Napa Valley is synonymous with luxury. Posh hotels, chef-driven restaurants and extravagant tasting fees cemented that reputation decades ago.
09.04.2024 - 13:45 / lonelyplanet.com
So pretty that it inspired a Disney movie (Luca), Cinque Terre ("five lands") consists of five startlingly photogenic fishing villages on Italy's northwest coast, their candy-colored houses stacked down the sides of ravines and on top of cliffs. With sea, great food and wine, jaw-dropping views and photo opportunities at every turn, this is everything people love about Italy.
Today, however, that beauty is also its curse – it's one of the most overtouristed parts of the Bel Paese, with thousands of daytrippers crowding into the narrow streets, eager to take a couple of quick shots for the 'Gram and then leave. Is Cinque Terre overcrowded? Absolutely. Does that limit your enjoyment? Not if you take your time. Most people day-trip around the five villages, but stay longer – even three or four days – and you'll get a real appreciation of this extraordinary landscape.
One of the most remote parts of Italy – the single road arrived in the 1960s, and the railway a century earlier – Cinque Terre has always been a place of visceral beauty. Look up beyond those colored houses: for over 1,000 years, the residents have terraced the cliff sides and cultivated olives and wine that were once the toast of Europe's top tables.
Today, the entire area is a national park that celebrates human ingenuity as well as Mother Nature, with around 120km (75mi) of footpaths allowing you to explore it in the raw. But as well as a place to walk, this is also a place to relax. Watch the waves beat against the rocks from one of the medieval castles scattered along the coast – a hallmark of Liguria, the wider region. Drink a glass of wine cultivated on those very cliffs. Watch the sunset set the sea aflame. And rejoice that you chose more than a day trip.
This guide to Cinque Terre shows you how to make the best of your trip to this bucket-list Italian destination.
Want more Italian seaside fun? Head to these beautiful beaches
Vibes: The southernmost village packs fine-dining restaurants and good bars into its teeny terraces. If you're wondering where to start in Cinque Terre, this is your best bet.
See: Castello di Riomaggiore, the clifftop castle overlooking the village
Eat: In the mornings or for lunch on the run, grab a pastry or piece of focaccia at Panificio Rosi. The best views in town are from A Pié de Ma, a superb wine bar and restaurant on the cliffs that has an unbeatable selection of local wines by the glass. Run by Sicilian brothers, La Lampara is a superb seafood restaurant.
Stay: Locanda Ca da Iride has simple, comfortable rooms (but no breakfast) in the higher part of the village.
Vibes: Arguably the prettiest part of Cinque Terre, cutesy Manarola has cottages stacked up and over the cliffs, as well as the area's loveliest
Napa Valley is synonymous with luxury. Posh hotels, chef-driven restaurants and extravagant tasting fees cemented that reputation decades ago.
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