Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is a string of five ancient, brightly colored fishing villages (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore) perched along the rugged cliffs of the Ligurian coast, famous for its dramatic views, winding walking paths, and UNESCO protection. The towns are connected with walking paths, a train line and ferries. We selected Vernazza as our home base for a very short one night stay in this area.
Arriving & Hiking
Mon, Sept 16
The three-hour journey took us across Tuscany, with transfers in Pisa and La Spezia. The trains were crowded, but overall not the worst trip. We passed Carrara, where we could see the marble being mined in the distance.
As usual, we arrived around 4 pm and were starving, so we grabbed a quick sandwich while waiting for our host. With a huge meal in our stomachs, we set off on the blue trail.
The hike was invigorating. 2.7 miles, 833 ft elevation gain. 55% (estimated) in the full afternoon sun, so we welcomed any shade from the olive trees along the way.
Earlier, the crowds at the train station were really bad. But the area absorbed them easily. We saw several folks along the trail, but it never felt busy. The scenery was beautiful. We started the hike in the city streets, but soon climbed up above and traversed the hill side.
Looking south along the Ligurian Sea coastline, in the near distance we looked down on Vernazza with Corniglia in the distance. Looking north, at times you can see Monterosso tucked in her bay.
A little over half way to Monterosso, we came across a cantina with a wide range of iced drinks. Wow, they were good. The owners were a super sweet older couple, who spoke very little english and who gave a bottle of water to the rude lady in front us who couldn't get her American Express Gold card to work while trying to buy it... and "she had no cash". Who comes to Europe with no cash?!
The descent into Monterosso was just as steep as coming up, and in some ways more difficult. Soon, we reached town where we caught the train back to Vernazza.
We arrived back in Vernazza just in time for a beautiful sunset.
By 7pm, the crowds in streets were gone and we ended the day with a nice dinner near the harbor, a gelato... and a 12‑euro single-load laundry.
Exploring & Leaving
Tues, Sept 16
On Tuesday, one of us had a light breakfast of panna cotta, and we both enjoyed huge cappuccinos to get us going. We took the train to Riomaggiore, walked up the hill for a quick look around, grabbed a forgettable lunch, and then continued by train toward Rome.
We could easily spend several more days here, if not a full week, hiking and exploring the five towns. That will have to wait for a future trip. For now, we’re off to Rome… andiamo!
Ronnie