Cinque Terre Magnifica Hiking Tour

• Learn and enjoy the best of local farming production, including wine, pesto and olive oil
• Marvel at the incredible cliffs and learn how they have been converted to farming over the centuries
• Discover the fishing culture and how the local catches are part of the healthy Ligurian diet
• Guided visit of the secluded and picturesque Abbey of San Fruttuoso
• Savor Slow Food-protected productions, such as salted anchovies from Monterosso and Sciacchetrà delle Cinque Terre late harvest wine

Day 1

Where: Santa Margherita
Terrain: Rolling
Hike: 1 Hr
Meals: L, D

Your guide will meet you at the Malpensa Airport (Milan) for a transfer to Santa Margherita Ligure.  After checking in at our hotel we will make our way to Portofino's picturesque waterfront, home of the rich and famous, where you can do some shopping or enjoy a gelato with a view. We will gather just before dinner for an overview of the tour while holding a glass of local white wine to welcome the week ahead. The dining room at our restaurant will afford a characteristic view of the gulf of Santa Margherita. 

Hotel: Laurin (alternative Hotel Metropole)

Day 2

Where: Santa Margherita
Terrain: Rolling
Hike: 3 Hrs
Meals: B, L, D

Today’s hike through the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino is not technically part of Cinque Terre but offers equally spectacular coastal hiking with views of quaint fishing harbors on quiet trails with few people. We’ll visit the San Fruttuoso Abbey, located on the shores of a deep-set cove and only reachable by boat or on foot.  After lunch we’ll take a boat to Camogli, a quiet, colorful fishing village. Along the way we will introduce you to a local specialty: the focaccia Ligure, the often imitated local flatbread that is one of the signature dishes of the region, and perhaps, the best trail food you’ll ever come across! And, don’t forget to have a cappuccino in each village you are hiking. You deserve it!  

Hotel: Laurin (alternative Hotel Metropole)

Day 3

Where: Levanto
Terrain: Rolling
Hike:3 Hrs
Meals: B, L, D 

We will start our hike this morning in Levanto, the gateway to Cinque Terre and an interesting town with many delightful painted villas.  We will follow the trail to Monterosso, the first village of the Cinque Terre.  Along the way, we’ll stop at Punta Mesco to enjoy the stunning view. Our lunch spot is by the beach where there will be plenty of time to relax. After a short ride back to Levanto by private boat, you can spend some time strolling around the interesting historical center. A glass of Cinque Terre DOC wine is part of the protocol before a typical Ligurian dinner at one of our favorite trattorias.

Hotel: Park Hotel Argento

Day 4

Where: Levanto 
Terrain: Hilly
Hike:3 Hrs
Meals: B, L, D

Monterosso is the largest of the 5 villages, and is the starting point of today’s beautiful hike that is filled with stunning scenery, including lemon orchards and lush vegetation. Monterosso is also known for its anchovies (Slow Food presidia) and for its tasty lemons and the two combined make one of the local mouthwatering delicacies. We’ll take advantage of the beautiful view by stopping for lunch and wine tasting on the hills, just before descending to charming and colorful harbor in the cliffside town of Vernazza. From Vernazza we'll make our way back to Levanto by private boat where you'll be able to look back on the shore and see the morning’s hike from a new perspective.

Hotel: Park Hotel Argento

Day 5

Where: Portovenere
Terrain: Hilly
Hike: 3 Hrs
Meals: B, L, D

Tourissimo takes you off of the beaten path today with a hike that affords breathtaking views.  Starting in Riomaggiore, we’ll make our way up to the Santuario di Montenero where you can take in all five villages at once!  From there we’ll keep climbing (up a stairway of about 2000 steps!) to Campiglia.  Campiglia is nestled across the Cinque Terre sea and the Gulf of La Spezia and on a clear day you can see the island of Corsica and the Ligurian Alps. Back in Portovenere, we’ll have a wine tasting with an explanation of the unique local production by a local winemaker. Afterwards, you will be free to spend some time discovering this vibrant village where its narrow streets often lead to fantastic views of vineyards, on one side, and of the sea, on the other.

Hotel: Relais Le Ville

Day 6

Where: Portovenere
Terrain: Hilly
Hike: 3 Hrs
Meals: B, L, D

Our last hike starts in Campiglia and reaches Portovenere, the southernmost village on the peninsula. Portovenere is a beautiful and lively village with an impressive fortress that faces out to sea. We’ll discover its port and the Church of St. Peter during a stunning descent before reaching our hotel again. Our celebration dinner is at the hotel’s restaurant with a fantastic, open view of the Gulf of La Spezia. The perfect ending of Cinque Terre Magnifica Tour!

Hotel: Relais Le Ville

Day 7

Where: Portovenere
Terrain: Departure
Hike: None
Meals: B

After breakfast you will be transferred to the Airport or to La Spezia Train Station. Guides can help you with your travel plans to make sure you will have a safe trip home.

How to Get There

Airport/s - Milan Malpensa (MPX)

Other transportation -  Private transfer by Tourissimo from the airport to the first Hotel. Upon request, guests can be picked-up elsewhere (additional cost).

 

How to Depart

Airport/s - Milan Malpensa (MPX)

Other transportation -  Private group transfer by Tourissimo from last hotel to the airport or to La Spezia train station.

 

Tour Level

Recreational/Active/Athletic - Athletic: hikes range from 3 to 4 hrs along hilly terrain with steep sections.

 

Climate Data

October: temperature average 11C (52F) low / 20C (60F) max - precipitation probability 12%

 

Tour Program Cost (All-inclusive)

Tour price per person in double room is USD 3,995

Private room surcharge is USD 600

Children (under 18) 25% off

Please contact our office if:

- The tour you are interested in is scheduled to start within 90 days

- You would like to make this tour private 

- You would like to choose your own dates

 

All-inclusive Program 

• One or two professional tour guides throughout the program

• All accommodations 

• All breakfasts, all lunches, and all dinners

• Wine and beer with meals, coffee, cappuccino, and gelato stops

• All logistics during the tour and luggage transfer

• Shuttle at the beginning and at the end of the tour

• All activities mentioned in the day-by-day description

 

Info about food and wine, and Slow Food products

Cinque Terre boasts not only breathtaking views, but also quality food products that are linked to the local land. Ligurian cuisine inherits a millenarian tradition which is tied to the history of the coastal life. In fact, today’s dishes preserve a certain authenticity than you can sense in their fragrance and flavor. Fish, as it is obvious, is very important: anchovies, bream, bass, cuttlefish, octopus, and calamari are amongst the main ingredients in many dishes. Recipes are refined in a very healthy and simple way by adding aromatic herbs like oregano, thyme, and marjoram, which grow wild in the whole area, and by dressing with local olive oil (considered one of the best of Italy). Cinque Terre is famous for its salted anchovies. Anchovies are celebrated during two anchovy-centric festivals that are organized in June and September. And if you are not a fan, we dare you to try the Ligurian anchovies fixed raw with oil and lemon, flat-leaf with parsley and garlic, baked with potatoes, fried, or stuffed. Another iconic product is the lemon of Monterosso (Slow Food presidium), which is used on fish, but also to prepare sweets and cakes and for the local nectar called “limoncino”, a sweet digestive that will spoil your palate forever. Pesto (made with the local variety of small leaf basil) and focaccia (local flatbread served with olive oil and herbs or with cheese) can be found at any trattoria and deli and they are the street foods of Liguria. Once upon a time, winemaking in Cinque Terre was one of the distinct aspects of the area, but today there are only few people who work in this sector. The production is small and it is hardly exported outside of Liguria. Cinque Terre and Sciacchetrà are the two DOC wines. The first one is a delicate white wine of a pale yellow colour, ideal with seafood dishes, or with focaccia as an aperitif. The second wine is without doubt the most well known in the Cinque Terre. Sciacchetrà is a sweet, late-harvest wine, ideal with desserts. It has a limited production and is obtained from the fermentation of the same grapes as the white wine, though in this case they are left to dry for three months on trellis. The pressing of the grapes, which takes place at the end of November, could be the reason behind the origin of its name ("sciacàa", schiacciare).