Restaurants + Hiking the Trails in the Cinque Terre
Dau Cila (Riomaggiore)
Address- Via San Giacomo, 65
Phone- +39 0187 760032
Hours- Open every day for lunch and dinner
Price- Middle range
Reservations- By phone
This restaurant WAS Michelin recommended for quality food representative of the regional specialties and also for featuring Ligurian wines. To be honest, the choices for restaurants are somewhat limited in these towns inevitably because of their small sizes. Still, Dau Cila is a solid choice. Some of the more recent reviews I read were negative but they also claimed ‘for a Michelin star restaurant.’ It should be clarified that this restaurant (and many others that I recommend) are Michelin recommended not starred. I always try for myself, but often find the recommendations to be fair. Update 2023: Currently Dau Cila has 4 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor and only 3.9 on Google. Reviews continue to be extremely varied, vary positive or very negative experiences. However, to be fair, the quality of the food is not often knocked, rather service or price. Keep this in mind and do let me know your impressions if you decide to dine here!
Recommended Dishes
Antipasti- Go for seafood, of course!
Primo- Try the original recipe for pesto pasta—trofie al pesto con patate e fagiolini or any of the abundant seafood pastas on offer
Secondo- Perhaps skip if you go for an antipasto and primo
Belforte in Vernazza (you need to climb up some stairs, but the restaurant is elevated above the crowds of people below!)
Here are some suggestions for restaurants in the other four villages after follow up research:
Trattoria dal Billy in Manarola
Il Pirun in Corniglia
Belforte in Vernazza (a bit pricier)
Ristorante Milky in Monterosso (also a bit pricier)
Sentiero Azzurro
One of the best and most popular ways to see the regional beauty is by hiking the Sentiero Azzurro (The Blue Trail), a 7.5-mile (or 12 km) trail that connects the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre.
A view of the ‘terraces’ along the hiking trail in the Cinque Terre
This hike is well-worth it. There are expansive views and the opportunity to stop in the towns along the way. It is absolutely the best way to pay each ‘land’ a visit. Unfortunately, heavy rains often cause flooding and landslides on the steep fertile ground and terraced slopes. This hike is so picturesque because of cultivated terraces, vines and olive trees, but they are precarious and vulnerable to the elements. On many parts of the trails, you are walking through vineyards (some abandoned) and witnessing “visually spectacular terraces that were shaped over almost a millennium; [it] is an exceptional testimony to the way traditional communities interacted and still interact with their difficult and isolated environment to produce a sustainable livelihood” as explained on the official UNESCO site. However, the abandoned terraces and vineyards are particularly “vulnerable to landslides.” Prevention and restoration efforts are in place, but many parts of the paths remain closed (at various points and various times).
The Via Dell’Amore when it was opened with Riomaggiore peeking out from behind one of the cliffs
Now, sadly, the first, short stretch of the ‘hike’ (if you start from Riomaggiore, the village closest to the La Spezia train station) is closed. I cite the Conde Nast article here for reference. When we visited in August of 2011 this short trail, called Via Dell’Amore, or lover’s lane, from Riomaggiore to Manarola was open, but it closed shortly after landslides in 2012. The article states that the path will open in 11 years after this initial closing, thus in the year 2023. Therefore, my recommendation to stay in Riomaggiore is qualified by the fact that it is now the only village that is not connected to the others by a footpath. This is truly a shame, as is expressed in this article from The Local as well.
Update 2023: Although there is hope for the reopening, this path was still not open at this time.
Update 2024: It seems that the famed Lovers’ Path IS open but only in a limited capacity. Check this website for the most up to date information.
It seems that you can purchase tickets here.
Views on high from ‘the red trail’
Even when we visited in 2011, the lower path between Manarola and Corniglia was closed; check this website for the most updated information. Honestly, when we did this hike, I was not as physical active as I am now, nor was I very interested in physical activity, and the more ‘advanced’ hike was not that arduous, even at the time. My best friend Alex and I like to hyperbolize and explain that we were manipulated by his partner Shawna and a group of eager Australians and we followed them unwillingly on the more challenging route, called the Red Trail. You can see a map with blue and red trails marked here.
Truthfully, the views make this trek worth every step. This website warns that if you start from Manarola, you must climb 1200 steps quite immediately, which we definitely did. Again, this was part of the fun if you like a bit of a challenge and want to burn off some of the pasta from the night before. On this trail, you pass through vineyards and forested areas, and the best part is looking down on the villages from a much higher perspective. In Volasta, there is also a lovely Romanesque style church, Nostra Signora della Salute; it delights you as you catch your breath. Another wonderful aspect of this hike is that you can descend and stop for lunch in any of the villages along the way. After the 2.5 hours (it probably took me even longer, ha) between Manarola and Corniglia we were ready for lunch. To reach Corniglia, there is a long staircase called the Lardarina; it has 382 steps but Corniglia is ideal for lunch, in my opinion. It is the only village that is on the top of a promontory. I recommend Ristorante La Posada.
You can decide which direction you want to venture in. In 2023, we started in the other direction and hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and then to Corniglia for lunch. That is, we took the train from La Spezia to Monterosso (the far village) and then made our way back. You can always choose to take the more advanced trails or the train in between some of the stops. This website also provides up to date information about trail openings with a helpful map. Be aware that the colors do not correspond to the red and blue trails on the previously linked website. As you will see from this website, there is an extensive network of trails beyond the most famous ones, over 120 KM in fact. So, if you enjoy hiking, I encourage you to explore beyond the conventional trails.
My BFFs and travel companions in Riomaggiore many moons ago
To close, I encourage you not to be too deterred by the ‘T’ word (touristy) and enjoy this place for the spectacular natural beauty it still offers. At the same time, I recommend that you seek out some other less frequented jewels in the region such as Tellaro.
These hiking paths were originally treaded by mules, but the railway was built in the 1870s when Italy was unified, so take advantage of both types of transportation; think glass half empty about the parts that cannot be accessed, and do what you can. Also, maybe don’t wait too long if you are really keen to experience this region given unpredictability of Italian building promises and the reality of global warning. The rains could return at any time.
A 2022 snap of Corniglia in the middle ground with Manarola in the background and Riomaggiore hiding behind the far cliff.