What's on in Cinque Terre (Monterosso), Italy through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Italy, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Via dell'Amore by booking

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The cliff path between Riomaggiore and Manarola reopened after twelve years shut and now runs on timed, capped slots booked ahead. Walking up and paying at the gate is not usually an option. Source ↗

Still on: Villages shut for winter (5 Nov – 10 Mar), Manarola hillside nativity (8 Dec – 31 Jan)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Villages shut for winter (5 Nov – 10 Mar)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Rule

  Cinque Terre Card season

  14 Mar – 2 Nov

  A park card is required on the coastal path between mid-March and the start of November, and the Via dell'Amore needs a booked time slot on top of it. Outside those dates the trails are free. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Easter and the first crowds

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  The season starts at Easter rather than in June. The regional trains fill, the villages take their first coach and cruise groups, and the narrow sections of the path become a queue. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Villages shut for winter (5 Nov – 10 Mar)

Peak crowds — Easter and the first crowds, Day-trippers from La Spezia

• Rule

  One-way walking on peak days

  1 Apr – 10 Jun · usuallyClosures

  On the busiest spring days the park makes the Monterosso to Vernazza stretch one direction only, so the walk has to be planned the right way round or not at all. Source ↗

• Season

  Day-trippers from La Spezia

  15 Apr – 15 Oct · usuallyDay-tripper crushCrowded

  Ships dock at La Spezia and empty into the local train, which is why the villages are unbearable between eleven and four and civil at either end of the day. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), Easter and the first crowds (3–6 Apr)

Busy — Day-trippers from La Spezia, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Monterosso lemon festival

  15–25 May · usuallyHarvest

  A Saturday in May given over to the local lemons — stalls, cakes and limoncello along the old town front, before the season's crowds properly arrive. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), One-way walking on peak days (1 Apr – 10 Jun (usually)), Day-trippers from La Spezia (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-trippers from La Spezia, Summer holidays in Italy

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  20 Jun – 30 Sep · usually

  Monterosso has the only real beach; everywhere else you get in off rocks or off a slipway. The Ligurian sea stays comfortable to the end of September, after the walking crowds thin.

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), One-way walking on peak days (1 Apr – 10 Jun (usually)), Day-trippers from La Spezia (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-trippers from La Spezia, Summer holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), Day-trippers from La Spezia (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (20 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-trippers from La Spezia, August peak

• Season

  August peak

  1–25 AugSchool holidaysCrowded

  Italy's holiday month lands on top of everyone else's. Vernazza's harbour is standing room, the trains run full, and the walking is done before eight in the morning or not at all.

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), Day-trippers from La Spezia (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (20 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-trippers from La Spezia, Summer holidays in Italy

• Nature

  Terrace grape harvest

  5 Sep – 15 Oct · usually

  The terraces above the villages are picked with monorails in September and the sciacchetra grapes are laid out to dry. It is the quietest month that still has everything open. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), Day-trippers from La Spezia (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (20 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Day-trippers from La Spezia, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Autumn storm trail closures

  1 Oct – 30 Nov · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  Autumn brings the downpours that flattened Vernazza and Monterosso in 2011. Sections of the path shut after a storm and can stay shut for months while the dry-stone walls are rebuilt. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), Day-trippers from La Spezia (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually)), Terrace grape harvest (5 Sep – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Closure

  Villages shut for winter

  5 Nov – 10 Mar

  Most kitchens and rooms close for the winter and the boats between the villages stop, leaving the train. What is left is five working villages with nobody in them. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cinque Terre Card season (14 Mar – 2 Nov), Autumn storm trail closures (1 Oct – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Christmas holidays in Italy, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Manarola hillside nativity

  8 Dec – 31 JanChristmas & New Year

  Thousands of lights laid out across the terraces above Manarola, switched on every 8 December and left up into the new year. It is the only reason to be here in the dead season, and a good one. Source ↗

Still on: Via dell'Amore by booking (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Villages shut for winter (5 Nov – 10 Mar)