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Fossola Beach
This small pebbly beach is immediately southeast of Riomaggiore marina. Take the short trail that leads just past the harbour to get here. The shore is…
Justin Foulkes
Cinque Terre
Set amid some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on the planet, these five ingeniously constructed fishing villages can bolster the most jaded of spirits. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997, Cinque Terre isn't the undiscovered Eden it once was but, frankly, who cares? Sinuous paths traverse seemingly impregnable cliff sides, while a 19th-century railway line cut through a series of coastal tunnels ferries the footsore from village to village. Thankfully cars were banned over a decade ago.
Rooted in antiquity, Cinque Terre's five villages date from the early medieval period. While much of this fetching vernacular architecture remains, Cinque Terre's unique historical draw is the steeply terraced cliffs bisected by a complicated system of fields and gardens that have been hacked, chiselled, shaped and layered over the course of nearly two millennia. The extensive muretti (low stone walls) can be compared to the Great Wall of China in their grandeur and scope.
Explore Cinque Terre
- FFossola Beach
This small pebbly beach is immediately southeast of Riomaggiore marina. Take the short trail that leads just past the harbour to get here. The shore is…
- VVernazza Harbour
Cinque Terre’s only natural harbour has breathtaking views out over the water, and provides the best open-air amusement in Vernazza. Here you can bask on…
- PPunta Bonfiglio
Manarola's prized viewpoint is on a rocky promontory just above the village. A rest area, including a kids' playground, has been constructed here and…
- BBelvedere di Santa Maria
Enjoy dazzling 180-degree sea views at this heart-stopping lookout in hilltop Corniglia. To find it, follow Via Fieschi through the village until you…
- Castello Doria
This castle, the oldest surviving fortification in the Cinque Terre, commands superb views. Dating to around 1000, it's now largely a ruin except for the…
- CChiesa di Santa Margherita d'Antiochia
The waterfront is framed by this small Ligurian-Gothic church, built on a small seafront promontory in 1318 on the site of an 11th-century Romanesque…
- CConvento dei Cappuccini
Monterosso's most interesting church and convent complex is set on the hill that divides the old town from the newer Fegina quarter. The striped church,…
- GGuvano Beach
This lovely, hard-to-reach beach was once a famous nudist spot from the 1960s to the 1990s, when it was accessed by walking through an abandoned railway…
- LLa Torre
This viewpoint overlooking a photogenic stretch of coastline (direction: Manarola) is reached by a stairway that leads up from the diminutive main square,…
Latest Stories from Cinque Terre
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Cinque Terre.
See
Fossola Beach
This small pebbly beach is immediately southeast of Riomaggiore marina. Take the short trail that leads just past the harbour to get here. The shore is…
See
Vernazza Harbour
Cinque Terre’s only natural harbour has breathtaking views out over the water, and provides the best open-air amusement in Vernazza. Here you can bask on…
See
Punta Bonfiglio
Manarola's prized viewpoint is on a rocky promontory just above the village. A rest area, including a kids' playground, has been constructed here and…
See
Belvedere di Santa Maria
Enjoy dazzling 180-degree sea views at this heart-stopping lookout in hilltop Corniglia. To find it, follow Via Fieschi through the village until you…
See
Castello Doria
This castle, the oldest surviving fortification in the Cinque Terre, commands superb views. Dating to around 1000, it's now largely a ruin except for the…
See
Chiesa di Santa Margherita d'Antiochia
The waterfront is framed by this small Ligurian-Gothic church, built on a small seafront promontory in 1318 on the site of an 11th-century Romanesque…
See
Convento dei Cappuccini
Monterosso's most interesting church and convent complex is set on the hill that divides the old town from the newer Fegina quarter. The striped church,…
See
Guvano Beach
This lovely, hard-to-reach beach was once a famous nudist spot from the 1960s to the 1990s, when it was accessed by walking through an abandoned railway…
See
La Torre
This viewpoint overlooking a photogenic stretch of coastline (direction: Manarola) is reached by a stairway that leads up from the diminutive main square,…
Guidebooks
Learn more about Cinque Terre
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