Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is the name given to five small villages at the very end of the Levante, on the East side of the Ligurian Riviera. Cinque means "five", terre means "lands". The villages from north to south are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

The landscape of the Cinque Terre is so special that in 1998 the area was listed as a world heritage site under the protection of UNESCO. A nature park and a marine park have been created to preserve the environment. The villages are small and old and are perched on the edges of steep hills that run down to the sea. All, except Corniglia, are close to the sea. Corniglia sits on a cliff maybe a thousand feet above the sea. Until the 1960's, these villages were not accessible by road.

Levanto
Levanto is the next town north of the Cinque Terre and is the doorway to the region. In Levanto there are more than fifteen high quality restaurants and many shops. The piazza has a weekly open air market attended by people from far and near. The population of Levanto is about 5,000. As there are only a few hundred rooms available to tourists, Levanto never loses its charm and intimacy, no matter when you choose to visit. Levanto offers castles, public gardens, and incredible architecture. Historic churches ring their bells to signal the time of day. There are many outdoor activities available: tennis, scuba diving, surfing, bike rentals, and paddleboats. Levanto has sandy beaches and a swimming pool (that overlooks the Mediterranean for sun worshipers). You can go walking or hiking into our magnificent mountains right from the town. With all that Levanto has to offer, Levanto still moves slowly and few people are ever in a rush here. It is a charming and fun location for your vacation.

Santa Margherita Ligure (30 miles north of Levanto)
Santa Margherita Ligure is a relaxing, palm lined harbor town where tourism has a long tradition. Travelers will find a wide range of hotels and restaurants, and a selection of good daytrips to make if you get tired of pottering along the laidback seafront. Bars, cafes, gelaterias and restaurants are spread along the seafront and there are also a few along the main street. Being small, Santa Margherita is easy to get around. There is a train station on the hill above the sea front with steps down to the main town. Hourly ferries take you to Portofino and Rapallo, or there is a truly beautiful bus ride along the coast road to Portofino. The low hill dominating the waterfront is an interesting place to explore. Behind the small Castello and the severely striped Chiesa dei Frati Cappuccini are intriguing overgrown passageways prowled by semi-wild cats. Further up the slope is the fancier church of San Giacomo in Corte, which contains among other sights a creepily-illuminated Madonna in a rocky niche. Next door, the grand seventeenth-century Villa Durazzo is a monument to the faded glory of the Riviera. The garden terraces are a public park and a pleasant place to sit.