As an avid traveller I enjoy reading about all things travel. About eight years ago I read about a place in Italy called "Cinque Terre." I saw photos of colourful seaside villages impossibly clinging to a rocky coast, the buildings looking as though they were ready to topple from the cliffs into the turquoise water below at any given moment. I immediately was intrigued and knew that I had to visit this magical place of the "five lands" and when we decided that we were heading to Italy in the spring, I jumped at the opportunity.
The Cinque Terre is made up of five villages on the Ligurian coast of Italy, and is easily accessible by train from many cities around the country. We took the train from Milan to Levanto and then transferred to a train which took us to Riomaggiore, the southern-most of the five coastal towns that make up the Cinque Terre.
We stayed at a cute apartment with a perfect location in Riomaggiore, easily accessible from the train station, close to the sea, and not too far uphill. There is a great little loop of a walking trail beginning near the train station of Riomaggiore which takes you up into town and back down the hill towards the sea. On this path you pass by old churches, a small waterfall, and cute homes of the locals, with lemon trees growing in their gardens and beautiful flowers blooming from cracks in the cliffs. There is a lookout point from where you have an aerial view of the train station and sea below, with a few benches to stop and enjoy this lovely town. On the way down the path towards the water you will pass by many small shops and places to eat. Our favourite was Vertical Bar which had great drinks and sandwiches. There was also a nice restaurant called Enoteca Dau Cila right down by the small bay where fishing boats come in.
On our second day in Riomaggiore we decided to do the popular Cinque Terre hiking trail which connects all the five villages. Unfortunately due to landslides, the part of the trail called "Via dell'Amore" between Riomaggiore and the next town Manarola is closed at the moment, so we took the train to the town of Corniglia, a few minutes and a few Euros away. In Corniglia we climbed 382 steps from the train station to the main part of town. Corniglia seemed to be the most quiet of the five villages, and after passing through and taking a few photos along the way, we were on our way to the next town of Vernazza.
Vernazza was like a postcard - I couldn't stop taking photos! We ate at a small restaurant perched up on a cliff overlooking the village. We ordered lemon juice with our meals, as lemons are famous in the area. It was quite bitter and I had to put a lot of sugar in it... I guess when life hands you lemons you really should just make lemonade. Sitting outside with my lemonade and eating my delicious spaghetti at that restaurant was one of the highlights of my experience at the Cinque Terre. The view was unbeatable!
After descending into Vernazza and hiking several more kilometres we reached the northern-most town of Monterosso al Mare. This town had a rocky beach which we stopped at for a rest, but the water was too cold for swimming even though a few brave souls were in it! Monterosso is the biggest town of the Cinque Terre, and felt busier than the others. Since Monterosso was the end of the trail for us, John and I decided to take the train back to our neighbouring village of Manarola which we couldn't access by hiking trail. It was funny how it took us a few minutes to arrive in Manarola by train where we took hours to hike there!
At Manarola John and I visited a place called Nessun Dorma which was perched on a cliff overlooking the village - the perfect spot to have a spritz and some bruschetta before heading back to Riomaggiore by train. After hiking the Cinque Terre we were pretty tired but the day was very fulfilling.
Hiking the Cinque Terre is beautiful, but not a walk in the park. As someone who doesn't hike much, I found the uphills to be tiring at times, but overall I would say that it wasn't extremely difficult. Most people seem to hike the trail beginning in Monterosso (the opposite way we did) which I believe requires more uphill climbs. I found the hike challenging enough, and welcomed the chance to burn a few calories after eating all the delicious Italian food! I've read that during rainy weather the paths may be closed for the safety of hikers. Luckily we had gorgeous weather during our entire stay there. Along the hike I was surprised by the variety of plants growing on the paths. There were so many beautiful flowers and HUGE cactus plants. Yes, the area is quite touristy but I would recommend visiting it because there is something special about these five villages. Hiking from Corniglia to Monterosso was around 7 kilometres and took us most of the day with a few rest stops and a lunch break. To hike the Cinque Terre you need to buy a trail pass which can be purchased from the small checkpoints along the way. One more amazing place checked off my travel wish list!
The Cinque Terre is made up of five villages on the Ligurian coast of Italy, and is easily accessible by train from many cities around the country. We took the train from Milan to Levanto and then transferred to a train which took us to Riomaggiore, the southern-most of the five coastal towns that make up the Cinque Terre.
We stayed at a cute apartment with a perfect location in Riomaggiore, easily accessible from the train station, close to the sea, and not too far uphill. There is a great little loop of a walking trail beginning near the train station of Riomaggiore which takes you up into town and back down the hill towards the sea. On this path you pass by old churches, a small waterfall, and cute homes of the locals, with lemon trees growing in their gardens and beautiful flowers blooming from cracks in the cliffs. There is a lookout point from where you have an aerial view of the train station and sea below, with a few benches to stop and enjoy this lovely town. On the way down the path towards the water you will pass by many small shops and places to eat. Our favourite was Vertical Bar which had great drinks and sandwiches. There was also a nice restaurant called Enoteca Dau Cila right down by the small bay where fishing boats come in.
On our second day in Riomaggiore we decided to do the popular Cinque Terre hiking trail which connects all the five villages. Unfortunately due to landslides, the part of the trail called "Via dell'Amore" between Riomaggiore and the next town Manarola is closed at the moment, so we took the train to the town of Corniglia, a few minutes and a few Euros away. In Corniglia we climbed 382 steps from the train station to the main part of town. Corniglia seemed to be the most quiet of the five villages, and after passing through and taking a few photos along the way, we were on our way to the next town of Vernazza.
Vernazza was like a postcard - I couldn't stop taking photos! We ate at a small restaurant perched up on a cliff overlooking the village. We ordered lemon juice with our meals, as lemons are famous in the area. It was quite bitter and I had to put a lot of sugar in it... I guess when life hands you lemons you really should just make lemonade. Sitting outside with my lemonade and eating my delicious spaghetti at that restaurant was one of the highlights of my experience at the Cinque Terre. The view was unbeatable!
After descending into Vernazza and hiking several more kilometres we reached the northern-most town of Monterosso al Mare. This town had a rocky beach which we stopped at for a rest, but the water was too cold for swimming even though a few brave souls were in it! Monterosso is the biggest town of the Cinque Terre, and felt busier than the others. Since Monterosso was the end of the trail for us, John and I decided to take the train back to our neighbouring village of Manarola which we couldn't access by hiking trail. It was funny how it took us a few minutes to arrive in Manarola by train where we took hours to hike there!
At Manarola John and I visited a place called Nessun Dorma which was perched on a cliff overlooking the village - the perfect spot to have a spritz and some bruschetta before heading back to Riomaggiore by train. After hiking the Cinque Terre we were pretty tired but the day was very fulfilling.
Hiking the Cinque Terre is beautiful, but not a walk in the park. As someone who doesn't hike much, I found the uphills to be tiring at times, but overall I would say that it wasn't extremely difficult. Most people seem to hike the trail beginning in Monterosso (the opposite way we did) which I believe requires more uphill climbs. I found the hike challenging enough, and welcomed the chance to burn a few calories after eating all the delicious Italian food! I've read that during rainy weather the paths may be closed for the safety of hikers. Luckily we had gorgeous weather during our entire stay there. Along the hike I was surprised by the variety of plants growing on the paths. There were so many beautiful flowers and HUGE cactus plants. Yes, the area is quite touristy but I would recommend visiting it because there is something special about these five villages. Hiking from Corniglia to Monterosso was around 7 kilometres and took us most of the day with a few rest stops and a lunch break. To hike the Cinque Terre you need to buy a trail pass which can be purchased from the small checkpoints along the way. One more amazing place checked off my travel wish list!
Most beautiful!!!I want to go!
ReplyDeleteIt's worth the trip! :)
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