Out and about in the north of Italy
By Lorna Heatley
2 November 2017
Lake Garda is one of northern Italy’s most famous, and favourite, tourist spots, and how could it not be?
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"Cinque Terre" is the collective name for the five villages on the Riviera di Levante. These villages, Vernazza, Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, are part of a national park and UNESCO World Heritage site and the scenery will take your breath away.
Vernazza
Located at the mouth of a river, Vernazza is a car-free village
that has always been the only safe landing point for boats in the
Cinque Terre, as its harbour is protected by a rocky promontory.
Vernazza has a medieval castle, which was built in the 16th century
to protect the village from pirates. Due to its strategic
importance, Vernazza has always been a wealthy village - evident in
the elegant streets and buildings.
Montoresso
Boasting a large beach, the town of Montoresso is the most
northerly of the original 'villages' of the Cinque Terre. It is
separated into two parts (the Old Town and New Town) by a road
tunnel. The village is famous for white wine and olives, and is
surrounded by lemon trees.
Corniglia
Corniglia is the only village of the Cinque Terre which doesn't
touch the sea. Instead, it is located almost 100 metres above sea
level, on a cliff-top promontory, surrounded by vineyards, terraces
and the steep drop to the sea. The village is reached by climbing
377 brick steps.
Manarolo
Famous for wine-making and fishing, the village of Manarolo is
thought to be the oldest of the Cinque Terre. It is connected to
nearby Riomaggiore by the famous Via dell'Amore - the love
trail.
Riomaggiore
Located at the southern end of the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore has a
small beach surrounded by tall houses. It is famous for its
historic character and wine production.
Colourful villages cling to the dramatic coastline of the Italian Riviera, with the glittering Mediterranean forming picture-postcard vistas in every direction, and glamorous yachts clamouring for attention alongside quaint fishing boats in idyllic harbours.
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By Lorna Heatley
2 November 2017
Lake Garda is one of northern Italy’s most famous, and favourite, tourist spots, and how could it not be?
Read more
By Peter Liney
17 August 2017
The sun shifted, and out of the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean you could see the outstretched arms of Christ 20 feet below, protecting the entrance to the harbour at San Fruttuoso. Sent down to the briny depths in 1954 to commemorate inventor Dario Gonzatti, the pioneer of scuba diving, today it is a magnate for divers, tourists and locals alike, including Great Rail Journeys customers as they travel through the Italian Riviera.
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By Sukie Chapman
12 May 2017
How many of us have wanted to walk straight into the pages of our favourite books? While it might not be possible quite yet to experience the lives of the fictional heroes and heroines we’ve walked side by side through life with for a little while, and sometimes who’d want to (think of just about any character from a Stephen King novel).
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This is our fourth GRJ holiday with another already booked at the Adriatic in 2018. This was a great holiday and hotels - we enjoyed the adventure but its a long way on a train .... Some feedback on the three villages excursion - only two village would be much better. The first and last villages are all you need and additional time in both would have been much more enjoyable. The middle village was too crowded and overwhelming for most on the trip and only a single street to the sea - a wast of good time. Tour manager was very good bearing in mind the 38 people in the group