Things to Do in Corniglia, Italy - Corniglia Attractions
Things to Do in Corniglia
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Top Attractions in Corniglia
Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites
Points of Interest & Landmarks
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- Mairwen1United Kingdom8,650 contributionsCorniglia is the smallest of the 5 Cinque Terre towns. It’s quite tiny, with just a handful of sights.
For those with a very tight Cinque Terre itinerary, Corniglia is usually the town that people tend to skip.
This is understandable because, not only is it the smallest but it’s also the least accessible. The town sits high up in the hills and it’s a trek from the train station.
If arriving by train, you have two options - either climb the 377 steps that lead up to the town or catch the small shuttle bus (free with a Cinque Terre Pass and €2.50 otherwise).
Although it’s fair to say that Corniglia doesn’t have any ‘must-see’ sights, it has the all the charm and atmosphere of a small Italian town. It is also a lot less crowded and bustling than the other more popular and visited towns.
One of the beauties of Corniglia is that it is small enough that you can easily explore all the main sights within a very short time.
We spent 2 hours here which was plenty of time to see the Gothic church of San Pietro built in 1334 and the small Oratory of Santa Caterina and to stroll along Via Fieschi, the main thoroughfare.
The highlight of the day was discovering the Santa Maria Belvedere, a clifftop lookout with a stunning view over the Ligurian Sea and the Cinque Terre coastline. Here we found a small bar, Bar La Terza Terra where we could sit on the outdoor terrace, drinking Aperol Spritzes while enjoying the magical view and soaking up the atmosphere. It really was as lovely as it sounds.Written January 6, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - ClevlanderSpringfield, IL4,813 contributionsThis stairway is quite steep and not for the faint of heart! This is one of the two ways to get to Corniglia (the other is the road which is longer but the steepness is milder). The views are nice but be prepared to sweat on the way up. However very enjoyable on the way down!Written June 29, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- 17KAGEdmonton, Canada3,618 contributionsWe stopped in here at the end of our Cinque Terre trail hike. The church was nice and had a good view from the top of the town.Written December 2, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Mairwen1United Kingdom8,650 contributionsUnlike the other 4 Cinque Terre towns, Corniglia is not down beside a harbour or beach. It is set up on high in the hilltops above the Ligurian Sea. This means that there are a number of beautiful viewpoints.
i) Undoubtedly, the best is the Santa Maria Belvedere terrace. From here, you have panoramic views across the Ligurian sea and the Cinque Terre coastline. There’s also a bar along the terrace, Bar Terza Terra where we sat to have a drink at the end of a long day hiking. It was a perfect way to end a day - unbeatable.
ii) There’s another hidden viewpoint from behind the Santa Caterina Oratory in Piazza Largo Taragia. Look for the steps on the right hand side of the oratory which lead you to the back of the small building and you’ll find another terrace. Whilst this one is a bit scruffy and unloved looking, you still have a nice viewpoint from here.
iii) The forecourt in front of Chiesa di San Pietro has an elevated position and is a good spot to sit for a while and look over the town. It is mostly enclosed by surrounding houses and their colourful facades, lines of washing and balconies make it a very characteristic scene.
iv) Arriving into Corniglia via the Volastra hiking trail means that you descend into the town from the mountains. Its a steep walk but we had stunning views of the town as we descended.
v) Leaving Corniglia, we walked down the long, sloping staircase known as Lardarina Scalinata. Yes, its 377 stairs but along the way, you get a bird's eye view down over the sea and across the hillsides which took away some of the pain of so many stairs.Written January 6, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - susan652Canterbury, UK21 contributionsWhilst holidaying recently in Corniglia we visited bar Terra Terra several times. We got to know the 2 sisters running the restaurant who were great hosts and very welcoming. This place really is a bit special and definitely worth a visit if your visiting Corniglia. Tables are limited so advise booking.
Great food and drink.Written September 25, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Mairwen1United Kingdom8,650 contributionsThere is an easier, ‘cheat’s’ version for this trail. Having walked the full trail a few years ago, we took the easy way this time and caught the small bus from Manarola to Volastra, then walked into Corniglia.
Volastra is tiny but we had a memorable lunch at Locanda Tiabuscion and stopped to look at the ancient sanctuary of Nostra Signora Della Salute.
The trail down to Corniglia starts from the front of the church and is well sign-posted, with the familiar red and white striped wooden sign (you are looking for Trail 586).
One of the best things about the hike was the enormous variety of scenery. From Volastra, the trail starts with a mostly flat and very pleasant trail through the terraced vineyards. This part of the walk is very easy although there is no shade so hats, sunscreen and water bottles are absolute essentials.
The scenery here is stunning. Dry-stone walls support row and after row of narrow terraces where the grapes are grown on seemingly impossible slopes.
Just after leaving Volastra, we came across a simple cantina, operating out the back of a vineyard and we stopped for a glass of wine. Magical!
The trail then leads through a heavily wooded and mostly shady section and becomes very steep.
On the map we could see that we passed through the tiny town of Porciana but you’s barely know it was a town except for the map and the fact that the path took us literally through the back garden of a beautiful and secluded house. That caused a bit of real estate envy!
From here, it was downhill all the way but the path also became very steep, uneven and rocky. Tree roots and loose rocks can catch you out, the stairs are irregular shapes and sizes and there are few railings to assist. I spent a lot of the time with my eyes firmly on the path and stair-staring.
We had to really slow our pace of walking because we had to take care with your footing. You finish in the upper part of Corniglia, behind the medieval church of San Pietro.
Overall, I think this was our favourite day in Cinque Terre.
NOTE ON BUS: The bus is tricky to find so I've included a photo below. The bus stop is on Via Discovolo. Head uphill, away from the harbour, past the Coop 5 Terre shop, and near the old mill, you’ll see a sign on your right, saying ‘Fermata ATC’ and a timetable posted to a pole. You are looking for a small, unmarked white van. The trip took about 15 - 20 min and was free with our Cinque Terre Card (€2.50 otherwise).Written January 19, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Mairwen1United Kingdom8,650 contributionsThere are conflicting opinions on which direction to hike when doing this section of the famous Cinque Terre Sentiero Azzurro, or Blue Trail.
It probably depends on two main things.
Firstly your tolerance for walking up stairs and secondly, whether you want a large choice of restaurants at the end of your walk.
The advantage of starting at Corniglia is that it’s less steep.
Unlike the other Cinque Terre towns, Corniglia is a hilltop town so you’re already starting pretty high up and whilst there are some ups and downs, overall, it’s more down than up from this direction.
The only issue is that if you arrive by train, you face a zig-zagging staircase up to the town itself before you even start the walk. This is one serious set of 300+ stairs but you can avoid them because there’s also a shuttle bus. Obviously the bus gets very crowded so we didn’t waste any time darting over to the bus before it filled up. It’s free with the Cinque Terre card (€2.50 otherwise).
The other advantage of starting in Corniglia is that Vernazza has many more options for eating. If you are planning on finishing your walk around lunch time, Vernazza will give you a lot more choice plus there’s the chance to swim off the rocks down at the marina.
Either way, this is a reasonably easy hiking trail which takes about 90 minutes on average (we took closer to two hours including a stop at il Gabbiano at the mid-way point). You certainly don’t need to be a seasoned hiker and whilst it is slightly steeper walking from Vernazza, overall I preferred this direction.
Most of the steep, heavy work is at the start as you leave Vernazza so once you’ve got this out of the way, there is nothing more that's too painful.
We finished in Corniglia at the end of the day and stopping for long drinks at Bar Terza Terra’s terrace balcony, overlooking the sea and watching the colours of the sky slowly change, was magical.Written January 21, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Mairwen1United Kingdom8,650 contributionsCorniglia is the smallest of the five Cinque Terre towns. It’s quite tiny, with just a handful of sights. This is the main square in the town, where you will find a cluster of restaurants and cafes.
It is a small, leafy and pretty space, with some nice shady spots and seating.
There are two points of interest here - the World War I Memorial to the Fallen and an 18th century Oratory, dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria
The Oratory is a modest building with a simple interior. It is free to go in and afterwards, if you go up the steps at the side and around the back, you’ll find a terraced area where you can look down over the marina.Written January 6, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Mairwen1United Kingdom8,650 contributions
