Cinque Terre advice from other JW...

Denise Riesen from Schaumburg, USA writes:
Although you can take the train and boat between towns, the Cinque Terre is great for hiking between villages. My tip is to hike from North to South (Monterrosa, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, then Riomaggiore). The hike from Monterossa to Vernazza is long and tough, and requires sturdy shoes, and A LOT of water (most of the hikes are not shaded), as is the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia. We brought hiking sticks with us, that were very useful, as some paths are narrow, and there is some climbing -- we had people along the way wanting to buy them from us! The hikes from Corniglia to Manarola, as well as Manarola to Riomaggiore are shorter distances and less strenuous. Although you can mix your hiking between towns with either train or boat services, my recommendation is to be sure to hike into Corniglia from Vernazza, as you will avoid having to climb UP the 365 stairs into the town that you would otherwise have to climb if you hiked the other direction, or took the train or boat. We broke up our hiking through the Cinque Terre into two days. The first day, we hiked from Monterrosa to Vernazza, and took the boat back to Monterrosa. The second day, we took the train to Vernazza (where we left off with hiking) and hiked the rest of the towns the same day, and took a train back from Riomaggiore to Monterrosa.

My favorite town was Vernazza. We did not stay in Cinque Terre -- we stayed in Devia Marina (two five-minute train stops away from Cinque Terre) at Hotel Ristorante Clelia, Corso Italia 23, tel: 0187-815827. Recommended!

Ed. note: If you are going to Cinque Terre, it's probably a good idea to print off Denise's advice. It could come in very handy when planning your hiking itinerary.

Sandra Burns from Courtenay, Canada writes:
There are no roads to connect the five glorious villages of Cinque Terre. They are connected by thousand year old donkey paths and small trains and are spectacular as they cling to the cliffs above the Mediterranean. We walked there for a week, using the self guided maps from Sherpa Walking Holidays in the U.K.

Ed. note: According to The National Geographic Traveler Italy,' the well-signed Via dell'Amore (Path of Love) between Manarolla and Riomaggiore is the most famous hike and covers just 1 mile (1.6 km).