Cinque Terre is one of the most idyllic places in the world. Five quaint fishing villages are connected by a hiking trail on the northwestern coast of Italy along the Mediterranean Sea. The hiking trails used to be the only land connection for centuries. Only in the last century did they get a train and roads. The villages consist of brightly colored homes stacked upon each other and crammed along the cliff face. Brightly colored fishing boats line the streets near the harbor and bob out in the water below. The hills are quite steep and are terraced with vineyards, lemon trees and olive groves. Centuries of farming techniques have made the craggy cliffs that reach abruptly from the sea fertile and fruitful. Cinque Terre is also home to pesto and focaccia. You basically just hike from town to town, stopping for gelato and focaccia. The trails are a joy to hike and appeal to all of your senses. The soundtrack is of birds twittering, seagulls calling, the wave crashing against the cliffs below and church bells ring from a nearby village. Basil, thyme, rosemary and lavender grow wild. When in season, the air is also scented with lemon. The sights are breathtaking. The little villages dot the green terraced hills and beautiful flowers grow along the trail. The blue green ocean is mesmerizing. There are sun spots in the horizon as the sun rays break through the clouds. I'm fairly confident that I could watch the waves crash up along the shore all day. The air is clean and fresh. Cinque Terre is truly a beautiful place.
We had heard that Cinque Terre was great from several travelers. When I googled it and saw the images for myself, I said "Wow, definitely going there." Rick Steves is a big fan and we met several travelers who had chosen to include it on their Italian itinerary based on his raving reviews. When we left Florence, we stopped in Pisa to take the stereotypical tourist pictures with the infamous tower. Never has an engineering failure been celebrated so. Its foundation is absolutely terrible and as it grew in size, the added weight made it worse. It was intended to be a bell tower for the cathedral, so of course it had to be big. Its cause was not helped by the huge gaps in construction. It took about 200 years to build, mostly due to the huge pauses on the construction project. It started leaning almost immediately. In the late 1990s, the tilt exceeded 5.5 meters which was forecasted to be the towers tipping point based on computer models. It obviously survived and in 2000, the lean was corrected to a safer tilt and it is now 4.5 meters off of the center. People can climb to the top of the tower, but only 30 at a time. We did not because it consisted of standing in line, paying and I don't like unsturdy things and we really just wanted to take the pictures and move on. I'm sure that Pisa has much more to offer than the tower. Even the cathedral and baptistery which are quite nice in their own right, are overshadowed by the construction nightmare. Pisa is also home to Galileo and boasts a nice museum, one we did not check out.
We boarded the train to La Spezia and took a bus up to Biassa, a small village located just over the hill from Cinque Terre and only a short bus ride away. We met a fantastic Coloradoan named Taylor who was doing research for a start up company that provides a travel guide for runners. It features the best places to run and mountain bike as well as how to get there and information in case of injuries. It's a fantastic idea and I wish Blaze Travel Guides all the best. Check it out at http://www.blazetravelguides.org/
Our first day in Cinque Terre, the sun was brightly shining. We hiked to Vernazza and were drawn to the water front. We ate gelato and sat on the warm boulder. It was delightful and we felt no reason to leave so we just soaked in the rays. We made our way back to Manarola by train and then walked the Lovers Walk at sunset. There is a wall covered in graffiti of lovers proclaiming their everlasting love. Thousands of padlocks are locked on the railing and nets. I suppose to symbolize that people are locked in love. Cheesy and although it pains me to admit it, romantic. The sun was slipping over the horizon, turning the sky and ocean red and orange. Quite nice but it did make me want to break out into "All By Myself" But Melissa was there. As much as we enjoy each other's company, we were both wishing we were there with someone else. Ah someday... maybe... possibly... eh, oh well.
The following day we boarded the bus back to the loveliest location on earth to hike the rest of the trail. Italians will sell as many seats as they can, regardless if there is room or not. There were 18 seats on the mini bus. Twice as many people were crammed in the bus as we bounced our way down the twisting narrow road. That night, we ate dinner at a restaurant that had "Recommended by Rick Steves!" plastered all over it. It was quite delicious. The next day we woke up to a very gray, raining and cold day. As it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed. It rained all day long. In the morning, there was a constant drizzle but it progressed to a monsoon by the end of the day. We went into La Spezia and tried to kill as much time in cafes as possible. We took the train back to Cinque Terre, thinking we would enjoy an early dinner before returning to the hostel. Monterosso looked pretty dead so we took the next train to Vernazza just in time for all of the shops and cafes to close. We huddled underneath the awnings of the train station until the next train to Manorola. We were thrilled to see the Rick Steves place open. We sloshed through the rain and breathlessly sat down to enjoy a delicious dinner of a mixed seafood plate with risotto and a bottle of local wine. When the food arrived, it looked like it just came out of the ocean. They celebrate nature. The shells, feelers, pinchers all intact. An Australian couple seated next to us gave pointers on how to extract the meat. By the meal's end, we had an impressive display of exoskeletons and a belly full of satisfaction. It is quite rewarding to have to work for your dinner. We ran through the torrential downpour to the train station to get back to Riomiggiore to catch the 1830 bus back to Biassa but all of the trains were late due to the rain. Hot tip: running after a huge dinner and a bottle of wine is not a good idea. When we finally got to Riomiggiore, we discovered that we had just missed the bus and had to wait another 90 minutes. We laughed, splashed our way back to a covered area, running with our umbrellas but getting completely soaked. Melissa was not impressed by my efforts to dry off using the hand dryer in the bathroom. Our day was one mostly of waiting and killing time. But we had great fun. We journaled, we played I spy, and when we were caught in the rain, we laughed. I read aloud to Melissa as the rain pounded on the roof. We listened to the waves crash into the cliffs. It was really was quite enjoyable.
The bus finally arrived and we embarked on a death defying, nerve wracking journey. Rain came down in sheets. The windshield wipers beat furiously to keep up. Lightning illuminated the narrow, twisting road up the hill/cliff. Prayer seemed like a very good idea and I suddenly knew that we would be ok; despite the fact that I felt the bus was going much too fast and we were in danger of hydroplaning on the water that rushed down the road more resembling a river. To one side of the bus was a rock face, the other - nothing. It just plunged into the emptiness and eventually the water below. Unlike the Swiss, the Italians believe in switchbacks. At one point we turned 180 degrees almost on a dime, the water still streaming down. 160 degrees of that turn was rock face, the small headlights reflecting off of the wet rock and rain still streaming down. That night we toasted each other with hot cocoa to celebrate being alive.
Things I Did Not Expect When I Woke Up
Cinque Terre Edition
- Be encouraged spiritually by a professional baseball player (minor leagues)
- Have a fellow diner take a picture of our dinner
- Discover why Italy is known for its wine and not its beer
- Enjoy amazing flat bread that had been cooked by stones removed from a blazing fire and stacked with the batter layered in it.
-Watch all 6 kids of Riomiggiore dressed in rather dark costumes trick or treat
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