The second stop on the itinerary - Cinque Terre.
Since there were so many new places and things we wanted to see, we decided a Mediterranean cruise would be the best way to hit them all without being stressed. We hopped on an MSC cruise (full review on the cruise ship coming) with La Spezia being the first stop.
La Spezia is the port that is closest to Cinque Terre. We got off the boat early in the morning after breakfast and decided to take the 20-minute walk to catch the train to Riomaggiore, which is the first of the five cities (Cinque = Five.) There was a really cool open area with some modern art - if you know me, you know I love anything modern - so I was a fan.
While I've heard you can hike from each city to the next, it is very steep and way too hot in the summer for me to hike for hours on end (and of course, I decided to wear a full-length jumper that day. Definitely no hiking for me.)
The train ride from the port to Riomaggiore was only 7 minutes, but it was packed. At one point I honestly thought I was going to pass out, as there were about 30 people packed in like sardines with no air conditioning. However, no one came to check tickets, so can't complain since it was a free ride.
While we were in Riomaggiore, we walked to the highest place we could find in that little town, which was a quick 5-minute walk from the train station. The views were absolutely amazing. The colorful little houses all perched up and in between the hills was definitely a sight to see. The town is right on the coast (just like all of the cities of Cinque Terre) so people were going for a quick dip or renting out boats to see more of the coast.
Since it is a small city, there aren't many things to see or do here. For lunch, we stopped by one of the local produce stands and got some delicious strawberries for about 3€. It was a perfect little snack and after spending a few hours hiking up and down the town, we decided it was time to go back to the ship.
While we didn't get to see the rest of the cities (Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Levanto) I would definitely recommend seeing those either by train or boat. You go-getters can hike, but the main section from Riomaggiore to Manarola has been closed until April 2021.
As far as restaurants go, here are some places that were recommended to me:
La Pia – Via Magenta (La Spezia)
Panificio Rizzoli Marcello (La Spezia)
Bar Terza Terra (Corniglia)
Il Baretto (Vernazza)
Il Gambero Rosso Vernazza (Vernazza)
Would definitely make sure Cinque Terre is a must on your next trip to Italy. The views were incredible, almostcomparable to the Almafi coast. I might also add in that a boat is probably the best way to see all of the cities, however, you won't get to tour the actual cities, which I think is always fun.
Next stop: Genoa, Italy
Britt