The Cinque Terre

The skies and the sea, discovering Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.

Perched between the land and the sea, the Cinque Terre consists of five ancient villages that extend throughout a suggestive part of the eastern Riviera Ligure (Liguria’s coastline), to the west there is Punta Mesco and to the east Punta di Montenero in the province of La Spezia. The Cinque Terre is a magical place, brimming with tradition and natural beauty and which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located inside of the Cinque Terre National Park and surrounded by a Protected natural marine area.

Getting there is quite easy. By train is the best form of transportation, but you can also get to the Cinque Terre by car or by boat. For those who love trekking there are extraordinary paths that connect one Terra (headland) to another.

You will be captivated by the typical small tower-shaped houses at the cliff’s edge, pastel colours, tight walkways and the dense terracing which cover the steep hills covered in grapevines and olive groves. The inlets with an intensely blue sea, tiny churches, porches and mini ports, dry-stone walls and walks and climbs all around.

These beautiful and fascinating landscapes left their mark on both the 1975 Nobel Price for Literature winner Eugenio Montale and the great Macchiaiolo period artist Telemaco Signorini. The typical local food is also a pleasant and tasty discovery. These towns, home to fishermen and farmers, are characterized by simple but delicious traditional dishes. Fried or stuffed anchovies from Monterosso are a must. Sea bream, octopus, bass, cuttlefish and squid dishes are to be found everywhere but one should also try the speciality savoury torte d’erbi (herb pie) and the delicious focaccia, excellent as a snack at any time of the day.

Thirst quenching fresh lemon juice granitas are wonderfully refreshing during muggy summer afternoons. Not to be missed are the exquisite local DOC white vines obtained from the vineyards in the surrounding terraced lands. What to combine with your dessert? Perfect is the Sciacchetrà wine, an excellent vino passito (raisin wine) produced in greatly reduced quantities.

DIEGO B.

Un prezioso angolo di eleganza.
Abbiamo alloggiato nel Casale per il ponte del 1 maggio, con altre due famiglie, prendendo 2 delle 3 strutture contigue che formano il Casale. Ogni struttura è definita da uno stile proprio e molto curato nei dettagli, lasciando inalterate le suggestioni di quando era la residenza estiva dei proprietari.
Federica, la proprietara, vi conquesterà immediatamente per la sua gentilezza e la passione che trasmette nel racconto sulle origini della struttura. Un perfetto rifugio se il desiderio è quello di vivere autenticamente e senza eccessi, la zona già di per se stessa è meravigliosa.
Grazie di tutto!!

Diego B. Roma, Italia (Marchesa&Macine)

REVIEWED ON TRIPADVISOR.COM

ELISABETH N.

Simply Perfect
A perfect place to stay in with your family and/or friends. From the outside the old olive-oil mill may not look like much but inside you realize that you have stepped into a castle. It is a grand old place with parts of the mill still showing it one of the two great kitchens. There are plenty of rooms to choose from, the upper rooms with AC and down below cool enough for a hot summer. The garden is very pretty, with gold-fish in the dam, plenty of room to relax. The house is situated in the foothills of the mountains, but not far from the sea. There is plenty to do in the area and I cannot enough stress that you need to see this place and realize you will want to come back. The hostess is very pleasant and helpful, a very nice encounter.

Elisabeth Nyköping, Svezia (Marchesa&Macine).

FEDRIGO ORLEANS

L’endroit où nous sentons chez nous.
Il Casale Amati est devenu notre lieu de référence en Italie que nous fréquentons beaucoup. Son emplacement entre mer et petite montagne, le bon goût de la restauration de cet ancien pressoir ,le calme, les ressources de la région font que nous nous sentons chez nous ! et si l’on ajoute la charmante hospitalité des propriétaires…..nous n’avons pas les mots pour continuer.

Fedrigo Orléans, France (Le Macine)

REVIEWED ON HOMEAWAY.COM

GIROT N.

Une magnifique maison.
Nous avons passé un week end de 4 jours en famille dans cette superbe maison. Nous avons tous été bluffés de la beauté de cet endroit et de la place que nous avions. Les photos sont conformes à la réalisté, c’est tout aussi atypique, original ! Ortonovo est un petit village paisible ou le calme est au rendez-vous. Très agréable pour se reposer après une journée très occupée au 5 terres par exemple ! Proche de la mer en voiture, je conseille à tout le monde de découvrir cet endroit !

Girot Thonon Les Bains, Francia (La Marchesa)

REVIEWED ON ABRITEL.FR

KIRK S.

Very cool place- takes you back in time!
Great place, the grounds alone should make you want to stay here! Federica was a fabulous host! My kids didn’t want to leave. Easy access to Tuscan hill towns or the 5 Terre!

REVIEWD ON HOMEAWAY.COM

MARKUS AMBURGO

Just Excellent, historical and authentic.
We stayed in this wonderful old olive mill several days together with our family including 3 kids. So we had both flats on the 1st floor which are connected by a door. So it was just one big flat then with 2 bathrooms, two kitchens and 6 bedrooms in total. We used just 5 bedrooms. The whole house is nicely decorated with old furniture/antique furniture in good condition besides modern aspects, especially wifi, TV with obviously every available channel of the world, and for sure a well equipped kitchen including dishwasher. Everything was clean and the whole house and every room is very cosy. We didn’t use the very big garden behind the house due to the bad weather we had in November. But in summer it must just be wonderful to have a BBQ on the terrace. The service is also very good. The owner explained us everything regarding the old house and how the oil was produced. There are many historical parts of the old oil production system still visible. That makes this house and especially the flat “LA Macine” a very particular and authentic place. We got also many recommendations for what we can do and visit around. Thanks for the amazing stay and your support in our situation. Hope we come back one day.

Markus Amburgo, Germania (Marchesa&Macine)

RUTH M.

Awesome, unique adventure!
Wonderful host, wonderful unique accommodations! The apartment had all the amenities we need plus some extra and it was so unique and charming. It was fun stepping back in history. We will always treasure our stay here. It was very nicely decorated and the beds were very comfortable. The grounds were also very nice. We highly recommend this rental!

Ruth M. London, Ontario (Le Macine)

REVIEWED ON VRBO.COM

SUZANA L.

Unforgettable birthday party in La Marchesa!
We were quite a big party with 6 adults who came to celebrate my birthday in La Marchesa. Such a beautiful house with a lot of space! Large bedrooms, kitchen and not least the wonderful barbecue garden. The house has a working Wifi which for us was important. From Ortonovo it is easy and close to reach Cinque Terre, La Specia, Pisa and Via Reggio. One day we went out to Tuscany, eat lunch in the wonderful Vignamaggio (birthday house of Mona Lisa) and spend some hours in Florence. After intense excursions coming back to the quiet place and bird songs in La Marchesa, felt very luxurious. Highly recommended accommodation. We are coming back!

Suzana L.(La Marchesa)