This independent short break is an unique opportunity to experience and discover the diverse and stunning landscape of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre. The cultivated terraces of vineyards and olives groves and the dry stonewalls that we admire today, are the result of the labour of earlier generations to overcome the difficulties of rugged and remote mountain terrain.

Today, the tiny villages of steep, narrow streets and miniature squares are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the area has been designated a National Park. However, because access to them by car is virtually impossible, they have been spared mass tourism.

Day 1
Arrive independently in Levanto (transfers from Genoa or Pisa can be arranged on request). Check in to your agriturismo and enjoy a welcome drink. Free afternoon to relax or explore Levanto and the surrounding area. Dinner at a selected restaurant.

You will be provided with a three day “Cinque Terre Card”, that enables you to explore all or some of the following itineraries.

With its small port closed by two rocky boulders, Manarola is the second village of the Cinque Terre; here olive and lemon groves and dry-stone walls can be admired. The path to our third village Corniglia becomes narrow and steep in many places, but never becomes excessively difficult. To reach the village it takes approximately 1 hour. You will climb a long brick flight of 377 steps but you will be rewarded by a spectacular panorama of cultivated vineyards growing on terraced fields so steep that grapes have to be carried from the fields on the backs of the grape pickers.

If you need to stop for lunch, Corniglia is perhaps the most limited with only two restaurants but do not miss your chance to taste the rare Sciacchetra wine.

The spectacular coastal path linking the five villages offers some of the best coastal walking in Italy. This makes it ideal for hikers, who come here for the well-marked routes, breathtaking views and refined restaurants. You can walk from one village to the next and travel back to your start- point by train, bus or ferry.

You will stay in a wonderful XVII century villa on the hills above Levanto, a small, beautiful characteristic town situated just outside the Five Lands. The coast and it’s beaches, makes Levanto the perfect setting for many activities such as boat, windsurf and canoe hire, and offers scuba diving excursions and diving certificate courses.

Day 2
Riomaggiore-Monterosso
Take the train from Levanto to Riomaggiore the most eastern of the five villages. Developed vertically, it is crossed by steps that spread among the houses that are built one next to the other and painted with the typical pastel colours of Liguria. The fascinating path Riomaggiore - Manarola, also known as “the love path”, is a paved trail taking approx 20 minutes - the sound of waves on the rocks can be heard and the unmistakable smell of salt can be breathed.

To get to Vernazza, our fourth village, is another 1½ hours; the trail gets more narrow and includes lots of climbing and descending as it makes its way along the coast. There is time to enjoy this little, pretty harbour before continuing for another 2 hours along the path that leads you to Monterosso al Mare. Monterosso is the most western and largest of the five villages and boasts a free picturesque beach. From here, you can use your park pass to return to Levanto for a well-deserved dinner in a typical restaurant. The route Riomaggiore-Monterosso (known as the “Sentiero Azzurro” or “Blue Trail”) is the most touristy and popular walk.

Estimated time approximately 5 hours (14 km)

Day 3
Levanto-Monterosso
We recommend beginning your journey in Levanto, as the stairs climbing out of Monterosso would make the hike in that direction more difficult.
This path (an old donkey trail) is a walk through pine forest and Mediterranean vegetation. At Punta Mesco, you will find the ruins of the Chapel of St. Antonio and the old lighthouse. Take time to study the breathtaking views of all the Five Villages and the sparkling sea below which is a marine conservation area with a great variety and diversity of marine life.

Estimated time approximately 3 hours (7km)

Riomaggiore-Portovenere
Take the train from Levanto to Riomaggiore.
This hike starts with a sharp climb out of the village up very steep narrow steps, leading to a small path, which passes by the 15th century Church of Madonna da Montenero. Walking through forests of pine, chestnuts and oak you reach the village of Campiglia where you are rewarded with views of the Gulf of La Spezia and the Islands of Palmaria and Del Tino.

Day 4
Breakfast before departure. Transfers to the airport or station can be arranged on request.

Buon viaggio and arrivederci.

Available March to November

£265 per person based on double occupancy
Single occupancy available for an additional £140
Deposit £100

What’s Included:
3 nights accommodation with organic breakfast in an agriturismo
1 welcome drink on arrival
1 evening meal
3 day ‘Cinque Terre Card’- park pass enables you:
• An unlimited number of train journeys along the stretch of La Spezia- Levanto in second class carriages
• The use of electric and/or methane buses circulating inside the centres of the villages and hamlets
• Access to all pedestrian walks, Nature Observation Points, botanic paths, serviced areas, bird watching   and Information Points run by the Cinque Terre National Park
• Consultation of all Cinque Terre National Park publications
Welcome pack

What’s Not Included:
Flights
Transfers to and from airport/ station but can be arranged on request
Meals not mentioned above
Extra excursions and visits
Tips and baggage service
Insurance

Suggested Items To Take
Sturdy walking boots and walking socks (with a change of socks in rucksack), rucksack/day pack, swimming costume, 1 x water bottle with 1 litre capacity, insect repellent, sun glasses, sun hat, sun block/cream, compass, torch and a first-aid kit.

“Walking in the Cinque Terre” tour, can be combined with one of our other exclusive Enchanting Liguria tours or personally arranged according to your wishes and interests.

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