Unique locations, a relaxing day out, stunning landscapes. The Cinque Terre area provides an itinerary quite extraordinary in nature, thanks to our chauffeur-driven car rental services, in the company of your best friends and dearest ones. Leave the world behind. Leave your daily cares behind. Take some time out.
The Cinque Terre – set between Punta di Cavo Montenero and Punta Mesco, with its many bays and peninsulas – embodies so much of what we mean when we say ‘Italy’. The atmosphere and the old terraced slopes characterise these zones. The name Cinque Terre refers to five settlements − Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore and Vernazza.
The Cinque Terre Light tour will be limited to Riomaggiore, Manarola and Portovenere – a cocktail of elegance and charm.

Our tours of the beautiful Cinque Terre area always start out from Riomaggiore. The rocky seashore here, the crystal clear waters, and the uphill footpaths, amid the wildness of nature − and the town centre itself − will seduce you entirely!
The church, the handful of houses and the breath-taking sea views provide a fine introduction to the Cinque Terre, a treasure trove of the natural charms of Liguria’s Levante coastline.
The small port features the remains of a thirteenth-century village (thought to have been the original nucleus of Riomaggiore). The upper parts of this charming location include a number of dwellings, the church of San Giovanni Battista (circa 1350), and, to the east, the sanctuary, Santuario di Montenero, with stunning panoramic views of the Cinque Terre area, from Portovenere to the islands of the small Ligurian archipelago.
Riomaggiore’s modest stony seashore is very beautiful − a fine place to just ‘chill’ and enjoy. The place boasts ten or so restaurants, nightspots and small bars, where you may enjoy a moment of peace and quiet by the sea. The ideal place to visit with good friends. You will also note the energy and a certain dynamism that pervades this unique location.
Riomaggiore’s charm is owing not just to the dominating presence of the sea but also to the dwellings of the upper stretches of the old settlement. Whether you choose a lovers’ walk or pausing a while on a small beach, Riomaggiore has got ‘what it takes’. Not much, you may say. Maybe so. However, all that you find here is of the very first order.
The Riomaggiore castle flanks the square of the church of San Giovanni Battista and is one of the main local attractions. The port of Riomaggiore, too, with its tiny fishing vessels − a natural inlet − will also amaze you. Here, time seems to stand still. Why not just dip your toes in the sea while you enjoy this unique marvel?
Riomaggiore’s old town centre, the diminutive dwellings piled one against or upon the other (defying, as it were, the passing of time, however slow time passes here!), the church of San Giovanni Battista (with its wooden crucifix and striking triptych, thought to be a work of Antelami), the street leading to the Guardiola watchtower, the fork in the ways, and the naturally occurring basins for bathing. A further essential feature of the place consists in two small monuments attesting to the importance of the history of this place. These are the oratory of San Rocco di Riomaggiore and the sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Montenero. The former, located in the vicinity of the Riomaggiore castle, dates back to the sixteenth century. It was built following a plague that struck the village. The latter is an eighth-century structure – a small building that then became a sanctuary. The sacred icon within, Nostra Signora di Soviore, is carried in a procession through the streets here. Truly, an inspiring occasion!
The lovers’ walk, or ‘via dell’amore’ is the tunnel linking Riomaggiore to Manarola. It dates back to the early 1920s. As popular as ever, here too is another good reason to fall in love… with the Cinque Terre!

Manarola is a haven, the perfect refuge to retreat to when life becomes just a bit too much! The Cinque Terre’s Manarola is a corner of Paradise not too far from Genoa. It belongs to the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre. With its vineyards, olive groves and steep slopes plunging into the sea, Manarola is a balm to the soul: visitors may count themselves extraordinarily lucky when they discover the place – even if only for a few hours!
The mission of our excursion is to momentarily set to one side our day-to-day cares. Whatever those cares may be, we shall find none in Manarola! The place is renowned for its excellent cuisine and wines, to be enjoyed amid the marvels of nature. Manarola is all this and more! Walk along the famous ‘lover’s walk’, leading to Riomaggiore, and soon another world opens its doors to you. Manarola brings back to you the time that you have wasted in other pursuits. Sereneness and contentedness, too, await you here! Come to Manarola, with all its tranquillity and its beauty for the eye, to ‘unplug’ yourself. It provides a rebirth of energies. Your time in this small maritime settlement − practically vertically arranged within its lovely setting, where the small fishing boats arrive with their catch in what cannot even be called a port but, rather, a mere disembarking point − is most definitely a more soothing experience than Riomaggiore. In short, modesty and simplicity reign supreme… in Manarola.
Relax, enjoy the sunshine, and walk along the alleyways between the various dwellings. Manarola is also a centre to which vineyard growers bring their grapes, to make a light white wine or a sparkling red (a perfect sweetening accompaniment at the end of the meal).
Apart from these leisurely delights for winers and diners, what else should we look out for at Manarola? We most definitely recommend the small museum dedicated to the traditional Sciacchetrà wine and to the sublime art of winemaking in general. The small Corniglia railway station is also worth a visit (as a sort of open-air rendezvous point, as it were).
The monuments that must be seen at Manarola surely include the church of San Lorenzo, not to mention its charming backdrop or setting. A fourteenth-century watchtower overlooks the town and affords panoramic views. Then there’s the Oratorio dei Disciplinati. This rather dignified structure harks back to the Gothic style. It is adorned by brightly coloured works (by unfortunately unidentified masters). The oratory dates back roughly to the fifteenth century. Near the church is the Azzurri belfry (also known as the campanile della Santissima Annunziata). We also recommend the church of San Lorenzo and the monumental works nearby, as well as Manarola’s truly remarkable cemetery.

Portovenere is the province of La Spezia’s smallest municipality. It is also one of the most noteworthy − on a par in terms of its sheer beauty with Golfo dei Poeti −, within the context of the Cinque Terre as a whole. Visitors come here to bathe in the crystal clear waters or just to ramble, strolling along the village’s various alleyways. This settlement is one of the most beautiful villages of the Liguria region as a whole.
The area of the Cinque Terre has been declared a UNESCO heritage asset. The landscapes here are truly remarkable, and are much appreciated above all by visitors to the seaside and by hikers around the various inlets.
Portovenere may be small, but its origins go back to the fifth century BC. Indeed, it may be said that for centuries the town original essential charm has survived intact. Portovenere will delight visitors. Beauty reigns supreme here! A haven of peace, far from the frenzy and cares of our daily lives. The nature here has been greatly modelled by human hands, and yet it also conserves something of its original wildness. Prevailing here are the sea and a sense of timelessness. And a distant past. Distant but ever-present. One might compare the place itself, its Ligurian fisherfolk’s dwellings and the blue of the sky and sea to a delicately tinted painting.
Before the old town of Portovenere we find the small island, Palmaria, in what is known as the Baia dei Poeti (bay of poets). Portovenere embodies beauty, and simplicity (simplicity of life and of things). For the manner in which it has clung to its origins, Portovenere has no rivals in the Cinque Terre area. Stroll along the romantic alleyways of this small maritime ‘borgo’ to reach the charming churches of San Lorenzo and San Pietro. These two very special churches cannot fail to impress. View the sea during the evening. The colours are unique and hugely variegated.
One Portovenere dish is the excellent “sulla calata” style fish: an unmissable treat for visitors to the Cinque Terre in Liguria. Please find the time to walk to Portovenere’s docking facility. The place is most picturesque, and imbued with heritage and with tradition. The Bocche di Portovenere is one the most well-loved locations in the world, or at least among visitors arriving here. The dwellings cluster together, the small boats are gently rocked by the wavelets. These impressions are, we may say, truly unforgettable sensations. Apart from the port itself, visitors should also stroll along the Carugio (one of the main streets of this town). Craft shops and catering establishments abound here (hand-made shoes and jewellery jostling with fresh ‘focacce’ – a flat bakery product). The fragrances of leather and of bakers’ ovens compete for your attention. What more could you ask for?!