There are five, centuries old seaside villages in this part of the Italian Riviera in Liguria: Cinque Terre means “Five Lands” and the villages are a UNESCO World Heritage site. They are known for colorful buildings. Initially they were painted vibrant, distinct pastel colors so fishermen could easily identify their homes from the sea, and the colors maintained again in the 1970s when tourism began to flourish. They are also known for steep vineyards and orchards (mostly olive, lemon) and coastal views, and of course hiking trails. The villages were established in the primarily in the 11th centuries. Watchtowers and castles were added in the 16th century to ward against pirates. In the late 17th century railway was constructed, linking the villages to the rest of the country. The national park of Cinque Terre is huge with many more hiking trails than the popular coastal ones.
The five villages are Monterossa al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Besides being connected by hiking trails, there’s a train that runs between them and much of the year boat ferries.
Yesterday we began hiking from Monterossa to Vernazza. Monterossa is the largest of the five with an old town, a new town, beaches and a seaside promenade. We walked uphill quite a ways (many steps..we were having flashbacks of the Phoenician Steps in Capri, but they weren’t that bad!). The weather was great, it wasn’t crowded (no fee this time of year to hike this route) and the views were fantastic. I would not want to hike this route though if it were crowded, as most of the trail is quite narrow. Hiking shoes or trail runners are necessary as the trail is rocky in parts and slippery. There are red and white markings showing the pathway and also some signs.
Below is a photo of Monterosso al Mare.
We all made it to Vernazza, a picturesque town with a lovely Main Street and small harbor, and had lunch there. Liguria is known for fish, pesto and focaccia…we tried fish, and bought focaccia for dinner. Susan and Tracey took the train to the next town, Corniglia, after walking around Vernazza while Tim and I hiked to Corniglia.
Below is a photo of Vernazza.
We missed the first turn and ended up on a slippery, narrow steep trail which was not fun to walk down when we determined that it was the wrong trail…also it was lined with thorny plants which kept attacking my shirt! After that snafu, the walk was easier (fewer inclines) than that to Vernazza since Corniglia is the only town of the five perched on a cliff (the train station is 200 steps below the town). Corniglia is also the smallest of the five towns with only 200 year round inhabitants. The views from the top were beautiful and we could see Manarola in the distance. It was 3pm by the time we reached Corniglia, so after walking around and meeting up with Tracey and Susan we took the train back to Monterossa al Mare. It was a fun day.
Below is Corniglia from the trail.
Saturday there is a race in the area…Sunday too, so the coastal trails except one are closed, but I found a couple of other hikes, we’ll do one or two of them today I think.