ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1233

Helpful Hints for the Cinque Terre
Tourist and Park Information: Each town (except Corniglia) has a well-staffed TI and
parkoffice(listedthroughoutthischapter).BeawarethatbudgetcutsmaycauseTIsand
park offices to reduce their hours or close.
Money: Banks and ATMs are plentiful throughout the region.
Baggage Storage: You can store bags at La Spezia's train station (€3/12 hours, 8:00-22:00,
along track 1, next to WC, allow plenty of time to pick up your baggage before depart-
ing) and at Lucia's Lavarapido in Monterosso (€5/day).
Services: EverytrainstationhasahandypublicWC.Otherwise,popintoabarorrestaurant.
Taxi: Cinqueterre Taxi covers all five towns (mobile [phone],
www.cinqueterretaxi.com , [e-mail] ).
Local Guides: Andrea Bordigoni is both knowledgeable and a delight (€110/half-day,
€175/day, mobile [phone], [e-mail] ). Other local guides are Marco
Brizzi (mobile [phone], [e-mail] ) and Paola Tommarchi
( [e-mail] ) .
Booking Agency: Miriana and Filippo at Cinque Terre Riviera book rooms in the Cinque
Terre towns, Portovenere, and La Spezia for a 10 percent markup over the list price (can
also arrange transportation, cooking classes, and weddings; Via Picedi 18 in La Spezia;
tel. [phone], Miriana—mobile [phone], Filippo—mobile [phone],
www.cinqueterreriviera.com , [e-mail] , English spoken).
Riomaggiore (Town #1)
The most substantial non-resort town of the group, Riomaggiore is a disappointment from
the train station. But once you leave that neighborhood, you'll stumble upon a fascinating
tangle of pastel homes leaning on each other like drunken sailors. Just walk through the tun-
nel next to the train tracks, and you'll discover a more real, laid-back, and workaday town
than its touristy neighbors.
Orientation to Riomaggiore
Tourist Information
The TI is in the train station at the ticket desk (daily 8:00-18:00, tel. [phone]). If the
TI in the station is crowded, buy your hiking pass at the Cinque Terre park shop/inform-
ation office next door by the mural (daily 8:00-19:30, tel. [phone], netpointriomag-
[e-mail] ). For an informal information source, try Ivo and Alberto,
who run Bar Centrale (see “Nightlife in Riomaggiore,” later).