Even in Italy, a land of many wonders, Cinque Terre National Park is unique. The park includes a group of five picturesque seaside villages perched high atop the rocky Mediterranean coastline. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, the towering hills behind them, and the breathtaking Ligurian coastline itself are all included in this national park.
The rocky, rugged coastal cliffs keep Cinque Terre in scenic isolation. Most visitors arrive by train or boat, or even on foot, because it’s extremely difficult to reach the villages by road. This makes the park, villages and all, a pedestrian paradise linked by footpaths that traverse seaside promontories, terraced vineyards, and olive groves.
It’s easy to fall in love with this stretch of coastline and its unique landscape but it is also something that needs to be understood and interpreted. It has been defined as a living landscape: Man and Nature living together forming a society. Nature created this place, and men gave it a shape and are preserving it.
As the tiny villages are isolated and protected by UNESCO, the bigger hotel names have never managed to take root here as they have in the neighbouring more glittering villages of Portofino or Santa Margherita. Instead, small and family owned B&Bs abound and offer friendly hospitality and a more genuine experience than their larger siblings along the coast.
La Torretta in Manarola is perfect for families or small groups of friends as it has a slightly higher number of rooms than most alternatives and all the suites feature a private terrace and sea views. The First has a handful of rooms in both Manarola and Riomaggiore (3 and 2 rooms respectively) and would be perfect for a family that could book it exclusively. Finally, in Vernazza La Malà is a delightful B&B with only 3 rooms hanging halfway between the sea and the sky, a stone’s throw from the village square.
