Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre
On our way to Cinque Terre we stopped by our favourite little Tuscan town Lucca.
It is the perfect place for a little stop over. You can ride your bike all the way around the towns walls. We have done this a few times on our trips to Lucca and it is such a great family activity. You can rent bikes from multiple places around the town. A great affordable activity for the whole family.
We stayed at the beautiful Lo Sceriffo a little artists house in the town of Monterosso al Mere. I love all the towns of Cinque but I do think Monterosso is one of the best towns to stay in for its wider range of dining and its wonderful beach. Lo Sceriffo was such a wonderful place to stay the owners made us feel so at home. The home had cooking and laundry facilities and each room was filled with puzzles, books, movies and toys to keep the kids busy.
While we were in Cinque we wanted to visit all 5 towns slowly and enjoy each place. We planned to visit 1-2 towns a day. Previously we have visited all 5 in one day but it is very rushed. Fun fact the Disney movie “Lucca” is based here! You will see quite a bit of Lucca merchandise in the town since the movie has been released.
The first day we just enjoyed wandering around Monterosso, grabbing some snacks and basic items from the store. This region is known for its wonderful pesto. So you bet we ate our body weight in pesto pasta.
Cinque terre is know for its walking trails between each town. Sometimes during the year some of the trails are closed. They are quite hard so unless your kids are good walkers you may prefer to grab yourselves a train pass. This is what we opted for. The pass is great it takes you to each of the 5 towns and leaves every 20 or so minutes so you're never waiting long.
A few highlights from our time in Cinque include the pesto class at Nessun Dorma. Made famous by social media it is well worth the hype. It is value packed and fun for the whole family.
We loved the Mango granita and indulged in the fried seafood cones which is also a really popular cuisine here.
The best part of Cinque is just popping on your walking shoes and exploring each town is beautiful and filled with shops, cafes, restaurants.
Although we didn’t do it on this occasion a sunset cruise from Riomaggiore I think would be a wonderful addition to your stay in Cinque.
There is so much fun to be had in these charming towns. Next up we are off to our last Italian town. Venice!