Places to see in Cinque Terre

A pebble cove below the cliffs between Corniglia and Vernazza, reached on foot and never crowded because getting there is work. Access has changed repeatedly as paths and the old rail tunnel open and close, so check locally before setting out for it.

A nativity scene built into the terraced hillside above Manarola out of scrap and several hundred figures, lit from December to the end of January and visible across the bay. One man started it in the 1970s and it grew. Only worth planning around in winter, when the coast is otherwise very quiet.

The view back over Riomaggiore's stacked houses dropping to the harbour — the photograph that sells the Cinque Terre. On the path above the village, a short steep walk from the station. Best in the last hour of light, when the west-facing front is lit.