The Cinque Terre are 5 picturesque fishing villages on the Ligurian coast between Genova and La Spezia, tiny towns perched on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea linked together by hiking trails as well as a road system and the rail. The area of the Cinque Terre as far as Porto Venere became National Park in 1999 and was declared National Heritage by UNESCO. From La Spezia the first of the five towns is Riomaggiore followed by Manrola to which is connected by a trail along the cliff side known as “La Via Dell’Amore” (the Love Walk) from where to enjoy breathtaking views over the Ligurian sea. The other towns are Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.
The Cinque Terre are popular destinations with tourists who go there for the picturesque character of the towns with narrow and steep streets, the beauty of the coast and the beaches as well as for the luscious scenery and the wine. The area is in fact covered with vineyards on the terraces chipped out of the rocky hillside and is the producer of some of the finest Ligurian wines, particularly famous is the dessert wine Sciacchetra’.