10 Things to Do in Cinque Terre in November

November in Cinque Terre is a cold, rainy month with a very low influx of tourists, so it is considered one of the months suitable only for true lovers of the Italian Riviera.

Some of the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre in November include touring the five villages by train, discovering the sunset at Castel Doria, fulfilling the tradition of seeing The Giant during rainy days, celebrating All Saints' Day in La Spezia and discovering Porto Venere, the sixth element of the Italian Riviera.

The Giant is a huge iron and reinforced concrete sculpture located at the end of the beach of Fegina and was built in 1910. The sculpture was bombed during the Second World War and a strong tide eroded a large part of the structure, so that only a part of the original work by Arrigo Minerbi of Ferrara remains standing, although it is enough to support one of the myths of the region.

The choice of the site where the sculpture was built is not random, but refers to a belief according to which in ancient times a rudimentary lighthouse indicated to ships the presence of the cliffs, so that nowadays, on rainy days, if you can see the Giant behind the water and the mist, it is a sign of good omen.

November is the wettest and rainiest month of the year on the Italian Riviera, so it offers the ideal context to fulfil tradition and call for good fortune in Monterosso al Mare, while discovering one of the attractions that is often included in the tours of the best Cinque Terre tours.

SciaccheTrail is a popular endurance race that starts from Monterosso al Mare and runs through the five villages of Cinque Terre on a 48-kilometre hilly and steep route. This competition takes place every year in March, with the beginning of spring, but in November a preparatory race is organised, in which the competitors run part or all of the race course.

If you are a fan of adventure sports or just want to do something different during your visit to Cinque Terre, you can register and take part in the race for free, or you can simply follow the race as a spectator, as many of the runners who will enter the official competition in March usually take part in it.

SciaccheTrail has several stages and runs through some of the main sites of Cinque Terre, including the whole area of the Nature Reserve, so it is also a great opportunity to follow the itinerary to get to know the region in an alternative way.

Details of interest

• Price: registration for the event is free of charge.
• When: in November each year.
• Where: the race goes through the five villages of Cinque Terre.

If you visit Cinque Terre in October you can celebrate Halloween, which is a very popular celebration in Italy, but the following day you can also participate in All Saints' Day, which is a feast celebrating all the Christian saints and where families honour their ancestors.

During these celebrations some places offer typical food and cities are filled with traditional activities, such as music concerts and other shows, but also many restaurants and shops are closed, so you should keep in mind that for many people All Saints' Day is like a public holiday.

The main All Saints' Day activities are concentrated in Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza, but you can find celebrations in all the villages of Cinque Terre and La Spezia.

Cinque Terre is famous for its gastronomy, but also for its vineyards and wine cellars. After the harvest season, which runs from August to October, comes the grape harvest season, which is the time when the traditional wines of the region are made.

November is one of the ideal months for touring the vineyards and tasting the local varietals, among which the Bianco DOC and the Sciacchetra, a traditional sweet red wine from La Spezia, stand out. You can either tour the wineries on your own or take a gastronomic excursion that includes a tour of the vineyards.

Most of the wineries are located in the Riomaggiore and Manarola area, although some of the best known are located in Monterosso al Mare, such as Cantina Sassarini, which is one of the largest and most popular vineyards in Cinque Terre.

Castello Doria is located on the Italian Riviera, but not in Cinque Terre, but in Porto Venere, which is considered the sixth element among the coastal towns, but if you plan to visit the region in November, you cannot miss a visit to this site to watch the sunset over the Ligurian Sea.

Castel Doria is actually a large 12th century stone fortification that was damaged in the Middle Ages in the war between Pisa and Genoa, but still stands as one of the highest points in Liguria, providing an ideal platform for watching the sun set. In November, on clear days, the sky forms a strange combination of colours on the horizon.

Bear in mind that Porto Venere is located at the southern tip of the Italian Riviera, so it will take you a while to get there from any of the Cinque Terre towns, which might not be compatible with a short stay in the region. If that is your case, here is a list of things you can do to discover Cinque Terre in 2 days.

Corniglia is the smallest of the Cinque Terre villages and the only one that does not have a direct connection with the Ligurian sea, as it is located on a stone promontory over 100 metres high that leaves it well above the coast, so if you visit Cinque Terre in summer you will not be able to access the beach from there. In November, with the low temperatures, a visit to Corniglia is the ideal plan.

This small town has a strong literary tradition since Giovanni Boccaccio mentioned it in the Decameron, so during your visit you can discover another facet of this place that loses ground during the summer months but becomes very interesting during the rainy and cold seasons.

In Corniglia you can also go hiking, visit the hermitage of San Bernardino and walk up the long staircase known as Lardarina, the only pedestrian access to the town.

Porto Venere, located at the southern tip of the Italian Riviera, is known as the sixth element of Cinque Terre, especially since Unesco included it along with Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare, Manarola and Riomaggiore on the World Heritage List. Today, it is famous for the Doria Castle and the churches of San Pietro and San Lorenzo.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in November, the weather will prevent you from taking a swim and enjoying most of the summer attractions, but it will allow you to see other sites, including Porto Venere, which had a direct influence on Europe in the Middle Ages when it was the port of the Byzantine Armada. It is still possible to discover in the city some of the remains of the buildings of the Eastern Roman Empire.

From Porto Venere, you can also access the islands of Palmaria, Tinetto and Tino, which are also included in the Unesco list and form part of the indivisible landscape of the Italian Riviera.

Cinque Terre's main attractions are outdoors. You can visit the beaches, swim in the Ligurian Sea, explore the National Park and go hiking in Corniglia, but in the months when the weather is bad, such as November, you can take refuge in the local cuisine, which is among the best in Italy, and can be discovered in the region's restaurants and bars.

From grilled anchovies to truffles and from Ligurian pasta to risottos and seafood, the Italian Riviera's culinary offerings are vast and can be enjoyed on your own or on Cinque Terre's best food tours, which usually include a tour of the region's top restaurants as well as wineries and vineyards.

The best alternative for pairing La Spezia's gastronomy are the local wines, and if you visit Cinque Terre in November, your visit will coincide with the grape harvest season, so you can also taste some regional varieties such as the Bianco DOC and the Sciacchetra, which is the characteristic sweet wine of the area.

Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore and Monterosso al Mare, the five towns of Cinque Terre, are restricted to car traffic on the vast majority of their stretches, so the most effective way to visit them is by train, which has stops in the central area of all the towns and is also one of the cheapest alternatives.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in April or during the summer months, the train is often crowded and may be uncomfortable, but if you're visiting in November, when the crowds drop substantially, the train is the best option and will keep you out of the weather unlike other options, such as buses, which will drop you off further out of town.

For the initial cost of around €5 per ticket, the Cinque Terre Express service runs from La Spezia to Levanto, passing through the region's five most famous towns, quickly and effectively, especially during the post-summer months, so you can discover the Italian Riviera's main attractions in the best way possible.

If you are one of those who even the cold can't stop you during your holiday then you can visit the Cinque Terre trail that is known as Via dell'Amore, which winds its way along the cliffs of Riomaggiore and Manarola on a path of about 1 kilometre. The route is not impossible, but its proximity to the abyss makes it a challenge that you might find interesting.

November is the ideal month to walk along Via dell'Amore, as during the summer it is often crowded with tourists or closed to the public for maintenance and in December it is often closed due to the rains, which complicate the grip of the roads in one of the highest parts of the Italian Riviera.

If during your visit you want to take on the challenge of the Via dell'Amore, remember to bring comfortable hiking shoes, warm clothes, a mackintosh in case of bad weather and an organised itinerary, because although the route is short, it offers several exits of varying complexity each.

November inaugurates the cold and rainy season in Cinque Terre, with maximum temperatures of 15°C, minimum temperatures of 9°C and average temperatures of 11°C, making outdoor and adventure excursions difficult.

Keep in mind that November is the rainiest time of the year on the Italian Riviera and, just as if you visit Cinque Terre in December, you may encounter unexpected thunderstorms at any time, so always carry a mackintosh and an umbrella to be prepared.

November is one of the months with the lowest number of tourists in Cinque Terre, partly because of the cold and rainy weather and partly because it is the month that connects October, which marks the last period of good weather in the region, with December, which has a similar weather to November but attracts tourists for Christmas.

Due to the low number of tourists visiting Cinque Terre in November, the latter is considered an exclusive month for lovers of the Italian Riviera, as those who do visit do so despite the poor weather conditions and lack of outdoor attractions.

If you want to visit Cinque Terre on a budget, November may be the best month of the year for your purpose, as accommodation and excursions hit rock-bottom prices and adventure and outdoor tours become very affordable.

In addition, you can increase your savings by taking advantage of the discounts that many tour providers offer for booking in advance online. This way you'll secure your spot and avoid last-minute price increases.

November is a cold and rainy month in Cinque Terre, so I recommend that you pack the following items in your suitcase:

• Comfortable shoes
• Thermal T-shirts
• Light coat
• Lightweight trousers
• Mackintosh
• Waterproof footwear
• Waterproof coat
• Waterproof boots
• Woollen jumpers
• Thermal socks
• Umbrellas