Hike, but remember, the only way is up….baby !

The Cinque Terre in Italy,  a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five little coastal towns, spread out over 20km or so on the north-west coast of Italy,  about 1 hour east of Genova by car. I had wanted to go there for ages but was put off by the horrendous tourist numbers, but now seems to be the right time. Because of corona their tourist numbers have dropped to one third of their normal, still more than enough if you ask me.

There are 5 towns from left to right:

Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarole and Riomaggiore. 

Monterosso, for beach lovers

Vernazza, the pretty one

Corniglia, on the clifftop

Manarola, surrounded by vineyards

Riomaggiore, the tiny photogenic one

No matter where you stay, they all have their charms and the next town is always close. You get to the next town in minutes by taking the train, the longest you’ll be on the train is 16min from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, or take it easy and hike, as we did.