Why is Cinque Terre in French?

Cinque Terre indeed means “Five Lands.” But my French only got partial credit; terre is French for “land,” but five in French is cinq not cinque. Turns out Cinque Terre is Italian, with a radically different pronunciation (“CHEEN-qweh TEH-reh”) from the beret-donning Sawnk Tayr I'd first imagined.



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If you forget sunscreen etc there are shops in each village, but because it's a touristy area they do charge a premium. And if you're stuck English is widely spoken around the Cinque Terre.

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The Amalfi Coast is home to lavish 5-star hotels and international jet-setters. Plus it's possible to reach the beautiful island of Capri, sample pizza in its home of Naples, and visit Pompeii. Cinque Terre is more laid-back, suited to those who adore hiking and photography.

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If you do decide to day-trip, the big but easygoing town of La Spezia is far closer than Genoa or Pisa, with just a seven-minute commute to the closest Cinque Terre village, Riomaggiore, and around 15 to 25 minutes to the farthest village, Monterosso.

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You can walk the entire route in about six hours, if you take short breaks—although many hikers prefer to spread the route out over a few days at a strolling pace, stopping to enjoy the towns along the way. You can start from either direction (Monterosso, heading south, or Riomaggiore, heading north).

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Shopping and prices The Cinque Terre is not cheap. As everywhere in the world, tourism has raised prices. I often go to the market of La Spezia to shop for food, it's much cheaper than the stores of the villages. In restaurants, you have to expect Western European prices.

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Two to three days would allow you to enjoy its beaches and discover the culture via a cooking class. And with four to five days, you could get to know every inch of Cinque Terre on boat trips, hikes of the surrounding mountains, and even make an extra trip to historic Genoa.

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Visit some of the villages Choose to visit two or three of the villages, for example Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore. You have to skip Corniglia situated on top of a cliff 100 metres above sea level. If you are limited on time, take the train between the villages.

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The most beautiful Cinque Terre town from above is Vernazza – projecting to the sea on a rocky cliff, its tightly packed houses and medieval tower look almost surreal when arriving from Corniglia on foot.

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Overtourism in a fragile area Fabrizia Pecunia, the mayor of Riomaggiore, came up with the new plan for the 3,215- foot-long path to combat overtourism. Last year, about three million tourists visited Cinque Terre, a fragile national park. In contrast, there are fewer than 4,000 residents left in the area.

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Atrani is a relatively undiscovered spot when it comes to tourist destinations on the Amalfi Coast. You won't find many tourists on vacation in this village, so you'll be able to immerse yourself in positively Italian culture.

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Cost. Visiting Cinque Terre should be cheaper than the Amalfi Coast. Of course, so much depends on your choices – how you travel around, where and how long you stay, which restaurants you dine at, etc. But in general, the Amalfi Coast is a much more expensive destination than Cinque Terre.

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