The Cinque Terre from Genoa

At 8:30 a.m., low sun skims Via XX Settembre as your Mercedes eases onto the A12. Ninety minutes later, after the Sori and Moneglia viaducts, La Spezia appears: Mirabello quay to port, Biassa’s ridge above. With regional train tickets in hand, hop to Vernazza to climb the 120 steps to Castello Doria, then cruise to Monterosso for acciughe al limone. By mid‑afternoon, Riomaggiore’s slate lanes tell their own story—and why the Via dell’Amore has been partly closed since 2012.

The plan stays flexible: hotel pickup in Genoa, your driver at the wheel all day, and smooth hand‑offs at La Spezia or Levanto depending on sea state and Regio timetables. While the driver handles parking, tickets, and timing, you duck into Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, snack on focaccia di Recco, or sample Sciacchetrà. With villages closed to cars, that coordination makes the train‑boat rhythm effortless, before a comfortable run back to Genoa on the A12, roughly 95 km.