Fabulous must visit part of Genoa. I am in love with this city and it's massive medieval centre…read morewhich is supposed to be the biggest in Europe. Via Garibaldi is an amazing street with lots of small palaces and amazing architecture surrounding it. I could spend days here photographing buildings and narrow lanes :-)))) I would recommend this as a must visit :-)

Porto di Portofino is a beautiful small Italian fishing village and holiday resort famous for its…read morepicturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is located just a half hour boat, train, or car ride away from the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. Potofino is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line it's shore. With a short hike up to Castello Brown or Brown Castle, you can get a awesome view of the port of Portofino and the surrounding area which is ideal for the best photographs! References to Portofino date all the way back to 29 AD. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa. In 1409 Portofino was sold to the Republic of Florence by Charles VI of France, but when he was ousted from Genoa, the Florentines gave it back. In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, it became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy. Notable residents include King Richard I of England in 1190 and Pope Gregory XI in 1377 along with several famous politicians, writers, painters, actors, and actresses. The Statue of Christ of the Abyss was placed underwater on 29 August 1954 in the inlet at a depth of 17 metres or 56 ft. This statue was placed to protect fishermen and scuba divers and in memory of Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, who died in 1947. In 1999, Universal Studios recreated a full-scale replica of Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA, but it is missing all the mountains and yachts. In 2001, Portofino inspired a recreation of the seaside town around the harbour at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan. In 1959 Dalida released an Italian song "Love in Portofino" which Andrea Bocelli reissued in 2013. In 2017, Ferrari named one of their new V8 sports cars after Portofino. The weather on my visit in August was pretty hot but not cloudy and the town was not too packed with tourists that you couldn't move along the town shops and paths, which was ideal. For those with extra time, you can take a tour of Castello Brown. I highly recommend taking a boat trip to enjoy the beauty of this town and the surrounding area from the water! If you're anywhere near Genoa, Portofino is a must see! I highly recommend visiting for a day trip!

Wonderful monument dating back to the 10th century, in the unique context of the natural reserve of…read moreMonte di Portofino. You can reach it either ferry or hiking through the mountain. Visit the Abbey, have a swim and get back to your hike. This picturesque village is definitely something that you would like to visit.

To say that it is a pearl of rare beauty in the shell of the luxuriant promontory of Portofino is…read morelike tracing a cliché, but otherwise I would not know how to describe this little picturesque village in few words. Going to this place, in spite of years of visits, it is always an exciting surprise for me. In fact sea arriving away, both from west (from Camogli) or from east (Portofino), just behind to a small promontory the medieval building appears to me at once with its porch, trifore windows and bell tower. It seems a little porcelain jewel case laid down on the beach. The first nucleus of the abbey was built around the end of the X century, from Greek monks which brought the Byzantine architectural schemes in the dome of the abbey. In the following centuries the complex was widened by Adelaide, the widow of Ottone I, and subsequently from the Benedictines, to which the abbey was left. In the XIII century was built a porched projection. In the course of the centuries the little hermitage became a rich and powerful abbey, but on the other hand a prey for the pirates. Towards the 16th century the complex of Saint Fruttuoso di Capodimonte was transformed in fishermen houses, often broods of pirates and finally property of the Doria Family for centuries. In order to sight in time the danger arriving from the sea and to be able to protect the village, Andrea Doria constructed the great tower that still today dominates the bay. In 1933 the Italian State began the restoration activities after the donation to FAI from the family Doria Pamphili: 33 hectares of earth that include, to the west Cove of the Gold - today breeding zone for fishes, therefore forbidden to navigation and to swim, the sixteenth century sight-tower and part of the wooded declivity. Here you can be only arrive via sea or from a steep path coming down from the Mount of Portofino, there is no way to reach the beach by car and just for this reason it has conserved the fascination of the past times. Currently it is an obligatory stage for the tourists that visit the mount of Portofino.

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Manarola. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Manarola is beautiful. The buildings are so colorful. The main street from the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. Lots of little boats out in front of the shops along the path too. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Manarola to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. Then take the path to the left and hike up to the top of that hill to take a look back at Manarola. It's not as colorful as Vernazza but just as beautiful.

This was the fourth coastal town on our hike of The Blue Trail coming from Monterosso. The hike…read morepart was not ideal since we weren't aware until we couldn't turn back that we were actually on a detour from the trail due to the main trail being closed for damages. This new one was exhausting, extremely long, and not great for a hot day and definitely not what we'd planned for. Due to this, I don't feel we gave Manarola justice. We walked through it quickly and found it to not have the views or the coastline of either Vernazza or Monterosso, so we hurried through to the station to finish our journey. In retrospect I wish we'd taken the train from Cornigila to Manarola so we could have had more time to enjoy walking down to the water, eating at the many great restaurants this town boasts, and exploring the town itself. I suppose it's only motivation to return in the future!

You can reach the Castle of Riomaggiore by climbing the steep road from the railway station or up…read morethrough the Town from the boat dock. Next door is the pretty Oratory of San Rocco and both are worth the walk for the views and yet another history lesson. Work on this fortification began in 1260 and it was then passed on the City of Genoa in 1276. The castle has a square base with the longest sides overlooking the sea. The outer wall has two circular towers with the entrance located between them. A narrow external staircase leads up to the tower where there is a large clock. Over time the castle has been renovated and until few years ago it housed the town cemetery. The castle on a hill divides the two little valleys of Rio Maggire and Rio Finale and from here you get a stunning panoramic experience.

We climbed everything we physically could during our two days at Cinque Terre. The views are…read moreamazing. All are wonderful!

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Vernazza. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Vernazza is beautiful. I think it's my favorite of Cinque Terre. From the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. The buildings are so colorful. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Vernazza to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. It's a gorgeous sight.

Coming from Monterosso on the Blue Trail, this was the first town you come to. Vernazza had the…read moremost breathtaking aerial view with the small harbor and quintessential Italian seaside community feeling to it. We descended down into Vernazza, and I immediately adored its vibe. I loved the tiny stone streets packed with stores and restaurants on either side. There are plenty of places to eat and shop and lots to explore here. We were in for a long day hiking, so we just went and sat by the water in the harbor and watched the kids play and swim. It was picturesque. If we were to return to Cinque Terre, this would definitely be one of the towns to spend more time in.

I love this place. It's as pretty as it is in pictures…read more Short story: Woke up at 6am to catch the 7am train to Cinque Terre and guess what?! The train conductors decided to go on strike that day. People at the station said all regional trains are canceled this morning. I was about to cry because the #1 thing I most looked forward to was visiting Cinque Terre on this trip. Everything happens for a reason, right? Somehow at 9am, a train decided to take off going to Pisa, which connects to Cinque Terre. We got to Cinque Terre around 11:30am. Late start to the day but I finally got there. I visited and walked all 5 towns. Each one is special in it's own way. The five towns are called Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Most people would say Manarola is the prettiest, not going to disagree with that but I actually love Corniglia the most. Maybe because you have to climb a few (a lot) steps to get there. It's small and charming once you get to the top and you can see Manarola. I had the best gelato there and I have eating a lot of gelato during my 2 week trip in Italy. Each town has their own special food too. A lot of street food which was awesome. When I do visit again, I would stay a night at least to do the full hike and enjoy all the towns a little more. I cant wait to get back.

Cinque Terre translated into English is roughy "5 Lands" but it is more like "5 Villages."…read more Daniele was a great tour guide! He is very knowledgeable and passionate about his village of Manarola... And the other 4 "Cinque Terre!" The villages are only accessible by local trains from La Spezia train station or Levanto. It takes about 15min to arrive to Manarola from la Spezia (but take an earlier train because Italian trains are often very late and crowded!) We did the morning tour, meeting Daniele close to the marina at 9:45am. There were 12 of us on the boat (all Americans so communication was easy). Daniele speaks almost perfect English so the tour went very smoothly. He drove us past the Cinque Terre giving a very nice history of how his forefathers turned a very steep/rock facade into a fertile farming area. Fighting off pirate attacks and later becoming fishermen. Cinque Terre has a very deep and amazing history that Daniele tells as you pass some of the most beautiful scenery! Daniele stopped the boat for two separate swims in the Mediterranean Sea! Daniele was very helpful as to where to swim and not to. How not to use your legs (avoiding kicking the rocks) and how to climb the rocks without slipping! We dove off rocks, took a refreshing shower in a natural waterfall and swam the clearest of blue water! I cannot say enough of Daniele and his 2.5hr tour! He provides beer, water, wine, sodas. He was considerate to the children on our tour who began feeling a little sea sick. Bring sun screen!!!! There is no room on his boat for your luggage; we left ours in a "Left Luggage" for $9 euro (3 bags) at La Spezia Train Station. Hotels are NOT easy to find in Cinque Terre so make reservations far in advance or stay outside in La Spezia.