There are probably more stories about the name Via dell'Amore than there are roads leading to Rome. I'll go with the classic: the image of couples in the 1920s who came here for romantic walks, with or without a chaperone nearby. Today, Cinque Terre, with 3.4 million visitors per year, is one of Italy's most touristic spots – that's more than 9000 people per day seen over a year.

But most visitors see only a fraction of the park, and if you come in November or December, you can enjoy the villages at their most beautiful, illuminated by the low autumn light and without the huge crowds. This is the ideal time to explore the more than 130 km of hiking trails and discover the hidden gems of this area.