Rustic and Peaceful: Cinque Terre

Graffiti along the Via dell' Amore

I finally have made it to Cinque Terre, Italy!! For those of you who have missed this, I tried 3 times unsuccessfully to make it to Cinque Terre! The first time I was meeting my roommate from college (Alyson) but my buddies (we are obviously required to travel with buddies wherever we go) did not have Eurail passes and it was not worth the trip. The second time Audrey and I got to the train station and the trains were on strike and not running, then the third time half my group was downtown at the train station to make reservations, but the trains were all full! Fortunately I was persistent and unwilling to give up and let me tell you it was absolutely worth it!! 

Leaving my mark along the Via dell' Amore

Cinque Terre translates to "5 Lands". It is a group of 5 towns about 6 hours (very fast train (300 km/hr)) north of Napoli. We started and stayed in the town farthest south, Riomaggiore, then it is Manorola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. They are all a little different and incredibly picture perfect. A lot of people compare it to the Amalfi Coast and Positano, but I would have to say they do not compare!! The Amalfi Coast is extremely wealth. The rich and famous are known to vacation here and you can tell there is money there. However, the Cinque Terre is extremely rustic and quaint. They towns are extremely old and much of the history talks about how they were used as protection during wars. They are full of families that have lived here for generations and they are very small. They are known for their wine and pesto originated from this area, so there is vegetations on the sides of the mountains, it seems impossible, but when you look at the mountainside it is like giant steps. These have been built so the people are able to use the land for a living. It is pretty fascinating and incredible! 

The streets of Riomaggiore

It was just Audrey and me traveling and it was absolutely glorious! Audrey and I left Friday night (around 9:00) on a night train. It was about a 7 hour train ride to La Spezia (this is a main town just south of Cinque Terre where the big trains stop). I did not have many expectations or any ideas what exactly this train would be like, but it was AWFUL! The train has little rooms (just like Harry Potter) with 6 seats and the little sliding door. The seats fold out and you can lay down with the person across from you to sleep and relax. Well this is very inconvenient if you are right next to the door. The train was full and it stopped frequently. People were constantly getting on and off the train, there were people lined in the walk way of the train who were extremely loud and annoying. The best was when the train workers flung open the door and flicked on the lights to check out tickets. Mamma Mia!! I did not sleep hardly at all, all night. We made it to La Spezia at about 4:15 am, then another very short train ride to Riomaggiore. We officially arrived in Cinque Terre! (Riomaggiore is the southern most town in the Cinque Terre). However, it was 5 am and we were in a very quiet, sleepy town! We just dozed in the train station until about 6:30 until the town started to come alive. We grabbed some coffee and a pastry, checked out bags at the train station for the day, and we were ready for our hike by 7:30!

Via dell' Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola

Cinque Terre is also a national park and there is a hiking trail that goes between all five towns. It is a 7 mile hike and it takes about 5 hours! The hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Via dell' Amore ("lovers walk"). It is a simple paved route with a long tunnel built to prevent landslides from closing the tunnel. This tunnel is full of grafitti that everyone signs on their way through, some of the art work is absolutely incredible and I definitely made sure to leave my mark :) The hike between Manarola and Corniglia was a little longer, but pretty simple. The trail leads you through beautiful gardens and groves of olives and grapes. You also have picture perfect moments to look back over the town. 

Manarola

The hike from Corniglia to Vernazza was again a little more challenging and long, but absolutely beautiful. You have beautiful views of the steep cliffs and the bluest water you could imagine. Absolutely breathtaking! We stopped at a supermarket in Vernazza for a little bit of lunch - this consisted of bread, meat, cheese, fruit, and tomatoes! This is my favorite lunch to get, because I love shopping at the little supermarkets. I especially love the cheap wine from these markets!

Corniglia

The hike between Vernazza and Monterosso is pretty intense! It is steep and the ground is very rough and uneven. There are rocks everywhere and they jab out of the ground making this a very tough hike. I did not take many pictures during this part because it takes a lot of work and concentration, and I was ready to be done and get to the beach!

By the time we finished the hike it took us about 5 hours! It was absolutely blazing hot and i was ready for the beach. When we got to Monterosso we decided the beach was the perfect way to finish off our afternoon. We found a spot of free beach and that is where we spent the rest of our afternoon - soaking it all in! 

Monterosso

After a few hours of relaxing we wandered around Monterosso, got a few souvenirs and some Focaccia bread!! This region is known for their Focaccia bread, and I will vouch it is absolutely incredible!! We then headed back to Riomaggiore for the evening. The towns that make up Cinque Terre are all very small so there are not big hostels and hotels to stay in like the larger cities. We did find a place that had some rooms they rented out just like a hostel. We stayed in a small "apartment" with a handful of other people and it was again an excellent experience. I have been extremely fortunate to come across wonderful people during my hostel stays. It really seems everyone is on the same mission we are and it just makes for a wonderful experience!  We relaxed for awhile and then headed out into Riomaggiore for the evening. We had dinner at a wonderful little restaurant (thank you Rick Steves) that over looked the town, It was excellent! I had homemade fresh pasta, with swordfish, capers, olives, and tomatoes! (YUM!) We had caprese salad with rosemary (it is usually with basil) and it was the best thing EVER! Then we headed back to our room full and tired for our extremely busy day! 

Audrey and I woke up pretty early and headed back to Naples, we grabbed some pastries from a little bakery and we were on our way home!