Corniglia, Italy is a village on the Cinque Terre coast of Liguria

Visit Corniglia

The small village of Corniglia is poised on a rocky ridge above the sea in the middle of the beautiful section of Ligurian coast called the Cinque Terre.

Exploring Corniglia

Note: the train and coast are separated from the village by a flight of several hundred stairs called the Lardarina. Corniglia is certainly an unmissable highlight when you are exploring the Cinque Terre but I don't envy those pushing (or dragging) a pushchair here on a hot day...

Corniglia is different from the other Cinque Terre villages in that it is high (about 90 metres) above the sea on a rock ledge rather than on the seafront itself.

Most of the tall houses along the rock promontory are four stories high and many are painted in bright colours, creating a very beautiful scene. It is very easy to explore Corniglia: there is a lively open square at the end of the old town and a narrow alley that plunges immediately between the tall old houses. This road is Via Feschi and almost the only road in the old village.

From this same square you can also continue a couple of hundred metres along the main road for the best view back across to the village spread along the ridge.

A particular highlight here in Corniglia is the view from the Belvedere Santa Maria - just follow Via Fieschi from the town centre until its furthest point to get here.

Exploring the pretty squares and streets of the centre you will also come across the gothic style Church of Saint Peter, the main historic monument here. The church also has later baroque modifications, and the highlight is the stained glass windows behind the altar. The Oratory of Saint Catherine is another notable religious monument in Corniglia.

Corniglia beaches

If you are following the footpath along the coast, a short distance along the path towards Manarola you will come across access to a small pebble beach, quite a rare treat here on this part of coast.

There is also a beach on the northern side of Manarola that we didn't visit although it is said to be the nicest to be found on the Cinque Terre - follow the signs to Spiaggia di Guvano from the train station. Access involves walking about a kilometres through a disused railway tunnel so perhaps not ideal with a pushchair!

Note: to get from the train station to the centre of Corniglia village on foot takes at least 10 minutes, perhaps more - it seemed a long haul up the steps but I didn't actually time it - and so does returning to the station later, so allow plenty of time to get to your train. The trains only run every hour or so and it would be very annoying to just miss one: you would then have to decide whether to sit in the station for ages or haul yourself all the way back up the stairs to the village, and risk missing the next one...

Attractions nearby

Presumably it will be the five Cinque Terre villages and the chance to see the dramatic costline here that will be of most interest when you visit Corniglia: see the Cinque Terre guide. Corniglia is between Vernazza (to the north-west) and Manarola (to the south-east).

You can find more local travel ideas in the Liguria guide.