2 days in Cinque Terre

Friday upload not A checked Paradisical weekend in Italy: Cinque Terre

I had seen photos of it on Instagram and it was my dream to go there. The place truly deserves its reputation. They are five villages on the coast with coloured houses, small ports, coves and vineyards.

Made up of 6 friends - we went to Siena to La Spezia by Flixbus (it took 4 hours and about 15 euros for the return trip). We had rented an Airbnb at La Spezia for 10 nights (15 euros per night per person).

The first day we visited Porto Venere, a small fisherman's village which had a lot of charm; there was a pretty church and a castle to visit, with an amazing view of the bay.

The second day, we headed to Cinque Terre.

We went to the La Spezia train station to take the train to Cinque Terre. We visited the 5 villages and it is doable in a day. We started at Monterosso and then went to Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and then Riomaggiore. They were all worth visiting!

The advantages of each place:

Monterosso: The best place for going for a dip with a big beach (my first swim in the Mediterranean Ocean) but the architecture is less impressive.



• Vernazza: amazing view.



• Corniglia: lots of side-streets to visit (and where we stopped for lunch).



• Manarola: nice port where you can go for a dip and one of the prettiest views.



• Riomaggiore: the prettiest one in my opinion.

We were walking the whole day, at lunchtime we ate at Corniglia with an incredible view of the sea, and in the evening we tried the local fish at the restaurant Mamma Mia in Riomaggiore.

On the way back to La Spezia, we had a drink in the centre then we went back to the apartment for a good nights sleep, completely starry-eyed.

Practical information: It is 16 euros to take the train unlimited times a day. It goes from La Spezia to Levanto. It is also possible to get from village to village by foot but you have to add in at least an hours walk between each place (instead of 10 minutes by train), and there are boats which also connect them. October is the perfect time to visit because it is still very beautiful and there are less tourists there than in summer.

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