best shoes for Cinque Terra

No. Walking shoes or runners are sufficient. These are very well worn trails.

No, sturdy athletic shoes with a good tread will be fine. No smooth soles or open toes (no hiking sandals). From the website:

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/page.php?id=339

OPEN FOOTWEAR AND/OR SMOOTH SOLES, I.E. NOT ANTI-SLIP (SUCH AS VIBRAM TYPE) ARE FORBIDDEN. THE TRANSGRESSORS WILL BE PUNISHED ACCORDING TO PARAGRAPH 2, ARTICLE 30, LAW 394/91 AND SS.MM.II

"On the trails it is compulsory to wear closed, waterproof and ankle covering shoes, with an anti-slip sole."

This ruling was to get the clueless folks in flipflops or worse off the trails; terribly unsafe. Depending on the trail, there are a lot of stairs that can be slippery, and one slide/misstep can cause very serous injury, not to mention taking down a bunch of other folks with you if a trail is very busy. Damp/wet soil trails can be slippery as well. I followed up on the "ankle covering" piece on different forums awhile back and the consensus was that no one was seeing fines for low-topped hikers/sturdy athletic shoes. Waterproof wasn't a must-have either.

Thank you so much for the information! I was planning on bringing 2 pairs of shoes : sandals for dressy and sensible shoes for touring that would “go” with my skorts and capris. The hunt is on for attractive sturdy athletic shoes!

Good closed-toe walking shoes would be fine too. It's all about support and tread. You're going to want to have a good grip for other surfaces in Italy: polished stone and marble surfaces can be deadly in the rain! Be safe! :O)

I have had good luck with Keen closed toed sandals. The soles are sturdy and great for cobblestones and uneven surfaces, and the sandal version still works for casual meals out. I also like Merrill hiking shoes which look sharp and have a good sole. Have a great time! The views from the trails in the Cinque Terra are beautiful!

When we were there in May 2018, the trails got really busy. I saw a woman wearing a good pair of hiking sandals catch her toe on a rock and break her ankle. I think she was rushing because there were people behind her wanting to pass. I had my athletic shoes on, but when I was coming down one side, I was wishing they had more traction. I loved our short time there on a RS tour!

In 2015 I walked the Vernazza to Monterosso and Vernazza to Corneglia trails in Keen closed toe sandals with half socks (which discouraged little stone intrusion). I was also happy that I followed a RS Forum writer's advice to bring a hiking pole. It was especially helpful for me on downhill stairs. The pole was from REI and collapses to a size that easily fits in my luggage.