Cinque Terre in Italy is a dream for photographers. Here are some of my experiences.
Inspired by beautiful pictures from numerous photographers I decided to spend a couple of days in the Cinque Terre area in Italy on a recent long weekend.
Cinque Terre means “five lands” and is the name of five fisher villages on the west coast of Italy: Riamaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. They are spectacularly located on steep hills by the ocean.
We went there by train from Pisa. The travel took just around an hour and a half. You can also travel easily with train between the five villages. Bringing your own car is not recommended.
Sunset photography in Cinque Terre
Sunset at the Manarola village in Cinque Terre, Italy. HDR photo put together by five exposures.
For an amateur photographer the most exciting opportunity is to make beautiful sunset photographs.
There is a challenge with this in Cinque Terre. The fact that the area has five villages, means that you have to choose. Because the great time for photography is at the most a couple of hours in the evening.
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I chose the Manarola for my sunset photos. I loved the steep hills the village was located on…and there were also great track on the opposite side which gave a fantastic view of the village.
I am used to being alone with my camera and tripod at sunset. Not so in Manarola. The track overviewing the village was full of red lights indicating long exposures from numerous amateur photographers. You had to be careful not to stumble in tripods along the track. Photographers gathered from long before sunset until it was almost completely dark.
Another version of the same sunset in Manarola, Cinque Terre. A little different composition, otherwise the same photo.
I thought the best photos were just before the sun went down…as the village started to glow like if it was made of gold. But also the sunset itself was indeed beautiful:
Sunset close to Manarola in Cinque Terre.
After sunset in Cinque Terre
We stayed in the village Riamaggiore – and this was also where we returned for dinner after my sunset photo expeditions. And of course: After dinner it was nice to try a bit of night photography in this beautiful village:
After sunset in the Riamaggiore village in Cinque Terre.
I have been fascinated by night photography recently. I try to take them not too late, so that there is still a mixture of natural and artificial light. And I use the HDR technique, which means I take five different exposures that are later merged in the software HDR Efex Pro.
In my opinion HDR often can make the photos richer – as both highlights and shadows are correctly exposed. But you have to be careful. I try to make it look as natural as possible in post-production. Tripod is an absolute must.
It is especially fascinating to see how fast the light changes. See for instance the two photos below, which were taken at almost the same spot two different nights:
Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre a late May night.
Evening in Riamaggiore, Cinque Terre, Italy. Photo: John Einar Sandvand
There are also possibility to take great photos of the sunset:
Sunset in Cinque Terre, Italy.
Manarola in Cinque Terre after sunset. ISO: 200, aperture f/9 and four exposures: 14 sec, 29 sec, 59 sec and 120 sec.
Other photos from Cinque Terre
I took a lot of other photos in Cinque Terre. Here is just a small selection:
Afternoon in Manarola, Cinque Terre.
Growing wine in CInque Terre.
A cat taking a look at the Vernazza village in Cinque Terre
Afternoon in the Vernazza village in Cinque Terre
Aperol Spritz – taken directly from above.
John…Very interesting information and beautiful images. I am visiting the area next May 2016. I am glad you addressed the fact that so many other photographers would be on the hill in Manarola. I was wondering about that. I am assuming that you need a flash light to find your way after the sun set. If you are not staying in the village that you are shooting the sunset or the “Blue Hour” how did you get back and forth at such a late hour? Did you go by train from village to village or do you think it is better to stay in the village that you are going to be shooting sunset? I would appreciate any info you could share. Thank you Jean
I suppose he took the train as it´s the best way to travel by Cinque Terre (it only takes 2-3 minutes between villages). Anyway you must be careful with their timetable (you´ll find that information in each train station).
Advice: I would skip visiting Corniglia as it´s the less appealing village. I also didn´t like Monterosso al Mare much while Manarola, Riomaggiore and Vernazza are a must.
Also don´t forget to taste the italian ice cream…
I will visit Florence May of 2016 and want to know if you think a one day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre is worth doing. I realize there will be no sunrise/sunset for me. My trip includes a short (shared) small boat harbor ride to Vernazzo and I am hoping that this will give me a shot at the colorful housing, looking (up) from the harbor?? At 78 yrs of age I get around reasonably well, but I will not be doing a lot of stair climbing. Do you have any idea of what weather I could expect in MAy??
Will appreciate your comments here or by email to thomasprinting38@aol.com
Hi, I am wondering whether your shots of Manarola are dependent on the hiking path being open or can you get to the vantage point even if the hiking path is closed? Thanks for any help you can offer.
David: The shot was taken from the hiking point. Whether there is an alternative way to get to the same view I cannot remember. Sorry about that!