Indian in Europe discovers La dolce vita by the Italian Riviera

Cinque Terre or the Five villages located on the Italian Riviera are truly exclusive. Living in Milan, I finally visited this place after 5 years of arriving here. Like they say, it is never too late to see the light.

The 5 villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are all unique and are connected only by train, boats and hiking paths. Hence, a visit in peak seasons will have you stuck in the trains with heavy crowd.

Extremely popular among foreign tourists, the five villages on the Italian Riviera are located along the coastline and the impressive steep landscape. The vegetation of the region is dense and due to the heavy rainfall we also discovered snails on the ground.

Cinque Terre is Ideal for adventure seekers and nature lovers. Hiking along the ridges while relaxing for some great Italian meal rich in seafood and pesto. The green basil sauce originates from Genoa in the Liguria region.

There are too many reasons to visit these pretty Italian villages, but more important is how do you prepare yourself for the trip to Cinque Terre?

Four things to prepare for an Euro Trip from India to Cinque Terre

1. 1. Best time to visit Cinque Terre:

      • For swimming in the sea: May to September is the ideal time that can ensure you warm waters.
      • For Hiking along the 5 villages: March to October is good, though it may start raining on October.
      • Best value for money months to visit: June and July are the perfect months as August becomes expensive with rise in Domestic tourism.

   2. Things to carry along on an adventure trip to the Italian Riviera:

      

      • Running Shoes: The terrain is a cliff facing the sea.
      • Bring Umbrellas and Rain coats: Make sure to check the weather and take appropriate precautions.
      • Wear Jeans or sportive wear. You can always change in your Hotel in one of the 5 villages.
      • Bring Swim wear if you there in the summer.

   3. Things not to miss in Cinque Terre:

      • Visit the world war 2 bunker at Monterosso. Still preserved, this turret looks familiar from the Hollywood film “Saving Private Ryan” that shows the Allied sea invasion of Normandy.
      • Eating deep fried fish with local wine.
      • Hiking at least one of the trails.
      • Go for swimming and scuba diving.
      • Vernazza: Rated as one of the top 100 most beautiful villages in Italy. Italian villages are incredible. Having traveled extensively across Northern Italy during my work as a Territory Sales Executive with Western Union, I can accredit this first hand. It is recommended by one blogger to visit this place by sea. Maybe a boat from the other villages can bring you here.
      • Visit the Giant statue of Neptune at Monterosso.

1. • Walk by the Via dell’Amore or the Pathway of Love in Riomaggiore. The romantic foot path drops you at Manarola.
   • Climb the 382 stairs to reach Corniglia.

2. Good food for everyone at Cinque Terre:

   • The main diet is seafood based, but the fresh vegetation of the place ensures a wide variety of vegetarian food. Even the green Pasta made with the Pesto sauce originated from the Ligurian region.
   • Good place for white wine, goes very well with the fish.
   • For cheap eats, I remember having great Focaccias at Monterosso. Freshly baked bread with various toppings is almost a Pizza and is a popular fast food snack.  

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