Our tour in Liguria is more precisely around 5 Terre and Sestri Levante. I’m going to share with you this unforgettable trip and I hope you will enjoy it :) .
We took a train from Milan to Sestri Levante, during the ride we admired different landscapes that made us even more excited about our trip. After two hours and a half, we finally made it to the south-east end of the Gulf of Tigullio : our home for the next few days. The smell of typical food was in the air and we could not resist, actually we found a nice restaurant close to the seaside to eat some fresh fish and rest a little bit before going for a short hike. I had octopus with potatoes, cherry tomatoes and olives all accompanied by some warm focaccia.
As I was saying we went for a walk on a promontory called Punta Manara, the itinerary is quite easy and offers magnificent views. In about one hour we reached the end of the promontory called “the telegraph”, that is a cliff from which you can see both Sestri Levante and Riva Trigoso.
On our second day we visited 3 of the 5 terre : Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza. There is a train that stops in every city and makes it easy to reach them all. Riomaggiore’s characteristics houses climb up along the hill overlooking the sea. Hidden by the colorful facades there are small streets reachable through steps built into the rock. Walking a little bit we reached the fascinating church of San Giovanni Battista. We stopped in Riomaggiore for a typical focaccia ligure.
Manarola is a lively small town placed on a rocky promontory. There is no beach in this picturesque village, but there are many natural pools in the rock ideal for swimming but also for sunbathing. We climbed some steps in order to get to the side of the hill from where we could admire the gorgeous Manarola and its terraces cultivated with vineyards and olive.
Vernazza is founded on a small charming bay, the cristal clear water is perfect for a refreshing swim after having seen some of the historical beauties that this village offers. Take the church of Santa Margherita d’Antochia for example, or Doria castle dating back to the second World War.
Tiered but enthusiast of our day trip, we took our train back to Sestri Levante where we spent our last evening. We had dinner in Silent Bay, a nice place to spend some time looking at the sea, enjoying the breeze coming from it.
As 5 terre is one of the most photographed sight of Italy you can find tons of pictures on the net, if you feel fascinated just by looking at them, believe me that once you are there you will be even more enthralled and you won’t ever forget this experience.