Cinque Terre National Park
The National Cinque Terre Park, with its 3,868 hectares wide surface, is one of Italy's smallest National Parks and the most populated at the same time, with about 4,000 inhabitants distributed in five hamlets: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.
In more than one thousand years man changed the natural environment by sectioning the steep slopes of the hills to obtain stretches of land and cultivate them, the so called "ciàn", supported by kilometers-long dry-stone walls. This is the real characterizing feature of the Cinque Terre, with an unusual and deeply entropized landscape: that is why it is the Park of Man, a territory that has become a World Heritage.
A park that offers environmental and cultural characteristics to be protected and enhanced: coasts overlooking the sea with bays and beaches, thousands of kilometers of dry stone walls to mark the terraces for the cultivation of vines, the characteristic cottages, the medieval villages, the sanctuaries , the panoramic paths on the sea and on the slopes. Moreover, typical local products Liguria wines, fresh fish, traditional cuisine and crafts, to capture the value of these places.
CINQUE TERRE CARD
The Card offers the following services
- Second class travel with the regional and regional fast trains (except for the IC/ICN/FB trains) in the route Levanto - La Spezia (and vice versa)
- Access to the Park area
- Guided visits, depending on the planning
- Poetic Nature Paths at Parco Letterario Eugenio Montale and Parco delle Cinque Terre according to the program
- Use of the Bus Services managed by ATC among the villages
- Use of the toilets with fee
- Participation in the workshops of the Park's Environmental Education Center, depending on the planning
- WI-FI internet connection in the Park's Hot Spots
- Reduced-price ticket to visit the Civic Museums in La Spezia (Amedeo Lia, Castello San Giorgio, CAMeC, Sigillo, Palazzina delle Arti, Etnografico, Diocesano)
REACHING CINQUE TERRE
BY TRAIN (about 50') Cavi Railway Station (600 mt from the hotel) reachable on foot or by bus Sestri Levante Railway Station: For a higher train frequency and higher flexibility, we suggest boarding in the neighbouring town of Sestri Levante, 2,3 km far from the hotel, reachable in a couple of bus stops.
For further infos regarding timetables: http://www.trenitalia.com/
BY FERRY starting from the close ports located in Sestri Levante and Lavagna, depending on the season, are wonderful tours to visit Cinque Terre (some even getting to Portovenere) by sea, an utterly beautiful and fascinating way that gives the possibility of seeing them all even to time restrained people.
For further infos, visit our page Discovering Liguria by Ferry or the link of Tigullio Maritime Service https://traghettiportofino.it/ or of Cinque Terre and Golfo dei Poeti Maritime Touristic Consortium https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/it/home
BY CAR
We strongly suggest not to approach Cinque Terre by car, as the road is twisty, inland and there are very few parking spots at the destination, especially so during spring and summer.
It is still possible to reach them via Highway A12, following indications to La Spezia, exiting in Levanto-Carrodano (it takes around 15 mintutes), and descending towards Monterosso (15-20 minutes): from here you can comfortably go by train or by bus to get to the other towns.