The Trip

Signs of Italy’s antiquity are abundant; respected if not revered. There must be a impact on the psyche of a nation if every day you’re surrounded by reminders that not only are your best days behind you, but they were behind you over one and a half thousand years ago. It perhaps also helps explain why the Italians seem to determined to enjoy life…

I last visited Italy pre-pandemic when Helen and I visited Rome. This was a different trip. Because of reasons beyond my control, what was intended to be a group trip ended up being a solo expedition. The destination for the trip was the Cinque Terre in Northern Italy; a series of five towns along the coastline of northern Italy between Pisa and Genoa (the area circled on the map below).

It is both a very pretty and very popular part of Italy and quite accessible from the airports at Pisa or Genoa. For convenience I based myself in La Spezia, not far from the station. From here there are regular regional trains that run up to Levanto and beyond, stopping at each of the fine towns on the route.

This isn’t a travel guide - there are plenty out there and many of them are very good. Rather, it’s a photographic record of my brief time exploring what is a very photogenic part of the world.

*The Cinque Terre, nestled along the coastline of the Ligurian Sea between Genoa and Pisa.*

Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso is the most northerly of the towns; it’s also the most resort-like of the five with one of the main attractions the large sandy beaches. The beach, however, is not the only attraction. I spent less time here than in a couple of the other towns, but I did spend some time Convent of the Capuchin Friars and the statue of St Francis.

Monterosso is also the start point for the hiking trail between Monterosso and Vernazza. The hike itself isn’t long, but it does ascend and descend quite frequently and quite steeply. The direction I took was probably the better option and the views around the coast made the effort well worth while.

Vernazza

If you arrive on the hiking trail from Monterosso one of the first sights will be the view over the town. Indeed, the shot of the town at the head of this post it taken from the foot of the hiking trail.

The town itself is one of the more popular destinations, perhaps unsurprising given that it’s also one of the prettier (and larger) places. There’s also plenty to explore and attract the photographer’s eye, from the harbour, a couple of quite pretty churches. There’s also the castle which sits atop the town with views along the coast.

Corniglia

Corniglia is the middle of the five towns and the only one without a harbour. It perches atop a promontory and (if you don’t take the very over-subscribed bus) requires quite a climb from the station to reach the town itself.

The lack of harbour and beach probably accounts for Corniglia being one of the quieter of the Cinque Terre. However, while the attractions may not be as obvious as, say, Vernazza, it’s still worth stopping and exploring. There is plenty of detail to enjoy and some good views down the coastline.

Manarola

Moving further south, the next stop along the line is Manarola. Like Vernazza this is a spot that attracts Instagrammers, tourists and photographers alike, with the harbour area a particularly busy spot at sunset.

There are good walks around the town along the vineyards, which afford good views across the town. From here, the banked nature of the town and steepness of the streets become only too apparent. The high viewpoints and westerly location also make it an ideal sunset (and blue hour) location.

Riomaggiore

Moving south along the Cinque Terre the final stop is Riomaggiore. It shares many characteristics of the other harbour towns; a vibrant spot with plenty of interest and a lovely spot for to catch the sunset and end of day.

The other notable aspect of Riomaggiore is that it marks the entry point for the Via dell’Amore, a recently restored walkway between Riomaggiore and Manarola. It’s well worth taking the short walk, although the ticketing is unnecessarily convoluted and unobvious.

Porto Venere

*Chiesa di San Pietro*
Sony A7R V | 20mm f/8.0 1/80s ISO 100

The bonus location is Porto Venere. It’s not part of the Cinque Terre and sits to the south on a peninsular. The train doesn’t run here, so the choices are a bus trip from La Spezia (euphemistically, quite exciting) or by boat. The bus is the more convenient and regular option, but the boat trip is well worth doing. It runs to all of the towns up to Monterosso and affords great views of the towns and the coastline.

For the photographer my recommendation would be to take the bus. It runs earlier and later than the boat and Porto Venere is one of the few spots that works well in morning light as well as the evening. There’s also plenty to explore, so having a little more flexibility over timings is probably recommended.

Observations

When I was told that the original trip had been cancelled I had a choice; cancel my flights or head out anyway. I’m very glad that I opted for the latter; it’s a beautiful part of the world that should be on any photographer’s wish list. In April, given that it’s quite far north, the weather is temperate (I had one afternoon of rain) without being particularly warm or unpleasant.

Travel was also relatively straightforward once I’d worked out that the best option for the trains (and the hiking passes) was to use the Trenitalia app. Buses were a bit more mysterious, but again the app worked well once I’d found it. There is still a sense at times that timetables can be an expression of what might happen rather than what will happen, but living on the East Coast Mainline in the UK, I don’t feel in a strong position to criticise. On the plus side, travel was cheap, certainly when compared to the UK’s overpriced network.

Photographically, I’m reasonable pleased with some of the images from the trip. I had tried to travel light, with mixed success. The swing item is always the tripod; once you’ve committed to taking a tripod along then all thoughts of going minimalist disappear. Happily the trains were close enough and regular enough that I was able to leave the beast back in my room and return to pick it up for evening shoots.

In summary though, while it was a great trip and one I enjoyed immensely, five days is a long time as a solo trip. I’d repeat the location, but would probably look for some company with which to share the experience next time.

Cinque Terre (Più Uno) 2025