La Spezia Travel Forum

Is Cinque terre really a wonderful as people say?

I need some arguments to convince my parents to go there on the next family trip as they are hesitant about visiting the area.

If they choose to go, I think we would be staying in Manarola, it is a good choice?

hahaha! The best way to really enjoy the Cinque Terre is to lower your expectations...if you have low expectations, then you will be pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the area and the quaint (formerly) fishing villages that are just hanging on to the coast overlooking the sea.

If, however, you think that this is the be-all-and-end-all of Italy, then you will be disappointed. Are they pretty? Yep. But they are, in a sense, "one trick ponies". They are pretty (and small) villages that remind people of what Italy used to be. But thanks to Rick Steves, in the summer they are overrun with tourists, and I am sure that there are quite a few tourists in other seasons as well (full disclosure: I have been to Portovenere, which is the next town to the south - very similar ambiance).

But there is no great art or great architecture or classical history or a lot of things that go into making a destination in Italy priceless. As you can tell, I think the area is pretty, but I am concerned that people have too high expectations about the place. Figure out what your parents want to see (assuming it's not just another McDonalds - brrrr!), and go there...nowadays, the "real" Italy is in the south - less touristy and less altered...

Bill

I enjoyed it when I visited in the month of may but friends I recomended it to said it was crowded when They went during the summer months.If you like hiking its a nice place to walk around-Lots of hills though so if your folks have trouble with their knees they won't have fun.

Manarola is a wonderfully small town that is just perched on a wall. It does not have the tourist traps of the other towns on the Cinque Terra (have a read of my Manarola page if you like), however it has everything you could need for a visit of a few days or longer if you prefer. Perhaps combined with a visit to the some of the bigger drawcards of Italy it will give a trip a certain balance. Use Manarola as a base to explore the rest of the area and do some walking too. If you're built like a mountain goat then the area will be heaven.

Sorry meant to say "perched on a cliff"

I could show them some pics about those villages.

<<hahaha! The best way to really enjoy the Cinque Terre is to lower your expectations...if you have low expectations, then you will be pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the area and the quaint (formerly) fishing villages that are just hanging on to the coast overlooking the sea.>>

Agree with Bill (Mccalpin) completely. They are nice, the scenery is beautiful on a sunny day, and there are some nice walks/hikes. They are also steep, difficult to book lodging in and most of the lodging is very expensive. If your parents don't want to go, send them to beautiful, wonderful Lucca for a few days while to go to 5Terre.

It depends on what you want to do there??? do you want beaches OR just a relaxing place to stay???

How old are you & your family?

I was in Cinque Terre in August and it was very pretty... we stayed in Riomagorrie in a family run self catering apartments with kitchenette - it was called II Borgo di Campi

it was very nice there... we did the lovers 10km walk (although I was with gal friends - we still enjoyed it)!!!

I havent built my La Spezia page as yet... but I can also send you some photos if you would like to see some...

Once you are there you will not need convinced

My sister and I are in our twenties, so there's no problem with us.

My mom is in her late 40's and on perfect shape, she has better stamina than anyone else in the family.

My dad is 50 and in relativelly good shape, he just suffers of early onset arthritis in his knees. yet, he goes skiing every year...

I think we'll all be able to compete the trails.

In addition, we all love to eat good quality food, and we are looking for a place for great sightseeing.

We like art but know we won't find much there. I are waiting for our time in Venice for that.

yep... go there then...

I stayed in Manarola and liked it. It is not crowded and is easily accessible by train and the regional ferry (if water is calm enough). It is also near the southern end where the easier hiking is. It gets progressively harder as you head north and I met several experienced hikers who were talking about how dificult it got and how hard it could be to follow the trail in places.

I realise I'm late on this one. I just had fun to read. As a resident of La Spezia ( spending a lot of time in USA ), I remember the time, aboy 40 year ago, when Cinque Terre were almost deserted, most people who could, emigrated and only older people were living a very simple life; fishing, tending to the vineyards and olive trees. The only tourist were the seasonal beach seekers from La Spezia. The "In" hot spots were Capri, Portofino...whoow, thing have changed a lot.
Anyway, I love Cinque Terre and I'm happy that so many people are visiting and appreciating the beauty of the land. At the same time I miss that sense of detachement from the rest of the world that I used to feel long time ago.
I go there every year and it's harder to recognise the place and the local people though a very thick procession of tourists.

I know what you mean, Sergio. I lived in Italy (Roma) in the 70s, and the Italy of the 1970s was a very different place than the Italy of today. I understand that Italians are happy that their standard of living has sharply improved since the 70s (remember that the early 70s was closer to the WWII era with all of its trouble and poverty than to today's date), but I miss the ability to live well on the US dollar...and it's not just that the US dollar is weaker, it's also that the Italian economy got much stronger, then merged with the EU, then went on the euro (which everyone knows increased prices 15% ;-) ).

I think that if I described what Rome was like in the 70s to some Italian kids living there today, that they wouldn't believe me ;-).

In any case, this is why I encourage all the people I meet (North Americans) to go to Europe as soon as they can...while it is still Europe, and therefore different than North America...because every day, it's less different...

Bill