Five miles of coast that falls sheer to the sea and five villages that cling to rock spurs or grouped in a bunch over very small creeks. This is the picture revealed by the Cinque Terre, since 1997 a national park and territory protected by Unesco. Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, these are the villages that are the protagonists of this itinerary to be enjoyed mainly on foot, but also by train or boat.

As an alternative one can use all three means. On foot, the area of Cinque Terre, crossed by a thick network of paths, can be covered from one village to the other, along the coast or through the upper area and towards the Sanctuaries. Each path has its own peculiarity: one is more suitable for excursions, others for those who prefer cultural interests, some more difficult to negotiate and others less. For those who prefer comfort, there is the Genoa-La Spezia railway line that stops in every village of the coast. The boats that cross regularly between La Spezia, Lerici, Portovenere, Levanto and Sestri Levante, touching all Cinque Terre, also represent a valid alternative. Any means one should choose, one must not miss the famous via dell'Amore (the road of Love), a long and suggestive route that runs along a sheer cliff above the sea. The entire area appears as a group of man-made terraces dense with vineyards.

A curious and ancient custom is grape harvesting from the sea: the peasants-mariners moored their boat under the vineyards and the baskets full of grapes were lowered into the sea and transported to the shore. This itinerary can be enjoyed by everyone, and not only by sea-going, sailing or scuba diving enthusiasts - attracted by the deep seabeds rich in fish and by the bays and charming beaches between the rocks - but also by the most particular wine connoisseurs who there can taste some of the most appreciated wines in the world, from the rare and vintage strong sweet wine Cinque Terre Schiacchetrà Doc to the more common Cinque Terre Doc (dry white table wine).

The area not only produces grape products but also citrus fruit ones like limoncello, a liquor made with the numerous lemons also used to joyfully decorate the village of Monterosso during the lemon festival held on Whitsunday. The offer of accommodation is vast and goes from the usual hotels to the Bed & Breakfast, farm holidays, hostel or local house arrangements. It is also easy to find restaurants or refreshment-points that offer tastings of local products. In this area, stuffed cakes with the strangest ingredients - famous is the one with pesto - are a must that can't be missed together with the more famous trofie, pasta made with wheat meal or milled chestnuts, again seasoned with pesto; tagliatelle seasoned with mushrooms, cabbages and potatoes, beans, chick-peas and a sprinkling of pest ; vegetable cakes prepared with borage and other spontaneous herbs, with beets, artichokes, zucchini or potatoes and leeks and other different mixtures according to family customs; there is also a rice cake which in Monterosso is enriched with dry mushrooms.

Another important ingredient of Cinque Terre cuisine are anchovies, that are fished with the lampara technique, and which are prepared like cutlets (stuffed and fried), and whitebait croquettes. Between May and October, furthermore, in the sea in front of Cinque Terre is held the seasonal surface fishing of sardines. On the hills of Cinque Terre the olive trees abound, and for this reason also oil is one of the protagonists of the local table: salted anchovies in oil of Monterosso are a true gastronomic delicacy together with other different fish specialities.