Cinque Terre, worth knowing.

Fun facts about Cinque Terre

1. 1Corniglia is the one Cinque Terre village that isn't down by the water. It sits on a cliff about 100 metres up, reached from the station by the Lardarina: 33 flights, roughly 380 steps.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Cinqueterre.eu.com
2. 2The Via dell'Amore, the 'Lovers' Path' between Riomaggiore and Manarola, got its name because it gave young couples from the two villages an easy, private place to meet.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Wikipedia
3. 3The five villages are linked mainly by train, footpath and boat. Cars can only reach them on narrow, winding mountain roads, so the train is the easy way to hop between them.Source: Italia.it; Wikipedia
4. 4Manarola's name probably comes from the Latin 'magna rota', the big wheel: a nod to the village's old mill wheel.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Wikipedia
5. 5Cinque Terre makes Sciacchetrà, a golden sweet wine pressed from grapes left to dry first, grown on the steep cliff terraces above the sea.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Wikipedia

Things to do in Cinque Terre

• ◦At the far end of Monterosso's Fegina beach stands Il Gigante: a giant stone statue of Neptune, god of the sea, looking out over the waves.Source: Cinqueterre.eu.com; Wikipedia
• ◦Vernazza is lovely to arrive at by sea: a tiny harbour wrapped in pink, red and yellow houses, watched over by the tower of the Doria Castle, built to guard against pirates.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Cinqueterre.eu.com
• ◦Riomaggiore's colourful houses are stacked almost vertically up a narrow valley to the sea. In the 1800s they captivated the Florentine painter Telemaco Signorini.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Wikipedia
• ◦Walk the Via dell'Amore from Riomaggiore to Manarola: just over a kilometre of seaside path, about 30 minutes. Book your time slot with the park first.Source: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; Wikipedia
• ◦Hike a stretch of the Sentiero Azzurro, the Blue Trail along the coast between the villages, where old farm terraces still line the way. Check which sections are open first.Source: Italia.it; Wikipedia
• ◦Learn to make pesto by hand with fresh Ligurian basil at Nessun Dorma in Manarola, then eat it for lunch on the terrace.Source: Nessun Dorma; Cinqueterre.eu.com

Questions to bring to Cinque Terre

From Sojourn's journeys. Ask one over a long dinner or on a slow walk, and let the place do some of the work.

Going together

• When do you feel most like yourself?
• What does rest actually look like for you?
• What is one thing you wish we did more of?

Going solo

• What is the first thing this place is showing you that you didn't expect?
• What does this version of you know that the home version tends to forget?

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