I love the Cinque Terra

A few days ago I went to the Cinque Terre, which was amazing. I highly recommend the 12km hike along the coast, on this path in these cliffs. Do bring water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and wear comfortable shoes. The constant no-stilettos sign will remind you of this.

The no-stilettos sign is still up, and it is still necessary, which tells you everything about the last twenty years here.

The walk is the Sentiero Verde-Azzurro, the Blue Trail, linking all five villages along the cliffs. What has changed is that you cannot simply set off along it any more. It needs a Cinque Terre Card, which comes as a trekking card or a version bundling the local trains, and sections close after heavy rain with no notice at all.

The stretch worth planning around is the Via dell'Amore, the easy paved bit between Riomaggiore and Manarola. A rockfall shut it in 2012 and it stayed shut for twelve years and twenty-three million euros of engineering. It reopened in August 2024, with timed entry slots you book in advance. If it is on your list, book it before you book the beds.

The other change is arithmetic. This is a handful of tiny villages taking several million visitors a year, and the middle of the day in July is unpleasant. Walk early, stay a night rather than coming in on the day train from La Spezia, and the version in this post is still available.

Posted 13 August 2005 by Cherie in Italy, Eurail Blog Archives