10 Things to Do in Cinque Terre in October

Cinque Terre is one of the busiest destinations in Italy and much of the attraction lies in its beaches and scenery, ideal to discover during the hot European summer, but when the temperature drops, the region still offers many interesting activities to get to know the spirit of the coastal towns.

Among the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre in October are attending the food festivals, taking part in the patron saint festivities of St. Francis of Assisi in Vernazza, enjoying the magical sunsets in Manarola and hiking in the Cinque Terre National Park with the ideal weather for adventure excursions.

The end of summer and the beginning of autumn in Cinque Terre brings with it the season of food festivals. Many of them are permanent, such as the Truffle Fair, and others change every year, but include typical products such as chocolate, chestnuts, anchovies and even wine, as October also coincides with the harvest season.

Most of the festivals take place during October weekends in Monterosso al Mare, which is the main town of Cinque Terre, but you will find fairgrounds and regional food stalls also in Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore, so you can discover the flavors of La Spezia from anywhere.

If you visit the region in October, you will also find that festivals are often included in the best food tours of Cinque Terre and most of them have free admission, so you only pay for what you consume at the stalls.

Cinque Terre is known for having sheltered artists and writers. Among the latter, the most famous was Eugenio Montale, a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975 and lived most of his life in a mansion in Monterosso al Mare. Today, the site is open to the public and every October 12 activities are organized there to celebrate the birth of the writer.

Villa Montale is located in an area very close to the statue of the Giant and, in addition to preserving the writer's library and a museum with his belongings, it also offers rooms for rent to tourists.

Villa Montale is one of the main attractions of Monterosso al Mare and is often included in the tours of the best tours of Cinque Terre.

Details of interest

• Price: entrance to Villa Montale has an initial cost of approximately 6 euros per person.
• When: October 12 every year.
• Where: Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

Francis of Assisi is one of the best known saints of the Catholic Church and although he is not the patron saint of any of the towns of Cinque Terre, he does have a strong connection with Monterosso al Mare, so every October 4, the saint's feast day, a celebration is organized that begins in the main parish church and ends at the monument of St. Francis, which is one of the most beautiful in the region.

The celebration opens with an early morning mass and culminates with a pilgrimage to the peninsula that contains the statue of St. Francis of Assisi and is located at the northern tip of the beach of Fegina, which is one of the main beaches of the town and of the Italian Riviera.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in September and you are fond of religious tourism, you can also attend the celebration of St. John the Baptist, who is the patron saint of Monterosso al Mare.

Details of interest

• Price: you can participate in the celebration of St. Francis of Assisi for free.
• When: October 4th of each year.
• Where: Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

Manarola is one of the jewels of Cinque Terre and many times tourists are surprised to visit it, as its fame is usually reduced to the huge Christmas crib that is installed on the hills of the village and is the largest in the world, but it also has other attractions to discover as its clean sunsets, which you can see from the viewpoint, built on one of the balconies overlooking the Ligurian Sea.

October is the ideal month to discover the best sunsets in Manarola, as temperatures are pleasant and the sky is clear, unlike November and December, which are months of rain and cloudy weather throughout the Italian Riviera.

In addition, once the summer is over, you can enjoy it in peace and quiet and without a large influx of tourists, which will allow you to get some of the best pictures of your trip. You can also discover the sunsets from the marina or from one of the boats that make excursions along the coast.

If you plan to visit the region in October and you are fond of hiking, then you can enjoy the Cinque Terre National Park, which crosses the communes of Manarola, Corniglia and Vernazza on a 12-kilometer route that is known as the blue trail.

During this route you can discover much of the flora and fauna of the Italian Riviera and also some of the best landscapes of Cinque Terre, as the park is surrounded by winding paths that reach 600 meters above sea level, which guarantees you an open view towards the Ligurian Sea and also towards the rest of the villages.

October is the ideal month to visit the Cinque Terre National Park, as the weather is dry, the influx of tourists decreases substantially and the heat is not suffocating as it is between the months of May and September.

One of the main attractions of Vernazza is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Reggio, which is located on a rocky promontory over 300 meters high and worships the black virgin, who is also called the African virgin and is venerated by foreigners in Italy.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in October, you can take part in the closing of the patron saint celebrations, which begin in August and include many activities, including several pilgrimages and a fireworks display, which takes place during the first weekend of October and is ideal if you plan to visit the region with children.

Keep in mind that the sanctuary is located in a difficult-to-access location in Vernazza, so if you have a short stay planned in the Italian Riviera, you might lose time for other attractions. If that is your case, here is a list of activities so you can get to know Cinque Terre in 3 days.

Vernazza is one of the most outstanding cultural sites in Cinque Terre and in addition to the ruins of the Tower of Doria and the Convent of San Francesco, in the town you can also visit the Oratory of the Holy Trinity to attend a show of the opera season, which opens in April and closes in October.

During the Cinque Terre opera season, the calendar usually includes the participation of renowned Italian concert artists and orchestras from other cities, including La Spezia. In addition, you can buy a ticket for a one-off concert or hire the service that includes round-trip transfer with hotel pick-up.

The Vernazza Opera performances in October are on Friday evenings, so if you want to make the most of your visit to the town, you can arrive in the evening, tour the attractions and then attend the concert.

Details of interest

• Price: tickets for the opera performances have an initial cost of approximately 25 euros per person.
• When: the season closes on the last Friday of October.
• Where: Vernazza, Cinque Terre.

Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world during the night of October 31 every year and Cinque Terre is no exception, as in Monterosso al Mare the festivities are very popular and the options to enjoy the traditions are varied, from street decorations to private parties in bars and restaurants.

During Halloween, Monterosso al Mare is full of children in the streets begging for treats from house to house and dressing up in costumes to fulfill the traditions, making it one of the best activities to do with the little ones, especially if you plan to visit Cinque Terre as a family.

Also, of all the towns on the Italian Riviera, Monterosso al Mare has the most nightlife, so experiencing Halloween celebrations is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during the night.

Interesting details

• Price: depends on the site that organizes the celebration.
• When: October 31 every year.
• Where: Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

October is harvest time for the vineyards and Cinque Terre, especially in Riomaggiore, has a large number of wineries producing the most famous local wines, including Bianco DOC and Sciacchetra, which is the characteristic sweet wine of the area.

The best alternative to get to know the wineries is with a tour of the best vineyards, although you can also make the tour on your own, by car or public transport. You will find many vineyards in Riomaggiore and Manarola, but if you plan to stay in Monterosso al Mare, you can visit the traditional Cantina Sassarini, which is one of the most famous brands.

In most of these wineries, in addition to tasting fresh wines and learning about wine production at the height of the harvest season, you can enjoy some of the delicacies of the area, as the local wines pair with salted anchovies, seafood, Ligurian pasta and risottos.

Truffle fairs are popular throughout Italy and are commonly held between the months of August and November. If you are planning to visit Cinque Terre in October, you can take part in the Monterosso al Mare edition, which has been organized for over 20 years and is one of the main autumn attractions on the Italian Riviera.

The celebration of Monterosso al Mare is heir to the International Truffle Fair, which is organized every year in Piedmont, and which has spread to other cities in Italy. At the Cinque Terre fair, in addition to truffles, you can also find chestnuts and mushrooms, which are very popular in the region, especially in autumn.

Note that if you plan to visit Cinque Terre in winter, you can also participate in some truffle fairs that are organized indoors, although the original celebration is the one held in October at the fairgrounds near the statue of the Giant.

Details of interest

• Price: admission to the fairgrounds is free.
• When: in October every year.
• Where: Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

October marks the formal start of autumn and with it also comes the beginning of low temperatures, so highs will be 20 °C and lows will be 13 °C, though with average temperatures of 17 °C that will be ideal for outdoor and adventure excursions.

The weather is also pleasant because it is a dry season, which is ideal for exploring the region with a pleasant temperature and few tourists. If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in November and December you will find that rainfall is very common.

In September the summer ends and with it the low season begins, so October has a moderate influx of tourists. However, as it still has good weather, it is ideal for exploring the town at leisure before the rainy season starts in November and the tourist season resumes in December for Christmas.

The decrease in tourists also influences prices, so the costs of accommodation and excursions drop drastically, unlike what happens if you visit Cinque Terre in April or during the summer months.

Autumn in Cinque Terre is part of the low season, so if you plan to visit the region in October, you will be able to access cheaper prices than in the summer, especially for accommodations and excursions, especially those that are adventurous and outdoorsy.

Also keep in mind that if you book excursions and accommodations in advance, you will be able to access better discounts and avoid last-minute price increases.

October still retains pleasant temperatures in Cinque Terre and also offers dry weather, which is interrupted from November onwards, so I recommend that you pack the following in your suitcase:

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Sun hat
• Light T-shirt
• Light coat
• Lightweight pants
• Wool sweaters