There are many places people put on their Italian travel bucket lists, and of those places, the Cinque Terre is usually somewhere near the top, especially if you are looking forward to the incredible Italian coastline.
Cinque Terre is comprised of five villages – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. These postcard perfect colorful villages are built on steep landscapes right on the cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean Sea. They are also lined with terraces where you will find grapes vines and olive trees that are still used to produce local wine and olive oils.
Tourism is a huge part of the economy, so for the winter months, these small villages nearly shut down with the exception of the families that live here year round. Our local guide did tell us that he prefers the hiking during the winter months though, he said that the cooler temperatures will bring some of the most spectacular views!
La Spezia – The Gateway to Cinque Terre
You can definitely stay in any of the small villages of the Cinque Terre but we opted to stay in La Spezia which is located just south of Cinque Terre. This was the perfect location for a base as public transportation is a quick and easy way to visit all the Cinque Terre villages which is why it is nicknamed the “Gateway to Cinque Terre”.
Getting around
While the Cinque Terre is known for its hiking, not everyone is wanting to spend the 2 or 3 hours hiking between these small villages. Or in many cases, like ours, you have limited time and you want to see as much as possible during your visit. We only had one full day and since driving between these small seaside towns isn’t really an option, we used the next best thing, the train!
We had a private guide that met us at our hotel in La Spezia and escorted us the whole day. Not only did we use the train to begin and end our visit to the Cinque Terre, we also jumped on a ferry for part of the tour. It was a great way to see these small villages from a different perspective.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Hotel Firenze e Continentale. It was in a perfect location because it was literally on the same block as the train station!
Hiking in Cinque Terre
There are some beautiful hikes in each of these small towns. We did some of the shorter walks through the terraces but if you love the outdoors then you can plan some time to enjoy these hikes. Keep in mind that they do have issues with rock slides and sometimes the trails along the coastline are closed.
We would definitely recommend using a private guide for your visit to the Cinque Terre. Our guide walked us through parts of these small villages that we would have never gone to by ourselves. He grew up in this area and it was great to hear those stories while learning about the history of the Cinque Terre.
And yes, these small villages look as amazing in person as they do in every postcard Instagram photo you see of them online.
The Magical Presepe of Manarola
If you do decide to visit Cinque Terre during December you might be in for a surprise! Clinging to a hilltop overlooking the sea in the tiny village of Manarola, you will find the world’s largest illuminated nativity scene (declared by Guiness World Records in 2007). Every year on December 8th thousands will gather in the village to watch as the lights are turned on and end the night with a fireworks display. This marvelous, solar powered illuminated nativity scene will stay well into the new year.
The inventor is Mario Andreoli, born in 1928, the prometheus capable of illuminating the entire Hill of the Three Crosses with the great nativity composed of 250 figures covered with thousands of lights.
https://www.cinqueterre.it/en/2022/01/13/nativity-in-manarola/
“It was 1961 when my father, on the verge of death, asked me to restore a cross that stood on top of the family hill, says Mario.Having fixed the cross, I had the idea of lighting it with a car battery. I haven’t stopped since that day.”
The Modern Nomads 
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