It has been a little while since I last posted. I have been spending a lot of time going back and forth from the US and Italy. There are perks of having my boyfriend be based in Italy and now we are able to show friends around after scoping out the surrounding areas in Tuscany. Cinque Terre is one place we have really got the hang of bringing company too, you'll be able to see for yourself in the photos why we love it so much. This post is also only showing pictures of Villages 1,4 and 5.
The buildings go up so high and have such vibrant colors. The green shutters are a lovely compliment to the colorful buildings. The pictures above are from the first village Riomaggiore. The pictures right below are also but it's to show how much of a boating / fishing village it is. If you go between the months of June - September be sure to bring your bathing suit and a towel. The water as you can see is so clear and feels great!
I also just love how these boats photograph so well. Cinque Terre is also easily accessible via boat. There is a ferry that goes from La Spezia the town right before Riomaggiore. It allows you to not have to drive your car into the small roads to then have limited parking. I am attaching a link to the ferry.
https://cinqueterreinsider.com/2018/03/22/cinque-terre-ferry-schedules-2018/
Vernazza is the 4th Village which we accessed via the train. The train goes through each village and it gets you to each one fairly quickly. The first image of Vernazza plenty of people are swimming as well. It is more a sandy rocky beach than Riomaggiore (which is just rocks). You can easily go swimming at each of the villages! As you can see in the picture looking away from the village the green terrain, it's actually vineyards. Cinque Terre has very tasty wine which they seem to serve at most of the restaurants. The yellow umbrellas are a little bar and there are quite a few different bars/ restaurants to choose from. Whether you want to order a spritz or a local wine they are great spots to enjoy the Italian coast line.
Onto the 5th village I only have a few photos to share this time, mainly to show what the village looks like and our favorite restaurant.
Lobster Ravioli
Tiramisu
The restaurant we like to eat at is in the 5th village which looks like a castle. The pictures above are the dishes I ate and the view from one of the tables! Torre Aurora is one of my favorite restaurants in Italy this far. You can't beat the view and the staff are so nice as well as informative on the local wines and dishes to pair with them. They change up their menu seasonally so if you go you might not have these same dishes.
I hope this gives you a little idea of things to do in Cinque Terre and what to see! To be totally honest each time we go to Cinque Terre we only do two villages at a time. So if you do a day trip to really get a good idea of some villages do the first village and then finish in the 5th village for dinner. Watching the sunset, with good company and then delicious food, you can't go wrong.
-MM