Wine Tour in Cinque Terre: Hiking to the Heroic Vineyards of Vernazza

Cinque Terre is one of the most visited places in Italy. The five villages 
clinging to the cliffs above the Ligurian Sea attract millions of visitors 
every year, and for good reason. The scenery is extraordinary. The light, 
the colors, the dramatic coastline, it is genuinely one of the most beautiful 
landscapes in Europe.

But most visitors experience Cinque Terre the same way. They walk the coastal 
path, eat focaccia and pesto, take photographs, and leave. They see the landscape 
from the outside.

What almost nobody does is climb into the vineyards above the villages, taste 
wine where it was made, and understand why growing grapes here is one of the 
most demanding and heroic acts of agriculture in the world.

That is exactly what the Heroic Wine Tour in Vernazza offers.

WHAT IS HEROIC VITICULTURE

The term heroic viticulture, viticoltura eroica, refers to wine growing in 
extreme conditions. Steep slopes, terraced hillsides, narrow paths, no 
machinery, every task done by hand. It is called heroic because it requires 
extraordinary effort to produce wine that could be made much more easily 
somewhere flat.

The vineyards of Cinque Terre are among the most extreme examples of heroic 
viticulture anywhere in Europe. The terraces climbing the cliffs above Vernazza, 
Monterosso, and the other villages were built by hand over centuries, dry 
stone walls holding narrow strips of soil at angles that make conventional 
farming impossible.

Maintaining these terraces is hard, slow, physical work. In an era when farming 
has become increasingly mechanized and efficient, the winemakers of Cinque Terre 
continue to do things largely as they have always been done — because there is 
no other way.

The wine that comes from these vineyards carries that effort in every bottle.

THE FAMILY BEHIND HEROIC WINERY

The Heroic Wine Tour is offered by a family that has been growing vines in 
Vernazza for generations. Their vineyard, the Fussà, sits above the village 
on terraces that have been cultivated for centuries, looking out over the 
Ligurian Sea.

The family produces natural wines using minimal intervention, allowing the 
character of the place to express itself rather than imposing a standardized 
style. Their wines are labeled PGI Cinque Terre and include both white wines 
made from the local Bosco, Vermentino, and Albarola grapes, and more unusual 
productions including a traditional raisin wine, the Sciacchetrà, made 
following a method that was already ancient when Angiolina, the grandmother 
who inspired the wine's name, was drying grapes on the ceiling of her kitchen.

The youngest member of the family, Luca, is both a certified hiking guide 
and the person who leads the wine tour. He grew up on these terraces, learned 
the vines from his parents, and now shares that knowledge with visitors who 
want to understand Cinque Terre beyond its postcard version.

THE EXPERIENCE

The Heroic Wine Tour begins in the village of Vernazza and involves a short 
but genuinely challenging walk up to the Fussà vineyard. This is not a gentle 
stroll. The path climbs steeply through terraced vineyards, and Luca is honest 
about this, the tour is called heroic, after all, and it is not heroic if you 
do not sweat at least a little.

The ascent takes approximately 20 minutes. It is scenic, physically engaging, 
and the views over Vernazza and the Ligurian coastline open up progressively 
as you climb.

Once in the vineyard, Luca explains the landscape, the dry stone walls, the 
ancient terrace system, the grape varieties, the challenges of farming at this 
angle and in this terrain. He talks about the history of winemaking in Cinque 
Terre, the near-abandonment of these terraces in the second half of the 20th 
century, and the ongoing effort to keep them alive.

The tasting follows. Three Eroico wines are tasted directly in the vineyard, 
looking out over the sea, the place where they were made, in the light and 
air that shaped their character. A local snack accompanies the tasting.

The total experience lasts approximately three hours.

THE WINES

The Eroico range reflects the full character of the Fussà vineyard and the 
Cinque Terre terroir.

Eroico Classico is a white wine made from Bosco, Vermentino, and Albarola 
grapes, the traditional blend of the Cinque Terre. Luca describes it through 
the memory of watching his parents work the vineyard as a child, wondering 
why they rebuilt walls that would only fall again. At the end of each day, 
looking down at Vernazza from the terraces, he understood.

Pinotto is a macerated white wine, an unusual style that gives the wine a 
deeper color and more complex texture than a standard white. It is dedicated 
to the grandfather who, as an engineer by training but a farmer by passion, 
replanted the vineyard when everyone else was abandoning theirs. He kept his 
vineyard records on a spreadsheet, four columns tracking family, health, 
work, and the Fussà vineyard.

Angiolina is a raisin wine, a Sciacchetrà, made by drying selected bunches 
from each harvest on the ceiling of the family kitchen, following a tradition 
that is centuries old. It is rich, complex, and unlike almost anything else 
produced in Italy.

THE BEEROICO PROJECT

The family has also developed a broader project called beHeroic, an initiative 
that invites travelers to become active participants in the regeneration of the 
Cinque Terre landscape rather than passive observers of it.

Through the Adopt a Row program, visitors can give their name to a row of vines 
in the Fussà vineyard, receive personalized bottles, and contribute directly to 
the maintenance of the terraced landscape that makes Cinque Terre what it is.

This is a genuinely meaningful way to connect with a place, to have a stake 
in its continuation rather than simply passing through.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

- Guided hike from Vernazza to the Fussà vineyard
- Introduction to heroic viticulture and the history of Cinque Terre wine
- Explanation of the Eroico grape varieties and winemaking approach
- Tasting of three Eroico wines in the vineyard
- Local snack pairing

Duration: Approximately 3 hours
Walking time: 20 minutes uphill to the vineyard
Group size: Weekly scheduled departures plus private groups on request
Languages: English and Italian
Location: Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
Season: March to October

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Hiking shoes and comfortable clothing are required. The path is steep and 
the terrain is uneven, this is not a walk for sandals or flat city shoes. 
Headgear and water are recommended, particularly in summer.

Vernazza is accessible by train on the Cinque Terre line from La Spezia 
or Levanto. The meeting point for the tour is in the village, exact details 
are provided after booking.

Wine tasting is available to participants of legal drinking age.

BOOK THE EXPERIENCE

The Heroic Wine Tour is available through Farmiyo — a platform connecting 
travelers with authentic farm and food experiences across Europe.

Book the Cinque Terre vineyard wine tour → farmiyo.com