Over four million tourists came through the UNESCO heritage site of Cinque Terre in 2023, all crammed into an area no larger than one kilometer. Sure, the collection of towns is an icon for a reason, but they aren’t entirely unique, especially in Liguria.

Kaleidoscope-colored houses, windows selling oily focaccia, clear and sparkling sea, and hiking trails exist all along the coast in towns that offer a truer–but still aesthetic–slice of Ligurian life. Here, cinque città to visit that aren’t Cinque Terre, but that well-deserve all the same hype and attention.