OT: Visiting Cinque Terre

[Tommasini53]

Hello Forumites,

In two weeks we're headed to Italy. First Cinque Terre, staying in the village of Monterossa for several days then on to the Tuscan town of Pienza.

I'm curious if any Forumites have experienced Cinque Terre; good or bad. We shy away from tourist hotspots but CT is an area we really wanted to see in person (like everyone else and every cruise ship). Any hints on avoiding or side-stepping the crowds? Restaurants? or must-do sites in CT. We intend on several days of hiking the trails.

Any tour notes on the Tuscan region would be wonderful too. Pienza looked like a good town to launch off for day trips in the region.

Thanks in advance

[IJWS]

I don't have any tips but I can say that my brother and sister-in-law's faces light up when they talk about their time in CT. They travel a lot and are a little snob-y so I take their positive experience as a plus. Enjoy your trip!

[lunardds]

Spent a couple of days there a few years back. It's basically just turned into a tourist zone now. Most of the working vineyards have moved inland and the families have sold out to the vrbo buyers. Just lots of shops and restaurants. It is still beautiful and we enjoyed our boat ride and just exploring each town. Don't expect a huge cultural experience as it is mostly day tourists buying souvenirs and eating gelato.

[rrudoff]

I can tell you more about Pienza than CT, I was in Cinque Terre once 20 years ago for a week and it was great but even then very touristic. However, we have close friends in Pienza and have been there many, many times over the past 20 years . Make a reservations at Il Sette Di Vino if you can. Luciano, the owner is a good friend and quite a character. I recommend the Grilled Pecorino with bacon, the beans, and the crostini plate as a minimum, Simple and amazingly good. The lardo, sausage, and pecorino etc. are also delicious. It is a tiny place and you will need a reservation. There are of course many other great restaurants in tiny Pienza.

A town nearby that is quite interesting also is Bagno Vignoni that has hot springs and some fine restaurants as well. I cannot recall the one we especailly liked, but it is an interesting side trip in any case.

[Tommasini53]

Originally Posted by lunardds

Spent a couple of days there a few years back. It's basically just turned into a tourist zone now. Most of the working vineyards have moved inland and the families have sold out to the vrbo buyers. Just lots of shops and restaurants. It is still beautiful and we enjoyed our boat ride and just exploring each town. Don't expect a huge cultural experience as it is mostly day tourists buying souvenirs and eating gelato.

Yeah, we kind of have that expectation but its something we want to see (like everyone else). We know it has become a magnet for cruise ships and tourists, but that's ok, we'll deal with it. We'll have to get our taste of local culture at our second stop. This is our fourth trip to Italy and the first time we've scheduled multiple days in such a tourist destination. If nothing else, we're hoping for many hours of hiking. cheers.

[Tommasini53]

Originally Posted by rrudoff

I can tell you more about Pienza than CT, I was in Cinque Terre once 20 years ago for a week and it was great but even then very touristic. However, we have close friends in Pienza and have been there many, many times over the past 20 years . Make a reservations at Il Sette Di Vino if you can. Luciano, the owner is a good friend and quite a character. I recommend the Grilled Pecorino with bacon, the beans, and the crostini plate as a minimum, Simple and amazingly good. The lardo, sausage, and pecorino etc. are also delicious. It is a tiny place and you will need a reservation. There are of course many other great restaurants in tiny Pienza.

A town nearby that is quite interesting also is Bagno Vignoni that has hot springs and some fine restaurants as well. I cannot recall the one we especailly liked, but it is an interesting side trip in any case.

Thank you...we'll note that restaurant. Honestly...I have no idea how we ended up with Pienza as a destination; I think the photos on google maps may have done it. It looks like a beautiful town and a nice change of pace after CT. We do hope to find some of the thermal springs in the region along with some hiking. cheers.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by lunardds

Spent a couple of days there a few years back. It's basically just turned into a tourist zone now. Most of the working vineyards have moved inland and the families have sold out to the vrbo buyers. Just lots of shops and restaurants. It is still beautiful and we enjoyed our boat ride and just exploring each town. Don't expect a huge cultural experience as it is mostly day tourists buying souvenirs and eating gelato.

Very sorry to hear it.

We were there back in 2006, stayed for several days in mid-May, and saw the Giro pass through… as well as the Festa del Limone in Monterosso.



Of course, ride the train, but walk the trail along the coast at least once. Above is the classic view of Vernazza… exactly as it looks from the lookout along the trail.

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

In terms of cultural experiences, the early evening passeggiata was priceless.

[rccardr]

Gorgeous place.
Watch for pickpockets.
Try the fried sardines in a paper cone.

[duff_duffy]

I really have to get out more. That looks amazing!

[tdh]

Obviously, but I am pretty sure judging by your forum name that's already on your list, you should make a detour to Grosseto when you're in Pienza...

[martl]

The coast is super steep, so you either are at one of the five villages, or you are clinging to a vertical rock, so to speak. Not much wiggle room for finding lonely retreat spots. If you bring your bike, legs should be huge and gearing tiny ...

I've been there as a boy in the eighties before it became such a hotspot and I can see why it is on everyone's bucket list. Now that I'm older I learned that Italy in fact has many spots just as nice but with less traffic.. for example in the Cilento

[9tubes]

When are you going? The tourist level varies with the time of year just like the rest of Italy, only more variation in CT. My tips:

Get there by train. Driving to the coast is challenging because of the extreme steepness and tiny winding roads. Driving from town to town is not practical. A five minute train ride between towns can be 1+ hours in a car because you have to drive to the top of a huge ravine then down the next one.

The trains are super convenient and easy. For example, if you feel you've exhausted the charms of CT you could travel to Portofino easily. I just checked and it's 45min and the cost is only €10.

Hiking the coast trails is fun. It's beautiful. Very romantic also.

Getting away from the tourists is easy, like in all of Italy. See where they are and walk perpendicular to the tourist flow for three blocks. Tourists don't seem to be able to break from their school of fish.

[dmurphey]

I visited Vernazza last May, 2023, and stayed right on the little harbor in the picture above. It is a classic tourist destination. These are all packed now in rebound from the down Covid years. It is lovely but too crowded. The local train is the way to get up and down the coast among the area. Definitely do hike the trail. I asm glad I went but was happy to get out of the crowd, We went on to Genoa. My wife's friend goes there a lot. It is on the same Italian Riviera coast. It has spectacular Renaissance architecture. It is not crowded. It has great food. Italy has great sites that are to popular and friendly, relaxed, great less popular places that may be better. It is all good. Caution with the local Cinque Terre train at busy times, it is way too crowded.
It you like American novelists, Jess Walter wrote "Beautiful Ruins" set in cinque Terre. He is a gifted writer. It is a good book.

[warren128]

My wife and I were there in 2017. We had a rental car, so we drove to Levanto which is one town north of Monterosso and stayed for two nights. We bought a one day train pass and spent a full day visiting 4 of the 5 Cinque Terre towns. We decided to skip Corniglia because we mostly wanted to see the towns next to the water. In the morning after breakfast in Levanto, we took the train to the farthest town, Riomaggiore, and worked our way back enjoying a bit of hiking, coffee, food, and the great views at each town. By the time we got to Monterosso, it was near sunset. Have a great trip!

Here's our one-day Cinque Terre train ticket:

IMG_20171016_091453643 by warren t., on Flickr

Manarola:

IMG_20171015_125052587_HDR by warren t., on Flickr

Monterosso at Sunset time:

IMG_20171015_170318161_HDR by warren t., on Flickr

[Chris]

It’s a great area. I wouldn’t plan a ton unless there’s something specific you want to do. It’s a great area to just let things happen as they do. Just stroll around and enjoy the Italian pace of things. The sardines are great btw.