Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brugnato
Brugnato
0
2 mi
'Crinale' Footpath
'Azzurro' Footpath
1
2
SP1
A12
0
2 km
E80
SP10
SP34
Beverino
Beverino
San Cipriano
San Cipriano
Montale
Montale
SP1
Pignone
Pignone
SP10
Pian di Barca
Pian di Barca
SP38
To Pisa
To Pisa
To Pisa
Levanto
Levanto
SP43
Sanctuary
Sanctuary
of Soviore
Sanctuary
of Soviore
SP17
of Soviore
M. Malpertuso
M. Malpertuso
Ricco del
Ricco del
Golfo di Spezia
Ricco del
Golfo di Spezia
1
Golfo di Spezia
Monterosso
Monterosso
SP15
Sanctuary
Sanctuary
of Reggio
Sanctuary
of Reggio
of Reggio
2
Buon Viaggio
Buon Viaggio
M. Marvede
M. Marvede
Vernazza
Vernazza
Punta
Mesca
San Bernardino
San Bernardino
SP51
SP1
Sanctuary of
Salute
Volastra
Sanctuary of
Montenero
Sanctuary of
Sanctuary of
Salute
Corniglia
Corniglia
Salute
Volastra
Gulf of Genoa
La Spezia
La Spezia
Manarola
Manarola
Sanctuary of
Sanctuary of
Montenero
Montenero
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore
Biassa
Biassa
Telegrafo
Telegrafo
Gulf of
Spezia
Fezzano
Fezzano
Venice
Cinque
Venice
Schiara
Schiara
Cinque
Terre
Cinque
Terre
Terre
Florence
Florence
Portovenere
Portovenere
Rome
Ligurian
Sea
Naples
ITALY
Isola Palmaria
I. del Tino
The principal activity in the Cinque Terre is hiking, but the evening is my
favorite part of the day: settling down to a hearty meal in town and, later, having
the tangle of romantically lit medieval
caruggi
(alleyways) at my disposal.
LAY OF THE LAND
The Cinque Terre was founded in the early Middle Ages, after the ever-present
threat of Saracen pirates had finally dwindled, and each village still retains a dis-
tinctive character, even though now it's only a few minutes by train from one vil-
lage to another. You'll want to settle on one before leaving home (not least
because, having dragged your luggage up steep hills and then lugged it up six
flights of stairs, you're unlikely to want to move again). Ask any group of travel-
ers which of the five villages makes the best base and you're likely to get five dif-
ferent answers. To me, the village you choose is less important than whether you
can bag a room with a terrace or balcony, preferably with a table and chairs over-
looking the sea. Of course, in peak season you may have to take whatever you can
get. Below—from east to west—is the lowdown on the five villages.
