5Terre - redux
Trip Start
Jan 14, 2010
1
47
60
Trip End
Sep 02, 2010
Monterosso, Italian Riviera, Italy
Thursday, June 10, 2010
After settling in and taking a very long, hot shower (which has become a dessert like experience), we headed down to the seaside to drink and eat. That first night we dined at a little Ristorante just off the main drag "La Borcacia", or some such name, whose claim to Monterosso fame was fresh fish. We had a fish, caught straight from the harbor that day which was broiled to perfection and deboned at our table. It was wonderful and seemed quite appropriate. On the way back to hotel we visited the FAST American bar and I enjoyed a grappa (something that has become a pre-bed practice). After unsuccessfully trying to work on the internet we both went to sleep – something we needed as the next day we would hit the trail of 5terre.
I could tell that Stacy was a little nervous about doing the trail. If you haven’t been there before the notion of hiking 9km over 5+ hours through 5 towns in the summer-like sun on tiny trails that drop off into the ocean hundreds of feet below with throngs of other people, can seem like no-so-much fun. But Stacy is a trooper and off we went.
The first leg of the trail which began just before Hotel Roca and bridged Monterosso with Vernazza, is considered the most strenuous trail with the most narrow trails and drop offs. We started at 8:45am in the cool morning weather. We didn’t count the number of rustic stone and marble steps that took us up, up, up, then down, down, down, but it was formidable. When you look up the side of the mountain and you can’t see the end of the stairs, you learn to pace yourself. The views are wonderful and Vernazza is my favorite of the 5terre towns. It is nestled, and I do mean nestled, into the mountainside creating a crescent of colorful houses around a tiny marina. It’s a great place for lunch, but we arrived around 10:40 which was better suited to another coffee and a sweet pastry. We shopped a bit, visited the loo and the marina, then hit the road again for Corniglia.
The first time I visited 5terre the trail from Vernazza to Corniglia was closed. When Alan and I visited a week or so ago, the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso was closed. This was the first time all the trails had been open when I had been there and I was sure hoping to cross them all. Unfortunately when I was describing the trails to Stacy I mentioned the 400+ stairs up to Corniglia, which (understandably) made her give me a sour look (as did Alan the time before). What I failed to communicate is that Alan and I approached the towns from the opposite direction as Stacy and I were going – so the stairs would be all down – no up.
We reached Corniglia just in time for lunch and found a pleasant little café to dine at. Food always tastes better when you have worked up an appetite, and this lunch hit the spot. A bit more shopping and discussion and it was pretty much decided that we would skip the stairs and instead take the train to Manrolo then walk to the last town of Riomaggiore. I was a bit disappointed, but understood.
However, when we reached the infamous stairs they looked harmless compared to what we had just traversed getting to Corniglia. It took us only a few minutes to descend them to the train station.
That’s when I got a little confused. I had forgotten or didn’t realize that we needed to go another kilometer to get to the town of Manrolo before we could do the sweet covered walk of Via della Amore.
By this time the sun was relentless and there was nothing to shade us on this section of the walk. Both of us were sucking down water, but I was still constantly thirsty, my two tank tops and sports bra a soaking wet mess. I got the impression that Stacy was less than happy about it all.
We finally arrived in Manrolo and I assured her the della Amore would be fun and it was “just around the corner”. I was almost right and within a few meters we were strolling along, in the cool shade, enjoying the spontaneous artwork from people all over the world expressing delight, love and/or just the fact that there had been there. We left our own marks, including the names of our lovely daughters, took pictures to memorialize it and headed into Riomaggiore.
We caught the ferry boat back to Monterosso and arrived at our little hotel around 5pm. All in all I had a glorious time and I’m pretty sure that Stacy loved it too.
We ate dinner close to the hotel and made it an early-ish night (after grappa). We have our tickets in han . Tomorrow, Friday, we leave for Nice, France.
It’s only 4ish hour train ride to Nice, which is fairly close to the border of Italy. We have booked the weekend there and I am hoping for some serious beach time with a cold drink in my hand.
The unknown factor is how long it will take us to get from Nice, France to Barcelona, Spain on Monday. I have a suspicion that it will be a very long day for us.
