Once we got settled into our hotel room in Genoa, we were ready to start our day trips. The most important one for me was to explore the Cinque Terre (5 Lands) area about an hour’s drive south.

Fortunately, we saw the two southernmost towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola the previous evening on the way to Genoa. Each of the towns is pedestrian-only so driving by car can be cumbersome. You have to pay to park in a lot usually a good walk from the town and on weekends in the summer, you might not find parking at all. In our research, we learned that four of the five towns are connected by boat service. There were different prices for just the boat ride, stopping at each town, etc. We also read that train travel is another simple way to see the towns, which are only about five minutes apart. (more…)