiana Castelletto. Getting there is by free public elevator from the city center.
A drive of about 40 minutes from Genoa will take you to Chiavri, a charming town in the Italian Reviva where we spent our first two nights.
Recommended places to stay in Chiavari –
It has an antiques market that starts in the center of the town and continues along the city’s alleys and a fruit and vegetable market which is also in the center of the town.
In addition, in the town you will find a beautiful and long stretch of beach that the apartment we rented is right next to it, with cafes and restaurants.
I recommend that you make a reservation in advance for the Luchin restaurant – an ancient restaurant founded in 1907 that serves authentic and incredibly delicious food. The restaurant is always full of people.
A drive of about half an hour will take you to Portofino, before you start the steep descent down, you will stop for a lookout.
Portofino - the romantic town on the Italian Riviera
Portofino (Portofino) – I have heard many stories and pictures about it, I have always wanted to go there and see what everyone is talking about. So it’s true that Portofino is a beautiful town, you can’t deny that, but after visiting several other towns in the area that have a less famous name than Portofino, I can say that I was much more impressed by them. The atmosphere in the streets, the energies, the spaces and the houses which are all quite similar in the entire Riviera area, all of them are colorful and insanely beautiful, but something about the feeling in Portofino felt cold and alienated to me, maybe it’s the cloudy weather that accompanied us, and maybe it’s the size of the expectations…
but still, if you come to the Riviera area, Go in for an hour’s visit In the town, I recommend taking a trip on the path leading up the mountain from where there is a lovely view of the port of Portofino.
Recommended hotels in Portofino
Camogli - a must-visit coastal town
Camogli (Camogli) – one of the towns I liked the most on the Riviera, speaking of a competitor to Portofino… The color of the sea when we arrived was a spectacular blue, the town has magical alleys and a stunning harbor. I highly recommend not giving up on visiting it and after a stroll to sit in one of the cafes overlooking the sea.
Recommended hotels in Camogli –
Sestri Levante (Sestri levante) – a pleasant town with a small but pleasant stretch of beach for summer days. nice to stop for a short tour, unless you come in the summer season and then you can spend hours at the beach.
From Sastri Levante is about a 40 minute drive to levanto. It’s a lovely road, with stunning views along the way to the Blue Bay.
Levanto (Levanto) – when we arrived all the shops were closed, it was Sunday so were only a few cafes and bakeries open, so I couldn’t get an impression of it like on a normal day. What I did manage to impress was the delicious fudge we bought at one of the bakeries in town and it was soft and delicious.
Recommended hotels on the Italian Riviera
We said goodbye to the beautiful towns of the Italian Riviera and continued towards La Spezia.
La Spezia (la spezia) – The city lies on the coast of La Spezia Gulf between the cities of Genoa and Pisa and serves as the regional capital of the region.
La Spezia - a good place to stay
Recommended accommodations in La Spezia –
It is considered a very convenient starting point for those who want to reach Cinque Terre and the surrounding villages. The accommodation in Cinque Terre is less recommended because the roads in the villages are very steep and the access is not convenient, in addition the apartment prices are much cheaper in La Spezia. We slept in an Airbnb apartment that was in an amazing location, 5 minutes walk to the train that goes between all the villages.
A recommendation for an excellent Italian restaurant called Inferno – the restaurant was founded in 1905, it is located in a stone cellar. It is advisable to reserve a place for her in advance, she is very popular and always full.
Cinque Terre - World Heritage Site
Cinque Terre (Cinque Terre)- in Italian the five lands. This is a national park which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. It is about five ancient fishing villages that are spread out on the tops of the cliffs above the Ligurian Sea. Getting to the villages is by train that runs between the five villages, the distance from village to village is just a few minutes.
We got on the train from La Spezia, a ticket for a daily trip between the villages costs 12 euros and a ticket for two days costs 23 euros and includes free travel on the trains between the villages, bus trips in the village of Cornelia and free entry to the walking paths (if they are active).
Riomaggiore
The first village is called Riomaggiore (riomaggiore) – the drive to it takes 9 minutes from La Spezia. A magical village with colorful houses, picturesque alleys leading up the village to a castle with a breathtaking view. Incidentally, this is where the famous Path of Love begins, which is considered the most beautiful path that runs between Cinque Terre villages, when we arrived the path was under renovation, it is advisable to find out beforehand with the information in La Spezia if and which of the paths are open for walking.
Manarola
The second village Manarola (manarola) – built on A cliff that kisses the sea. A charming village, with a comfortable walking path to the edge of the village from where there is an amazing view of the cliff and the colorful houses built on it. Up the path you will come across a beautiful restaurant that was full to capacity when we arrived, but looks like a wonderful place to spend a few hours.
Recommended hotels in Manarola –
Corniglia
The third village Corniglia (Corniglia) – It’s Not easy to get from the train station to the village itself. The village with beautiful alleys, shops, cafes and a very tasty ice cream parlor called Alberto gelatria.
Vernazza
The fourth village Vernazza (vernazza) – the village is famous Thanks to its small bay and the church of St. Mary, in my eyes the villages before it are more beautiful.
Monterosso al Mare
The fifth and last village Monterosso (Monterosso al Mare) – This is the village with the largest beach among the villages, in the summer season it is a recommended place for bathing. Apart from a beach there is not much to see in it.
Cinque Tara is undoubtedly a special area with its own charm, it is recommended not to go there during the tourist season because then the crowding in the villages is unpleasant and destroys the charm. Try to plan your trip during the transition seasons, so that you experience the area in the ideal way, we were in May, the weather was wonderful and the villages were not crowded with tourists.
Besides Cinque Terre there are several wonderful villages in the area that are highly recommended to visit.
Portovenere >) – a lovely charming village and much less touristy than the five famous villages of Cinque Terre. We bought some fruits, vegetables, hard cheeses and spreads and had a picnic in its beautiful harbor.
Recommended accommodation in Porto Venere – Capitolare Suite Tower
It has alleys that are so much fun to walk through, beautiful cafes and a peaceful atmosphere, pleasant and less crowded than the five villages.
Tellaro (Tellaro)- a small and picturesque village, when we arrived there was nothing open so we took a walk, We had a brief impression of the old houses in the village and we got back to the car.
Next to it is a bigger village called Lerici , we didn’t have time to visit there but it is considered bigger and has cafes, restaurants, shops and a beautiful port.
After covering the Riviera area and the beautiful surrounding villages, we continued for the night at the beautiful Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) which I have already visited before. We live in a lovely town called Arona which is half an hour’s drive from Milan airport.
Lake Orta - one of the most beautiful lakes in northern Italy
On the last day of the trip we had a visit to Lake Orta (Lake Orta) – such a beautiful lake, I really fell in love with it. Beautiful alleys, charming restaurants, ice cream parlors, food markets and everywhere a magical view of the lake. Highly recommended for a half day trip.
Recommended hotels in the Lake Orta area –
