travel to cinque terra, italy, this spring

ani, IMHO, yes it would be advisable to travel to the Cinque Terre in early May. It's important to remember that of the five villages, only two were affected by the flooding (and only one part of Monterosso). While Vernazza will not be back to normal by that time, from all reports that I've seen so far the residents are optimistic that they will at least be partially "open" by late spring. The rebuilding of the "old town" in Monterosso has been progressing well, and a few of the businesses in the old town have re-opened. Regarding the trails, National Park authorities have announced that they hope to have all the trails open by Easter, but we'll have to wait and see whether they can accomplish that. Even if they're not all open, I'd still visit the area and hike those that are open. There is one point to clarify on the trails however. If the trails are open, they are considered to be "safe". However, it should be noted that in some places these are only wide enough for one person, and at times there are no railings. It's a good idea to exercise a bit of "caution" at all times. I hiked a couple of the trails again in September (including the most challenging from Monterosso to Vernazza), and never felt "unsafe" at any time. If you do decide to visit the Cinque Terre, it would be a really good idea to get some lodgings booked as soon as you have your dates finalized. Given the fact that there will be fewer lodgings than normal due to the situation in Vernazza, I suspect the remaining places will book up quickly. I'm planning to return there again this year, probably in the fall, so I'll also have to contend with the lodgings situation. Happy travels!

Yes it is a good time to visit the CT the paths should be open but they are always dependent on weather even if all trails were not open the CT would be worth a visit
I would suggest booking your room asap as there is a limited amount of lodging available

In Vernazza try: http://www.elisabettacarro.it/ great views!

We just returned from Italy (late March, 2012), which included a short trip to Cinque Terra. We drove from Arezzo and were going to take the scenic route from the north end of CT, starting at Monterossa and heading to our destination, Manarola. Our drive was cut short due to the road being washed out (actually GONE) from the mudslides as we got closer to Vernazza. There were no signs to indicate that the road was gone. It was quite an adventure. We ended up driving back to La Spezia and getting to Manarola from there. It made for a longer day than planned, but still an adventure. FYI: the hiking trail between Manarola and Corniglia is not passable and is blocked off. One can take the train to bypass this area.