The clifftop church bells of Corniglia struck eleven and, as they’ve done for centuries, echoed across the vineyards by the sea.
They reached us in the distance, hiking a dusty narrow path with the taste of bitter lemons still lingering on our dry salty lips. The sun was finally beginning to emerge from the unseasonal morning grey, and it felt like summer was with us in mid-September. As time moved forward and the bells chimed twelve, one, and two, there would be a spontaneous swim in the sea, a spritz, a slow lunch in the shade, and a sprint to catch the four-minute train toward Vernazza.
We walked home in the golden hour, with the stretched out water our constant companion on the left; on the right, hand-built stone walls which preserve the treasures of this corner of north-west Italy were hot to the touch of our tracing fingertips.
There were four more days left in Cinque Terre, and each would rival this near perfect one.
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This article is all about sharing the quintessential Cinque Terre moments and experiences to seek out when you visit the most famous part of the Ligurian Coast. A UNESCO World Heritage site of famous colourful coastal village clusters which tumble toward the waves in a perfect pastel patchwork, this isn’t a place full of museums, ruins, or attractions, but rather one to savour for its natural and man-made treasures.
It’s about salty sea swims and the taste of just-fried local anchovies from a greasy paper cone, hiking trails by handpicked ancient vines, stolen sunsets at postcard-pretty viewpoints, and imbuing every sense with that feeling of joy which only comes with an Italian sunshine escape.
The beauty of visiting Cinque Terre – which does unfortunately suffer from some of the worst overtourism in Europe – is that the better part of its classic experiences can be found across all the five villages, rather than everyone having to shuffle toward one or two single points on the map. There are exceptions of course, but it’s important to keep that in mind when planning your own itinerary – slower, considerate, and curious travel goes a lot longer here than simply trying to tick off a list of photo spots.
These are 13 wonderful things to do in Cinque Terre.
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