A thirty minute walk from our Airbnb to the train station in La Spezia, an eighteen minute train ride to Riomaggiore, and eight, yes EIGHT hours of hiking carried us to Monterossa our final stop of the day.
Five distinct villages make up the Cinque Terre, each with some of its own unique characteristics. These medieval villages began as small fishing villages built into the mountain edges with farming plats carved out as terraces covering the steep mountains sides. Brightly colored homes are built amongst each other with tiny alleys making up most of the pathways between the homes.
Today these villages have become a desired tourist destination and one look at the pictures you can see why. The terraces remain active, with mostly grapes that become the local wines available in each village. The character, the beauty, and the atmosphere welcomes the enormous number of visitors each year and we wanted our chance to see it all.
So back to the story…
Whitney and I chose to stay in La Spezia a larger town just under 20 minutes from Riomaggiore (the closest of the Cinque Terre villages) to be our base for visiting the Cinque Terre. It had easy access to the train station which provided an express train and allowed us to get an entire apartment (unknowingly a 2 bedroom) for much less than we would have paid in any of the Cinque Terre villages.
Before heading out, we suggest getting the Cinque Terre Card for 16 euro; this 24hr unlimited pass includes all trains and shuttle buses taken during the visit as well as the popular blue trail access if you plan to hike this. (If you buy separately its 4 euro per train ride, and 7.50 euro for blue trail access.)
First thing in the morning we boarded the train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore (Village #1) for our first stop on our self-guided tour. We grabbed a map at the information center and a couple servings of Focaccia while wandering up the center of the village. We had previously reviewied the options of boat, car, train, or simply hiking to get to each of the next 4 villages and were somehow pumped to be hiking the entire distance…Hiking is apparently our newest hobby, but it is also one of the most popular activities to do in Cinque Terre. Similarly, we’d decided to make our first day more about hiking to each village and we would spend more time the following day in the one or two villages that we liked most. With that in mind, we set off on one of the trails. The blue trail that once ran the coastline was damaged in severe flooding in 2011 and is yet to be repaired fully, so it was closed during our time there and as a result we had to start off on one of the alternative trails.
We saw a small narrow set of stone stairs that lead us off the side of the paved road. There were only a few people on the trail as far as we could see, so we excitedly moved forward thinking we had it nearly all to ourselves. (I forgot to mention, the entire Cinque Terre region is primarily accessed by train and the Italian National Rail Service was on Strike that day, so the crowds never came). I expected the hiking trail to run in a zig-zag pattern winding up the mountainside…I was wrong. This alternative trail essentially went straight up the mountain. Stones stacked in the form of stairs aid the farmers in managing their crop on each of the terraces. The visitors such as us hike unknowingly into one of the hardest, steepest trails we have ever hiked. The rewards, however, are panoramic views throughout. We traveled over the top of a couple mountains far above the impassable blue trail.
Eventually we arrived at the second village, Manarola. Again, we were easily drawn into the village down its central pathway with the colorful buildings along either side with the various shops and restaurants. Before long we were at Ponta Bonfiglio, a scenic viewpoint peering out into the sea with its gorgeous views looking back into the village. We took some of our best photos here and eventually got ourselves back on the trail.
It took a while to find the right pathway from Manorola to Corniglia (village #3) as they were not well marked causing us to hike in a big circle. It turned out that what we thought was another one of the farmer’s tiny rugged pathways was the actual alternative route…again, it went straight up the mountainside. We slowly winded our way up the mountain past a few shacks that serve as some sort of shelter for the farmers managing the terraces.
Then, at the top of the trail sits the town of Volastra. This village is not specifically one of the Cinque Terre villages, but has nearly the same appearance and is perched high on one of the mountains. We stoped to catch our breath from the hike up and easily gave in to an ice cream stop at a corner store along with other hikers doing the same. We really couldn’t turn down the opportunity as the mid-day sun was becoming relentless.
It was past lunchtime when we finally got to Corniglia (village #3), which we planned as our lunch stop. We started to enter the village, but only got a couple steps in when Whitney and I paused and looked at each other…without saying anything we both turned into the first restaurant we saw. We actually were not hungry even though we had been hiking for a few hours. I think the heat was taking its toll. Plus we knew the next village was at least 1 ½ hours away, so we grabbed another round of focaccia and got back on the move. Upon leaving we noted that this would be one village to return to the next day.
We filled our water bottles at a fountain at the start of the trail and continued on to Vernazza (Village #4). There are multiple water fountains in every village to refill water bottles as you pass through…except, we never actually found one in Monterossa al Mare (Village #5). At this point the blue trail is back open so we veered off the alternative route and paid the trail fee of 7.50 euro a person and continued on thinking this would be easier than the alternative trail…Wrong, it’s not any easier, more steep stairs guide the way.
Nearing Vernazza (Village #4) we saw a small beach over the ledge. We decided at that moment that we would return specifically for that beach the following day…but for today, it was back to hiking. We followed the blue trail about a quarter of the way into the village along the main road then took a sharp right turn up some stairs to stay on track. We re-filled our water bottles again in preparation for the next leg of the journey before heading out…I think I had a liter of water between each village myself and could have had more if I felt like carrying it.
The final step in this journey (the trail between Village #4 and Village #5) was at least a 2 hour hike even for the most athletic person. Whitney told me about a hundred times that it was a 2hr hike, but I didn’t realize she meant it until it was actually happening. Slowly but surely, step by step, the next village got closer and closer. Knowing that a beach awaited, and planning a dip in the ocean as a reward at the end of this journey kept us going…our eyes were on the prize. Soon enough we came around the last bend to Monterosso al Mare (Village #5) and saw beachgoers laying out in the sun and others splashing in the water. We only went into the town just far enough to get some water then headed straight to the beach to cool off. It was the most refreshing feeling as we submerged our bodies into the cool Mediterranean Sea after such a long day hiking in the heat. The calm cool waters added to the extreme sense of accomplishment after completing the most difficult hike we have ever done.
Mission accomplished!!
For our second day in Cinque Terre we chose to focus on Cornelia (Village #3) and Vernazza (Village #4) as we had already spent significant time in the other three villages the previous day. We got up a little later and caught the train to Corniglia a little before lunchtime. Exiting the station at mid-morning we planned for today to be much easier. Unfortunately for us, this town actually sits 100 meters above the water on the cliff edge so there was a tall zig-zag of stairs from the train station to the town that was completely unexpected. We slowly climbed the stairs, feeling the effects from our grueling hike the day before, and then gradually made our way through the village.
Checking menus along the way we looked for somewhere for lunch until we were at the very end of the pathway on a huge terrace. From here we could look way out to the horizon as well as peer down the coastline in either direction to see all five of the Cinque Terre…This is the only place where you can see all five at once. A tiny restaurant near the end of the pathway had a handful of tables set up on the terrace appealing to everyone that made it here. We waited briefly for one to open up, but ended up ordering a small lunch and simply stood on the edge of the terrace using the stone wall as our table.
After lunch it was time to relax for the rest of the day. We had done more than enough hiking and caught the train from Corniglia to Vernazza remembering the small beach we wanted to return to. Even though we had just eaten I couldn’t pass up the Friggatoria, a cone of various fried local seafood, at a small storefront before passing through a small cave that lead to the beach. We stretched out our towels on the small stones and rested momentarily while finishing the savory fried seafood. Then, with the heat increasing we slipped into the sea to cool off. It became the perfect day, especially after such a strenuous hike the day before. We capped off the evening with dinner at the Ristorante Al Castello perched high above the tiny marina. It was a beautiful setting for a romantic dinner as the sun set over the horizon. What a wonderful way to complete our trip to the Cinque Terre!
Next stop Roma!
-Jeremy
