If you are walking the Cinque Terra I recommend staying in the towns of Vernazza and Levanto. From Vernazza you can walk south to Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggioe (1 day for all three towns). We would have taken the ferry up to Monterosso as we had not heard great things about that stretch of trail, but the sea was rough (see picture). Instead, we took the train to Levanto for a couple of days and walked south along the path between Levanto and Monterosso - probably the easier walk.

If you are lucky you will be in Vernazza for market day – the market wends its way down the main street from the train station to the wharf. A true seaside market, products are displayed in colourful boats that are wheeled in.

The picture is taken at the wharf at Vernazza on one of the few days of poor weather - the remnants of a storm - so no ferries operating.

Cinque Terra / Liguria, Italy