The Santa Maria terrace
A view along the coast both ways from the village's end.
This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much appreciate if you send me an email tagooty@yahoo.com or write on my talk pag — CC BY-SA 4.0 · This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much appreciate if you send me an email tagooty@yahoo.com or write on my talk pag — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands — CC BY 2.0 · Federica Cidale — CC BY-SA 4.0
**The only one of the five that does not touch the sea — standing on a rock headland a hundred metres up, reached by 382 steps** — at the middle of the coast. ⚠ **Its position is everything**: **no harbour, no beach and no access from the sea** — **the village sits on a rock plateau** with vineyards on three sides and the sea a hundred metres below. ⚠ **From the station to the village runs the Lardarina stair** — **382 steps in 33 flights**; ✅ **or a shuttle bus** climbs up. ✅ **The reward is quiet**: ⚠ **the climb filters the visitors** — **so Corniglia is markedly the quietest of the five**, **and the one that has kept most of its farming character**. ✅ **Its view from the Santa Maria terrace** runs the length of the coast both ways. ⚠ **And there is no practical swimming here.**
A view along the coast both ways from the village's end.
382 steps in 33 flights up from the station.
Wine terraces on three sides of the village.
Corniglia, 19018 La Spezia, Italy
**Monterosso for comfort, Vernazza for beauty, Corniglia for quiet — and the choice changes your whole trip.** ✅ **Monterosso**: ✅ **best for families and a first visit** — **the only sandy beach**, **the most hotels and restaurants**, **a level seafront**, **and an easy station**; ⚠ **and the least like the «Cinque Terre village» you are picturing**. ✅ **Vernazza**: ✅ **unquestionably the loveliest** — harbour, tower and houses around the water; ⚠ **but the most crowded by day**, **with limited and dearer options**, **and many steps**. ✅ **Corniglia**: ✅ **the quietest** — ⚠ **because of the 382 steps**; **best for still evenings**, ⚠ **worst with luggage or small children**, **and no swimming**. ✅ **Manarola**: ✅ **an excellent view and a central position**, ⚠ **but no beach and many steps**. ✅ **Riomaggiore**: ✅ **the easiest to reach** with the most choice, ⚠ **and the first to fill**. ⚠ **⚠ The economical alternative**: **La Spezia or Levanto** — **outside the villages at much lower prices with a direct train**; ⚠ **but you lose the empty morning and evening**, **which are the best of the place**.
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