10 Things to Do in Cinque Terre in October

Cinque Terre is one of Italy's busiest destinations and much of the appeal lies in its beaches and scenery, ideal for discovering during the hot European summer, but when the temperature drops, the region still offers plenty of interesting activities to get into the spirit of the coastal towns.

Some of the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre in October include attending 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 treks.

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 on weekends in October in Monterosso al Mare, which is the main town in Cinque Terre, but you'll find fairgrounds and regional food stalls in Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore too, so you can discover the flavours of La Spezia from anywhere.

If you visit the region in October, you'll also find that festivals are often included in Cinque Terre's best food tours and most of them are free to enter, so you only pay for what you eat 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 12th October activities are organised there to celebrate the birth of the writer.

Villa Montale is located in an area very close to the statue of the Giant and, besides 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 itineraries of the best tours of Cinque Terre.

Interesting details

• Price: entrance to Villa Montale has an initial cost of approximately 6 euros per person.
• When: 12 October each 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 link with Monterosso al Mare, so every 4th October, the saint's feast day, a celebration is organised which 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 containing the statue of St. Francis of Assisi on the northern tip of the Fegina beach, one of the main beaches of the town and the Italian Riviera.

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

Interesting details

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

Manarola is one of the jewels of Cinque Terre and tourists are often surprised when visiting it, as its fame is often 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 such 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 the temperatures are pleasant and the skies are clear, unlike November and December, which are months of rain and cloudy weather all over the Italian Riviera.

And once summer is over, you can enjoy it in peace and quiet and without the crowds of tourists, allowing you to get some of the best photos 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 are a keen hiker, then you can enjoy the Cinque Terre National Park, which crosses the communes of Manarola, Corniglia and Vernazza on a 12-kilometre route 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 metres above sea level, guaranteeing you an open view of the Ligurian Sea and also of the rest of the villages.

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

One of Vernazza's main attractions is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Reggio, which sits on a rocky promontory over 300 metres 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.

Note that the sanctuary is located in a difficult-to-reach location in Vernazza, so if you are planning a short stay on the Italian Riviera, you may 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 cultural highlights of 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 performance of the opera season, which opens in April and closes in October.

During the Cinque Terre opera season, the calendar often includes performances by 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 a service that includes a return transfer with hotel pick-up.

The Vernazza Opera House shows 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 opera performances start at approximately 25 euros per person.
• When: The season closes on the last Friday in October.
• Where: Vernazza, Cinque Terre.

Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world during the night of 31st October every year and Cinque Terre is no exception. In Monterosso al Mare the festivities are very popular and the options for enjoying 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 costume to keep the traditions alive, making it one of the best things to do with the little ones, especially if you plan to visit Cinque Terre as a family.

Moreover, of all the towns on the Italian Riviera, Monterosso al Mare is the most active at night, so experiencing Halloween celebrations is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre at night.

Interesting details

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

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

The best way to get to know the wineries is with a tour of the best vineyards, but you can also make the journey 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.

At most of these wineries, as well as 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 go well with salted anchovies, seafood, Ligurian pasta and risottos.

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

The celebration of Monterosso al Mare is the heir of the International Truffle Fair, which is organised 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 organised indoors, although the original celebration is the one held in October at the fairgrounds near the statue of the Giant.

Interesting details

• 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 comes the beginning of cooler temperatures, with highs of 20°C and lows of 13°C, but with average temperatures of 17°C it 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 pleasant temperatures and few tourists. If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in November and December, rain is common.

The end of summer in September marks the end of the low season, so October sees a moderate influx of tourists. However, as the weather is still good, it is an ideal time to explore 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 has an impact on prices, with accommodation and excursion costs dropping dramatically, unlike 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 accommodation and excursions, especially those that are adventurous and outdoorsy.

Also note that if you book excursions and accommodation in advance, you can get better discounts and avoid last-minute price increases.

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

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Sun hat
• Light T-shirt
• Lightweight coat
• Lightweight trousers
• Woollen jumpers