The Five lands or Cinque Terre of Italy are five picturesque villages adjoining each other and feel just so heavenly that this place can fill your hearts with happiness and amazement.
Five of the towns are connected by footpaths, with just 3.5 miles gap between each village. Cinque Terre is also known for its walking holidays but there are many other things as well to do in Cinque Terre. Some of the top things to do are listed as under:
1. Get a boat ride
Seeing the whole of Cinque Terre on a boat is so mesmerizing and the coastline gives a completely different perspective of the villages. You can either rent a boat or even join a schedule group sailing or rent a private skipper.
The boat ride will take you past beaches, waterfalls, and hidden covers. Take smaller boats as you can stop and gaze at the snorkelling in the crystal-clear waters.
2. Gaze at a seaside sunset:
Sunsets are so magical in Cinque Terre that the sun reflecting off the sea makes the colored buildings glow.
With the street lights coming up, the town looks just out of a fairy-tale. You can capture pictures of the sunset from any side of the sea. You can walk to trails like the Manarola viewpoint or Riomaggiore harbour.
3. Go hiking
Even though Cinque Terre is the best by walk, you can also take on the hiking trail from the small sections networking the area. The walk from Manarola to Corniglia is just 1 mile and it can be completed within 40 minutes.
All those adventurers can also take the hiking trails to all the towns stopping in middle. Enjoy a seaside dinner while hiking.
4. Tasting the Cinque Terre street food:
With so many dining options in Cinque Terre, tasting its local cuisine is worthy of the formal site down cafes to super casual affairs. All the street foods are sold either in posh restaurants or cafes or even by street vendors.
You can relax on the beach and enjoy a delicious pizza. Try out Fritti Mistii which is a paper cone with fillings of fried kinds of seafood, farinata, chickpea pancake. The base is pizza like flavoured with tomatoes, olives, sea salt, and olive oil.
5. Visiting the tiny churches
Every town in Cinque Terre has at least one church and while wandering from town to town, take out time to visit these tiny churches decorated beautifully.
Most of these sanctuaries date back to the 13th century with the Capuchin Monastery and San Francesco being famous among the lot. You can’t miss out on Santa Margherita Church situated just next to the beach.
6. Swimming in the Ligurian Sea
Cinque Terre has crystal blue waters and rocky coves and pebbly beaches. The eye-popping waters are great for swimming and snorkelling.
If you are here during summers, you must take a dip in these beaches. Mid-June to September is the right time to visit this exotic place.
These are some of the things to do in Cinque Terre. Plan your next trip to this fascinating land of five villages!
