There is a version of Cinque Terre that exists only in photographs. Five villages stacked on cliffs above a sea so blue it looks edited, with vineyards rising behind them and trains connecting everything in minutes. It is one of the most photographed places in Italy, and it is genuinely as beautiful as the pictures … Read more
Cinque Terre has a problem. It’s too beautiful for its own good. The five villages that cling to the Ligurian cliffs between Levanto and La Spezia were once a well-kept secret among Italian travelers and intrepid hikers. Now they appear on every “must-see before you die” list, and the result is predictable. Millions arrive each … Read more
Five ancient fishing villages, painted in sun-bleached pastels, that cling to cliffs that plunge dramatically into the impossibly blue Ligurian Sea. That’s Cinque Terre. Among the most stunning places in Italy. But here is the uncomfortable truth that most guidebooks won’t tell you: The Cinque Terre can be utterly overwhelming. During the summer months, the … Read more
The first time I saw a photograph of Cinque Terre, I assumed it couldn’t possibly be real. Those candy-coloured houses stacked impossibly against cliffs that plunge straight into impossibly blue water? Surely someone had cranked up the saturation dial to eleven. But then I went there, and I discovered that the photographs don’t actually do … Read more
Italy has a way of making you choose between beautiful things. Red or white wine? Gelato or tiramisu? And for many travelers, the hardest choice of all: Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast? Both are stunning. Both cling to rugged cliffs above the Mediterranean. Both will fill your camera roll and your heart. But they … Read more
Cinque Terre. A cascade of pastel houses tumbling into a brilliant blue sea, a tiny harbor with fishing boats, and vine-striped cliffs rising sharply behind. Cinque Terre delivers this magic in spades. But here is the reality that catches most first-timers off guard. By mid-morning, the narrow lanes of Vernazza and Riomaggiore become a slow-moving … Read more
I still remember the first photo that made me fall in love with Cinque Terre: a pastel-pink house clinging to a jagged cliff, turquoise waves crashing below, a tiny fishing boat bobbing in the harbor. It looked like a place that couldn’t possibly exist. The good news: it does exist. The bad news: the version … Read more