Italy 2012: Pirates and Hillside Harbors

Vernazza in the morning.

 You know a place is worth coming back to when you start planning your next trip back before this one is even over. The Cinque Terre just moved onto my "All time, favorite places in Italy" list along with Venice, Florence and Lucca. 

Despite the fact that the main trails were all closed between the towns, there was PLENTY of hiking to be done just to and from the train stations and within the towns themselves - after all, I had to earn my "Cinqua Terra Trekking" t-shirt with some actually trekking. It turns out, I was able to wander onto sea ledges, up stone steps and behind mini garden plots to find a few vantage points for taking photos from a distance - without actually being on the "official" trail.


Boats in Vernazza.

First stop for today: Vernazza. I can see why everyone talks about Vernazza. There is something magical about emerging from the tunnel onto a mini train platform, and to then walk into a fairytale sun drenched village. It was market day; cheese, flowers, veggies and a few of the "latest" Italian fashions brought in once a week for the locals. Cars were allowed in to the main street today, otherwise only these funny little 3 wheeled golf-cart-like vehicles buzz around. Once I stepped out onto the big rocks next to the harbor and saw the village from the sea perspective, I was smitten. Up the hill aways is a cafe called "The Pirate of Cinque Terre". Pirates were always looking for an easy town to pillage and seaside villages along the Mediterranean were often raided. In the 11th Century, the presiding Tuscan family decided to move the villages up onto the rocks to make raiding more of a challenge. Guess it worked.

The pirate of Vernazza.

It was time for another town and Corniglia was next. I knew this was the only town without sea access, but I don't think I realized just how far up the town was from the train station. I took the main road, passing one of the grape picking "trains" used in the terraced vineyards surrounding the area. The town itself was quaint, but I am not sure it was worth the hike up. I decided to take the stairs down - all 377. Of course, in my haste to catch the next train, I missed a step and fell, slow motion, onto my knee. Luckily, it was in between people coming up and going down, so I only hurt my knee, and not my pride.

Vineyard "trains" in Corniglia.

The hilltop town of Corniglia.

377 steps down to the train station from Cornigla main square.

Manerola brought me back down by the sea. I hiked up first, for a view of the town from above. I thought I was safe to eat my snack by the bell tower, but was almost accosted by a group of very picture happy Japanese. I decided to see what the harbor was like. It was amazing. There was a sea walk along a narrow path that offered great views of the harbor, packed with boats and tourists.



Manerola's bell tower.

View of Manerola from the sea walk.

It was almost 2:00 and I was running out of steam. One more town left to see today: Riomaggori. I didn't actually go very far into the town itself since I really wanted a sea view of the city. After awhile, all the pastel, compact little town streets start to look the same. I headed out to the harbor and it was rocky and choppy, so more boats parked in the street. Once again, however, it was only a bit of a hike up to a great view point of the harbor.

Boats parked in Riomaggorie main square.

Riomaggori

Finally back in Monterosso, I decided to rest my weary bones and aching feet. Nothing like a dip in the Mediterranean to cure what ails you! I waded in waste high and let the cold water ease my pains. It worked wonders. The sun set behind the "Il Gigante" on the cliff and so I decided to end my day. Relaxed, refreshed and amazed at the sights I saw today.

My hotel in Monterosso al Mare.

I decided to have dinner at the hotel again - another 5 star meal. This time it was canoli stuffed with cream and spinach with buffalo mozzarella on top and veal with green olive marinara sauce. I was in heaven. I normally only eat out once per city - I am traveling on a "shoestring" after all, but this was worth a second time. I was going to go to Portofino before checking into my hotel in Genoa, but I decided I was done with the seaside villages (need to save something for my next trip to the Cinque Terre.)