A day in Manarola, with your hands in the mortar.

A day in the Cinque Terre devoted to what is eaten and drunk on this coast, with very little effort. You start with the easiest walk in the park, the Via dell'Amore, learn to make pesto in a marble mortar with lunch included, go up to the winery on the vineyard terraces and dine in a medieval tower above the Vernazza sea. All by train, minibus and on foot.

Getting there from Spain

By plane and train. Fly from Madrid to Pisa or from Barcelona to Genoa. From Pisa, the PisaMover drops you at the central station and the train continues to La Spezia; from Genoa, the Volabus goes to the city's stations, with regional trains to the coast. Arrive the day before: this plan starts at 8:30 in La Spezia.

The day, hour by hour

8:30 · Train to Riomaggiore. The first village from the south, about ten minutes from La Spezia. Bring the Cinque Terre Card and the booking for the Via dell'Amore time slot.

9:00 · Via dell'Amore. Nine hundred metres of path carved into the cliff, one-way, from Riomaggiore to Manarola. It is flat and takes half an hour. It has reopened after years of works with a quota: without a booked slot you cannot enter.

10:30 · Pesto workshop at Nessun Dorma. In Manarola, go up to the Punta Bonfiglio terrace. You pick the basil from their plants and make the pesto in a Carrara marble mortar. Afterwards you eat burrata, ham, bruschette and focaccia, and taste a white from the coast with a sommelier. Two and a half hours, €85 per person, in English. Book on its website; cancelled in rain.

14:30 · Tasting at Groppo. The park minibus, included in the Treno Card, goes up from Manarola to Groppo, among the terraces. There is the cooperative winery Cantina Cinque Terre: a tasting of Cinque Terre DOC and Sciacchetrà, the sweet wine from dried grapes, from €30. Seated tastings are from Friday to Sunday with a booking; on another day, try something in its shop.

19:30 · Dinner at Ristorante Belforte. Go down by minibus to Manarola and take the train to Vernazza. The Belforte is in the harbour's lookout tower, with tables on terraces above the sea: tagliolini al nero with prawns or tagliatelle with lobster, and pan-fried strawberries with ice cream. Book on its website. Closed on Tuesdays and in winter: it reopens in March 2027.

22:00 · Return. Regional from Vernazza to La Spezia, about 25 minutes. Check the time of the last train before you sit down to dinner.

With children

The workshop works well for families: under-6s do not pay and ages 6 to 9 pay half. The Via dell'Amore is flat and short. At the tasting children accompany but do not drink; if you go with children, swap the winery for the beach or the harbour of Manarola.