Riomaggiore

For the full experience, take the regional train rather than the express: this stops at all five Cinque Terre villages – Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore – allowing passengers to hop off, hike between villages, and hop back on a train again.

Several of the routes are temporarily closed, such as the main section of Riomaggiore to Manarola, and Manarola to Corniglia.

The 2.4 million annual visitors are stultifying Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, which cumulatively support about 4,000 residents.

The popular route between the towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola has been closed since September 2012, after a group of Australian tourists was injured in a landslide.

The Sentiero Azzurro connects the villages between Monterosso al Mare and Riomaggiore over 12km and will take you from shady copses sheltered by red- and gold-leafed trees to deep green olive groves before you emerge into sunlit walkways with views of the shimmering sea.