Trekking Through Cinque Terre
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2009
1
6
10
Trip End
Dec 18, 2009
Riomaggiore, Italian Riviera, Italy
Sunday, September 13, 2009
My two friends and I took an early morning train from Florence to Cinque Terre (literally "five towns") in La Spezia, the region on the northwest coast of Italy (it’s where focaccia bread originated from!). The five towns of Cinque Terre are scattered between mountains and cliffs that hug the ocean, and they’re connected by an 11-kilometer hiking trail that weaves in and out, up and down throughout the hillsides, which makes for phenomenal views. I had high expectations for this trip, as it had been recommended to me by a number of friends, and it seemed right up my alley — ocean, exercise, and great food all in one day. What more could a girl ask for?
We arrived around 10:30 a.m. in Riomaggiore, which we later found out is the town at the lowest elevation (apparently most people hike in the opposite direction, starting at Monterosso, so that they spend more time going downhill; we didn’t get the memo). We began our trek right away, not knowing how long the entire hike was going to take us. We climbed a few staircases, turned a corner, and were instantly blindsided by the most gorgeous views of the coast of Italy.
During our walk to the second town, we passed through “Via dell’Amore” – Lover’s Lane – which was full of smooching couples, young and old. Right near Via dell’Amore, there were hundreds of old-school locks randomly attached to some netting that was holding back brush. I guess the idea is that two lovers write their initials on a lock and then throw away the key, essentially promising they will forever have the key to each others’ hearts (even though the actual keys are at the bottom of the ocean). You couldn’t ask for a better chick-flick movie scene — I don’t know how Hollywood hasn’t tapped into this yet.
The second town, Manarola, was the first little village we’d really seen up close. I’ve never been to a more colorful, jovial-looking place. We took our fair shaire of pictures and continued onto Corniglia, the trek to which wasn’t quite as challenging or long as we’d expected. Nevertheless, we decided it was time to stop for lunch — especially since our buddy Rick (as in Rick Steves, whose guide books I now live by) had recommended a few restaurants in Corniglia. We settled on one that supposedly had some of the best pesto (which also originated in the Cinque Terre area) as well as a noteworthy spaghetti al mare (spaghetti with seafood). Rick was right — it was one of the best meals I’ve had yet in Italy, and that’s saying something.
After wandering through Corniglia a bit while trying to digest, we started our trek from Corniglia to Vernazza, which was actually a legitimate hike. I’m talking steep mountains, slippery rocks, the whole nine yards. It was so rewarding, though — after every tough pass, there was an even more spectacular view of the coast and the town we’d just visited. At one point, we got desperate and had to sing Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” for motivation: “It’s not about how fast I get there, not about what’s waiting on the other side…it’s the climb.” Let me tell you, Miley was spot-on.
By the time we made it to Vernazza, the fourth town, we were hot and exhausted, so we decided to beach it for an hour or two. Vernazza, like the other towns, is a tiny fishing village, where boats outnumber cars two to one. Mom-and-pop shops selling pesto, focaccia bread, and gelato line the one main street leading down to the water; restaurants are carved into cliffs overlooking the ocean; already leathery-tan Italians sunbathe on every flat piece of rock. There was something special to me about the people in these towns who still live off the land (and sea) — it seemed that instead of taking this beautiful place for granted, they appreciated it even more than I did, and in a deeper sense.
But we certainly appreciated our time in the sun, too. My two friends jumped in the ocean and swam with the biggest, scariest-looking jellyfish I have ever seen (I conveniently forgot my bathing suit). We’re not sure how they didn’t get stung, considering everyone else we met did! By the time we were done relaxing, we had about an hour and a half until we had to catch our 6:30 p.m. train home, which we were told might not be enough time to hike to the fifth town. Instead, we opted for a boat (we would’ve rather taken a zip-line, but I guess Italians haven’t invested in those yet — I’m definitely starting that business in Cinque Terre).
The fifth town, Monterosso, had more of an actual sandy beach than Vernazza, but other than that was very similar to, and just as adorable as, the other towns. We grabbed some gelato and focaccia bread at a café that had posted a sign above the bar that said, “Se lo stress bruciasse realmente calories, dovrei essere una top model!” Translation: “If stress burned calories, I’d be a top model!” Didn’t really fit the ambiance at all, but I’m finding that Italians love to talk about hypothetically burning calories — but in the long run, they’d rather eat some pasta.
I fell asleep almost instantly after sitting down on the train ride home, only to wake up two and a half hours later wishing that I could go back.
Note: I have two more posts coming, so bear with me and check back soon!
Comments
Love it
What beautiful pictures!! Sounds like an amazing adventure! I need to post to you my own adventures from Homecoming :)). Can't wait for your next posts! Love and Miss you,
Suz