Gelateria Il Ciliegio
Tucked into a narrow archway just off Via Fieschi, Corniglia's main pedestrian lane, Il Ciliegio has been scooping some of the most talked-about gelato in the Cinque Terre for years — made daily in small batches using Amalfi lemons, local honey and Ligurian hazelnuts. The queue outside is your first clue that this is the real thing.
What to Order
The limone is the non-negotiable starting point: intensely tart, almost sherbet-like, with none of the cloying sweetness that ruins lesser versions. Pair it with the miele e noci (honey and walnut) in the same cup and you have the flavour of a Ligurian hillside in two scoops.
In late summer, look for the fig gelato made with figs picked from the terraces directly below the village — a hyper-local, seasonal flavour that appears for only a few weeks and disappears without warning.
The Setting
There is nowhere to sit, which is entirely the point: you take your cone, wander thirty seconds to the belvedere wall and eat it with the sea spread out below you. It is one of those simple, unrepeatable travel moments.
The shop also sells granite di limone — a coarser, icier Sicilian-style preparation that locals favour on the hottest August afternoons — and small jars of the house lemon cream to take home as edible souvenirs.
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