I visited Italy's Instagram-famous Cinque Terre in the aftermath of COVID-19, and it was eerily peaceful

Alice JohnstonJul 24, 2020, 14:55 IST

Cinque Terre is an iconic Italian holiday destination — and for good reason, as it's stunningly beautiful.Alice Johnston

When it became possible to travel from the UK to Italy following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to visit Instagram-famous destination Cinque Terre.
There were far fewer tourists there than usual, and it was a rare chance to see the popular beauty spot in its original form.
The Italian social distancing measures were far more stringent than in the UK, and I felt very safe.
At times, however, the quiet streets felt eerie with safety measures visible everywhere.
As picturesque as Cinque Terre is, it's not a place that I would want to visit when it's thronged with tourists from all around the world.

If you picture an Italian seaside holiday, you're probably visualizing Cinque Terre. A series of five towns of pastel-colored houses clinging onto stunning craggy cliffs over clear turquoise sea, it's an iconic vacation destination.

Cinque Terre is thronged every summer with sun-seekers looking for beach relaxation, hikers excited about the area's famous walking trails, and Instagrammers looking for the perfect bikini shot. This makes it crushingly busy, and often difficult place to experience the authentic spirit of the area.

Located around three hours south of Milan by train, Cinque Terre itself experienced relatively few cases of the coronavirus compared to the rest of the country. However, as it's a spot that relies on tourism to survive, the after-effects of Italy's high caseload and subsequent lockdown have been severely felt.

Cinque Terre has always been a place I've wanted to visit, so when it became possible to travel from the UK to Italy again, I decided it was a good time to go (armed with the knowledge that it would be far quieter than a usual summer season, and the fact that Italy had controlled the virus well and was taking social distancing seriously).

Here's what it was like.

Getting the train from Milan, I was immediately struck by the social distancing measures Italy was enforcing.

The train station was very organized. Alice Johnston

Before entering the train platform, everyone's temperature was taken.

Temperature controls at Milan's train station. Alice Johnston

On the train, signs showed travellers where to sit — and masks remained essential.

Every other train seat was left empty to ensure social distancing. Alice Johnston

The host of the apartment I was staying in didn't come inside to give me a tour, as it had been sanitized.

The balcony of the apartment I stayed at in Cinque Terre. Alice Johnston

Exploring the town itself, it was clear that while there were tourists there, it was very quiet.

The streets were almost empty. Alice Johnston

This felt odd in a town which sees more than seven million cruise ship visitors every summer, according to a tourist information board I saw while walking around.

Wandering the streets of Cinque Terre. Alice Johnston

The charming streets were uncrowded and mostly populated by locals. While there were quite a few Italian and French visitors strolling around, most shocking was the lack of American voices.

Usually the tables of cafes and bars would be crowded at this time of year, but not in 2020. Alice Johnston

The charming streets were uncrowded and mostly populated by locals. While there were quite a few Italian and French visitors strolling around, most shocking was the lack of American voices.

While it was admittedly nice not hearing loud Americans puzzling over how to pay with euros rather than dollars, it made me worry about Cinque Terre's tourist industry.

Americans usually make up a large portion of Italy's tourists. Without them, it's a lot quieter. Alice Johnston

There were no queues for restaurant tables, gelato, or for the beach.

At times it was almost eerily quiet. Alice Johnston

Every shop, tiny cafe, and gelato spot I saw was taking the appropriate precautions to serve customers safely.

Want to come inside? You'd better put on a mask. Alice Johnston

Separate entrances and exits to shops, perspex screens between restaurant tables, and floor markings showed that all businesses were making a huge effort to be safe for visitors.

Many businesses had erected perspex screens for safety. Alice Johnston

Separate entrances and exits to shops, perspex screens between restaurant tables, and floor markings showed that all businesses were making a huge effort to be safe for visitors.

I stayed in Monterosso, the only town out of the five that make up Cinque Terre that has a sandy beach.

Monterosso is the only town in Cinque Terre with a sandy beach. Alice Johnston

To access the public beaches, you had to book a timeslot on an official website.

If you want to go to the beach, you have to book your area. Alice Johnston

On the private beach clubs (where you can rent a sunbed and an umbrella for €15 per person), at least one sunbed was left empty between each group.

The sunbeds left empty on the beach clubs meant they felt more spacious than usual. Alice Johnston

Before entering the private beach clubs, your temperature was taken to ensure you weren't ill.

Your temperature gets taken before you're allowed onto the private beach. Alice Johnston

This meant that if anyone fell ill, you would be easily contactable.

The entrance to the beach club warned customers to wear a mask. Alice Johnston

One thing that struck me was how much hand sanitizer was available everywhere.

There was no excuse not to sanitize your hands frequently. Alice Johnston

There were also official government posters up every few metres explaining what the coronavirus is, how to protect yourself from it, and explaining the measures in place.

Official government posters were everywhere. Alice Johnston

There were also official government posters up every few metres explaining what the coronavirus is, how to protect yourself from it, and explaining the measures in place.

Cinque Terre is also famous for its hiking trails, and I was interested to see how they would have been impacted by COVID.

The hiking trails in Cinque Terre are incredibly popular. Alice Johnston

The hikes usually get so busy that you have to buy tickets in advance, but when I started climbing the many steep steps to the start of the trail, there wasn't another person to be seen.

The trails were almost completely empty. Alice Johnston

The hikes usually get so busy that you have to buy tickets in advance, but when I started climbing the many steep steps to the start of the trail, there wasn't another person to be seen.

With routes between the five towns traversing steep mountains and cliffs with incredible views over the ocean, it's not an activity to miss.

Alice Johnston

As picturesque as Cinque Terre is, it's not a place that I would want to visit when it's thronged with tourists from all around the world.

Cinque Terre is small, and it's not the kind of place you'd want to visit when it was very crowded. Alice Johnston

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I visited Italy's Instagram-famous Cinque Terre in the aftermath of COVID-19, and it was eerily peaceful

Getting the train from Milan, I was immediately struck by the social distancing measures Italy was enforcing.

Before entering the train platform, everyone's temperature was taken.

On the train, signs showed travellers where to sit — and masks remained essential.

The host of the apartment I was staying in didn't come inside to give me a tour, as it had been sanitized.

Exploring the town itself, it was clear that while there were tourists there, it was very quiet.

This felt odd in a town which sees more than seven million cruise ship visitors every summer, according to a tourist information board I saw while walking around.

The charming streets were uncrowded and mostly populated by locals. While there were quite a few Italian and French visitors strolling around, most shocking was the lack of American voices.

While it was admittedly nice not hearing loud Americans puzzling over how to pay with euros rather than dollars, it made me worry about Cinque Terre's tourist industry.

There were no queues for restaurant tables, gelato, or for the beach.

Every shop, tiny cafe, and gelato spot I saw was taking the appropriate precautions to serve customers safely.

Separate entrances and exits to shops, perspex screens between restaurant tables, and floor markings showed that all businesses were making a huge effort to be safe for visitors.

I stayed in Monterosso, the only town out of the five that make up Cinque Terre that has a sandy beach.

To access the public beaches, you had to book a timeslot on an official website.

On the private beach clubs (where you can rent a sunbed and an umbrella for €15 per person), at least one sunbed was left empty between each group.

Before entering the private beach clubs, your temperature was taken to ensure you weren't ill.

This meant that if anyone fell ill, you would be easily contactable.

One thing that struck me was how much hand sanitizer was available everywhere.

There were also official government posters up every few metres explaining what the coronavirus is, how to protect yourself from it, and explaining the measures in place.

Cinque Terre is also famous for its hiking trails, and I was interested to see how they would have been impacted by COVID.

The hikes usually get so busy that you have to buy tickets in advance, but when I started climbing the many steep steps to the start of the trail, there wasn't another person to be seen.

With routes between the five towns traversing steep mountains and cliffs with incredible views over the ocean, it's not an activity to miss.

As picturesque as Cinque Terre is, it's not a place that I would want to visit when it's thronged with tourists from all around the world.