loading spinner
Italy

Cinque Terre, Carrara and Medieval Hill Towns

Program No. 14299RJ
Explore the Cinque Terre — the Italian Riviera’s colorful villages carved above the Mediterranean Sea — and learn about medieval life, Michelangelo and the history of nearby Lerici.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Apr 7 - Apr 17, 2024
Starting at
3,999
Apr 21 - May 1, 2024
Starting at
4,049
May 5 - May 15, 2024
Starting at
4,049
May 19 - May 29, 2024
Starting at
4,049
Aug 25 - Sep 4, 2024
Starting at
4,049
Itinerary Note

GROUP - Retired Teachers on Facebook

Sep 1 - Sep 11, 2024
Starting at
4,049
Sep 15 - Sep 25, 2024
Starting at
4,049
Sep 29 - Oct 9, 2024
Starting at
4,049
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Apr 7 - Apr 17, 2024
Starting at
4,479
Apr 21 - May 1, 2024
Starting at
4,529
May 5 - May 15, 2024
Starting at
4,529
May 19 - May 29, 2024
Starting at
4,529
Aug 25 - Sep 4, 2024
Starting at
4,529
Itinerary Note

GROUP - Retired Teachers on Facebook

Filling Fast!
Sep 1 - Sep 11, 2024
Starting at
4,529
Filling Fast!
Sep 15 - Sep 25, 2024
Starting at
4,529
Sep 29 - Oct 9, 2024
Starting at
4,529

At a Glance

Along this jeweled coast, the five villages of the Cinque Terre carve a charming niche where mountains plunge into the sparkling Mediterranean. By land and sea, discover the limitless inspiration of the Cinque Terre and Carrara. Learn why countless artists and authors have found muses in the seaside villages, terraced vineyards and rocky promontories of this area of the Italian Riviera.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to four miles a day; elective hiking opportunities. Extended standing during site visits with limited or no public seating. Uneven terrain, limited public handrails, unavoidable stairs, marble and terracotta flooring, cobblestones, steep inclines, loose gravel, dirt paths. Expect crowded conditions in pedestrian centers and museums. Program-related travel and transfers will be via bus and boat.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Discover how inhabitants carved vineyard terraces along the steep mountainside in the Cinque Terre.
  • Walk scenic paths with breathtaking vistas of the mountains that plunge into the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Consider the experiences of Romantic English poets who lived near and were inspired by the Bay of Lerici.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Jane Bacon-Fiori
Jane Bacon is an associate of the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. She worked for a number of years editing theater books, popular history, novels, and travel books for the London publisher Eyre Methuen before moving to Italy. Jane lives in the little-known corner of Tuscany called Lunigiana where she continues to teach, write and study Anglo-American writers who spent most of their lives in Tuscany.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Umberto Cattani
Umberto Cattani View biography
Umberto Cattani is a licensed group leader in Florence, Carrara and the Cinque Terre, and has been working with the Trinity College for 15 years. After completing his studies in accounting, Umberto worked in Parma as a sales manager for a clothing manufacturer. At the start of the new millennium, he discovered his real passion for guiding, and completed the required courses in art history, archaeology and history to achieve his new goal. Umberto lives in Carrara with his wife and daughter.
Profile Image of Jane Bacon-Fiori
Jane Bacon-Fiori View biography
Jane Bacon is an associate of the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. She worked for a number of years editing theater books, popular history, novels, and travel books for the London publisher Eyre Methuen before moving to Italy. Jane lives in the little-known corner of Tuscany called Lunigiana where she continues to teach, write and study Anglo-American writers who spent most of their lives in Tuscany.
Profile Image of Franco Ressa
Franco Ressa View biography
Franco Ressa enjoys his work as an environmental guide in the Apuan Alps and Cinque Terre National Parks, introducing visitors to the history and natural beauty of Liguria and Tuscany. Born in a city and raised by the sea Franco has chosen to live in close contact with nature in the Lunigiana hills above La Spezia. He and his wife run a small farm. His hobbies include hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, gardening, and playing guitar.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Extra Virgin, A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera
by Annie Hawes
A memoir of travels and life in Liguria, where the Hawes sisters ventured and stayed. In this refreshingly candid account, the English sisters end up buying a house and learning the local customs and eccentricities of their neighbors in Diano San Pietro.
Rick Steves' Snapshot Italy's Cinque Terre
by Rick Steves
A slim guide to the Cinque Terre region with Steves' expert-selected hotels, travel advice, major sites and places to relax.
Eyewitness Guide Italian Riviera
by Eyewitness Guides
A handsome, beautifully illustrated and informative compact guide to Liguria. It covers places, recommended excursions, hotels and attractions from the border with France east to La Spezia.
Italy in Mind
by Alice Powers
A terrific collection of some of the best literary writing on Italy, including pieces by Melville, Lawrence, Henry James, Mary McCarthy and many others.
La Bella Lingua
by Dianne Hales
Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, lovesick for its phrases and enamored of its earthy idioms, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazza, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir.
Food Wine The Italian Riviera & Genoa
by David Downie
A renowned food writer's highly selective guide to Liguria's authentic small eateries, culinary traditions, wine, wineries, food artisans and gourmet shops.
Enchanted April
by Elizabeth Von Arnim, Cathleen Schine (Introduction)
In this delightful book, four Englishwomen are awakened by self-discovery and the power of their friendship on a stay in the Italian countryside in the 1920s. Inspired by Countess Arnim's travels, this book captures the rhythm and magic of Portofino.
Culture Smart! Italy
by Charles Abbott
A concise, no-nonsense guide to Italian customs, etiquette and culture along with helpful travel advice.
Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron
by Edward Trelawney
The lives and deaths of these two most romantic of Romantic poets are lovingly recounted in this memoir by Edward Trelawny. Trelawny was a fascinating figure in his own right, and his tribute to his two lost friends bears all the marks of his own generous, wild personality.
A Traveller's History of Italy
by Valerio Lintner
A brief history of Italy through the 1990s -- wide-ranging, accessible and necessarily condensed. With a useful chronology and historical gazetteer, this book marches confidently through the centuries.
Cinque Terre, Portofino Hiking Map
by Freytag & Berndt
Scaled at 1:50,000, this one-sided, color map depicts Italy from Sestri Levante to Montemarcello, with an inset of Portofino. Ideal for exploring this beautiful stretch of the Italian coast. Printed on water- and tear-resistant paper.
Beautiful Ruins
by Jess Walter
Award-winning, bestselling author Jess Walter brings us to the Italian Riviera in this glittering love story. Based on actual events.
Liguria Map
by Touring Club Italiano
A map of the region, including Cinque Terre, at a scale of 1:200,000.
Italy, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by Lawrence Venuti (Editor)
Not just a literary companion, this anthology is also a who's who of contemporary Italian writers who capture the spirit, history and allure of the country.
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind
by Beppe Severgnini
Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. The book opens with a snapshot of Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.
The Portable Romantic Poets
by Norman Holmes Pearson, W.H. Auden (Editor)
This is the anthology to take along on a trip to Italy's Cinque Terra, England's Lake District or any other classic haunt of the romantic poets. This selection includes works by all the masters (and even an occasional mistress).





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.