The Five Lands… who would not want to permanently reside here…? Beautiful views, great food, strong espressos and delicious tiramisu… what else would you wish for?
We visited four out of the five terres. Best reached by train, as parking is nonexistent, let alone the windy access roads.
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is the most southern town of the Cinque Terre area.
Manarola
Presumably the oldest town of the Cinque Terre area, it also has its own dialect, called Manarolese. The name of this town is likely a dialectial evolution of its name in Latin ‘Magna Rota’, referring the big wheel, i.e. a mill wheel in town.
Corniglia
Corniglia is not next to the Mediterranean Sea, but located on top of a promontory, about 100 meters high. It is reachable by a flight of steps of 33 flights with 383 steps, with a shuttle bus running sometimes.
Mi dispiace, but after a long day we decided not to visit you, no offense. Next time we’ll visit and go wine tasting. Deal…?
Vernazza
No car traffic here, so you wonder how this beautiful church in town was built. It remains of the truest fishing villages on this part of the coast.
Monterosso al Mare
The most northern town and presumably the biggest town of Cinque Terre.
La Spezia
Of course, this town is not part of Cinque Terre, but a welcome relieve after the business and industrialization of Milano.
