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.

Among the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre in November are 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 that is located at the end of the beach of Fegina and was built in 1910. The sculpture was bombed during World War II and a strong tide eroded much of the structure, so that only a part of the original work of 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 that in ancient times a rudimentary lighthouse indicated to ships the presence of the cliffs, so that today, during rainy days, if you can see the Giant behind the water and fog means 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 fulfill the 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-kilometer route of slopes and gradients. This competition takes place every year in March, with the beginning of spring, but in November a preparatory race is organized, in which the competitors run part or all of the race circuit.

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

SciaccheTrail has several posts and runs through some of the main sites of Cinque Terre, including the whole area of the Natural 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 of each year.
• Where: the race crosses 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 next day you can also participate in All Saints' Day, which is a feast that celebrates all the Christian saints and in which families honor their ancestors.

During these celebrations some places offer typical food and the cities are filled with traditional activities, such as music concerts and other shows, but also many restaurants and stores are closed, so you should keep in mind that for many people All Saints' Day is like a 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 stands out for its gastronomy, but also for its vineyards and wineries and after the harvest season, which runs from August to October, comes the grape harvest season, which is the time that gives rise to the production of the traditional wines of the region.

November is one of the ideal months for touring the vineyards and tasting the local varietals, including Bianco DOC and Sciacchetra, which is a traditional sweet red wine from La Spezia. You can 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 contemplate from there the sunset over the Ligurian Sea.

The Doria Castle is actually a large 12th century stone fortification that was damaged in the Middle Ages in the war between Pisa and Genoa, but remains standing marking one of the highest points in Liguria, so it offers an ideal platform to discover the sun set. In November, during clear days, the sky forms a strange combination of colors on the horizon.

Keep 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's your case, here's a list of things you can do to discover Cinque Terre in 2 days.

Corniglia is the smallest of the villages of Cinque Terre and the only one that does not have a direct connection to the Ligurian Sea, as it is located on a stone promontory over 100 meters 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, visiting Corniglia becomes 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 the long staircase known as Lardarina, which is 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 housing 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 Roman Empire of the East.

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

The great attractions of Cinque Terre are outdoors. You can visit the beaches, take a dip in the Ligurian Sea, tour the National Park and go hiking in Corniglia, but in the months when the weather is bad, such as in November, you can take refuge in the local gastronomy, which is one of the best in Italy, and you can discover it in the restaurants and bars of the region.

From grilled anchovies to truffles and from Ligurian pasta to risottos and seafood, the culinary offer of the Italian Riviera is very wide and you can enjoy it on your own or on the best gastronomic tours of Cinque Terre, which usually include a tour of the main restaurants and also wineries and vineyards of the region.

The best alternative for pairing La Spezia's gastronomy are the local wines, and if you tour Cinque Terre in November, your visit will coincide with the grape harvest season, so you can also taste some regional varieties such as Bianco DOC and 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 most economical alternatives.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in April or during the summer months you will see that the train is usually crowded with tourists and you may travel uncomfortably, but if you are visiting the region in November, which is when the influx of tourists drops substantially, the train is the best option and will also keep you sheltered from the weather unlike other options, such as buses, which will leave you in places farther away from the city.

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

If you are one of those that even the cold can't stop during your vacation then you can visit the Cinque Terre trail that is known as Via dell'Amore, which winds along the cliffs of Riomaggiore and Manarola on a path of about 1 kilometer. 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 preservation and in December it is often disabled by 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 Via dell'Amore, remember to bring comfortable shoes and mountain shoes, warm clothes, a raincoat in case of bad weather and an organized 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 highs of 15 °C, lows 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 I advise you to always carry a raincoat 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 the rains and partly because it is the month that connects October, which marks the last period of good weather in the region, with December, which maintains a similar weather to November, but summons 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, since those who come do so despite the bad weather conditions and the lack of outdoor attractions.

If you want to visit Cinque Terre at affordable prices perhaps November is the best month of the year for your goal, as accommodations and excursions mark price minimums and adventure or outdoor tours become very affordable.

In addition, you can increase your savings by taking advantage of the discounts that many tourist service providers offer for booking in advance online. This way you will secure your place and avoid last minute price increases.

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

• Comfortable shoes
• Thermal T-shirts
• Light coat
• Light pants
• Raincoat
• Waterproof footwear
• Waterproof coat
• Waterproof boots
• Wool sweaters
• Thermal socks
• Umbrellas