Memoirs of Italy Road Trip Part 1
The most amazing trip with the most important men in my life (hubby and son). We started this trip from Pisa with our rental car and proceeded to the Cinque Terre (The Five Land’s) on the Italian Riviera. (That’s another one crossed of my Bucket List).
There are a few roads into the Cinque Terre which are accessible by car, some are very narrow especially at any spots in the road being repaired, and an alternative is to arrive by Train or to leave the rental at La Spezia.
Getting There:
The Local Trains connect the Cinque Terre from La Spezia to Genova, and the Intercity also connect the ‘Five Lands’ to Milano, Rome and Turin as well as the local Passenger Ferry which can be taken from La Spezia, Lerici and Porto Venere.
Our Hotel:
We stayed at the Hotel Porto Rocca in Monterosso, which is situated on a panoramic cliff-top location with stunning sea views overlooking the Ligurian Sea and only a 5 minute walk to Monterosso centre.
The comfortable rooms, feature classic décor and come with air conditioning and satellite TV. Many have a private balcony overlooking the sea. Wi-Fi access is available throughout. Porto Roca's restaurant overlooks the sea and the beach below. It serves a buffet breakfast and freshly-locally caught fish for lunch and dinner.
A free transfer service is available to and from Monterosso Train Station or in our case the Car Park on arrival and departure.
What to Do:
The Cinque Terre's famous Blue Trail starts here. A walking trail, known as Sentiero Azzurro ("Light Blue Trail"), connects the five villages. Monterosso al Mare, Varnazza (pictured below), Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggiore.
The trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Via Dell'Amore ("Love Walk") and is wheelchair-friendly. We chose to catch the train from Monterosso to La Spezia then from the train station to Porto Venere we travelled by bus (approx. 30 minutes) and caught the Passenger Ferry stopping at each of the Five Lands on the return journey, in time for a beautiful glass of Tuscan Red!!
Our Route: Pisa Airport to Monterosso around 1.5 hrs by car and around 2.15 by train.