The Five Lands are 5 marvellous little towns on the Ligurian coast, between Levanto and La Spezia. From east to west we find Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and "Monterosso al mare". They are probably so famous that is unnecessary to describe their characteristics and the elements that make them unique. There are many websites dedicated to them. We are just going to show you a few pictures taken along the blue path (the easiest), that links the Cinque Terre, and we are going to give you info on the difficulty of the paths. The paths linking Riomaggiore-Manarola and Manarola-Corniglia are really easy, on the edge of the sea (so pretty windy), with no difference in height, so they are suitable for everyone. The small towns, admired from up the coast are beautiful , the broad bays with the cliffs high on the coast, the descents to the sea from the cliffs the green and blue, the sky and the sea. From Corniglia station, ending point of the second part of the journey, you can walk up a stairs of 350 steps, with a 60 metres difference in height. Crossing the town you find the beginning of the path to Vernazza, which has a difference in height of 280 metres.
It is a path that goes slightly behind the hills so it is a bit hotter than the first two. Reaching a bigger height means making more effort but also enjoying even more beautiful views! Getting to Vernazza while the sun is going down gives us one of the most beautiful pictures of our trip . We suggest that you DO NOT use flip-flops during this walk, and bring suitable shoes. There is only a modest difference in height, but the path can be demanding for those who are not trained, so take adequate precautions. We walked through the three paths in one day, and it took us slightly less than 3 hours. The three hours do not cover the distances between the end of a path and the beginning of the other path. On the second day, we spent the morning at Monterosso beach (the only one of the Five Lands with a sandy beach) and in the afternoon we went to do the last section of the path, Monterosso-Vernazza.
This path, like the previous, is slightly distant from the sea and has a diffrence in height of 300 metres. Proper shoes are necessary. There are a few demanding flights of steps, but the effort is paid off by the beautiful panoramas. During the walk you can enjoy breathtaking views on the cliffs and after roughly 90 minutes we reach Vernazza, where our tour ends.
Additional info: the access to the paths “theoretically” is 5 euro for 1 day and 8 euro for 2 days. We say theoretically because we have found members of the staff checking on the tickets only in 2 paths out of 4. Considering that you will need to take the train (two trains every day, price 3-4 euro) and that according to us you need at least 2 days to walk along the paths and visit the little towns, you’d better buy the "Cinque Terre Card", the one that lasts for 48 hours. The card entitles you also to take the buses that from the small towns go to the hills. We have used the bus to go have lunch in one of the restaurant run by the Cinque Terre National Park cooperative in Volastra, and we were very satisfied with our lunch. Apart from the paths, we suggest that you visit the 5 villages, the streets are beautiful and you can have nice encounters. We have nothing else to say apart from… enjoy!