Destination: Cinque Terre, Italy (Part 2)

 

I spent the following morning after my first night in Corniglia in 2016 hiking to the other villages in the region. The way I’d planned it out, I would hike two of the villages one day, and the other two another day, so that I wouldn’t strain myself. That said, I started my first full day by hiking the northern villages– Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza– with the assistante whom I’d been in contact with prior.

Technically, it’s possible to see all five villages in one day, but only by boat or train– unless you’re a hard-core hiker, it would require waking up extremely early and returning late to hike them all in a day, with little time to explore each village in between. As I’m far from being an experienced hiker, I didn’t want to over-exert myself and really, the hikes between villages were already quite a bit, at around two hours on uneven trails. That said, if you’re not a regular hiker, it helps to spread out the hikes each day, all the while to really enjoy the villages you arrive at.

The assistante and I met at around 10:30 in Corniglia, where I was staying. At first, we tried accessing the roads to Vernazza, but it turned out that it would take way too long, as we also wanted to reach Monterosso, too. In the end, we just took the train to Vernazza, where we explored the village a bit.

According to some source, Vernazza is considered to be the prettiest Cinque Terre village, with its nickname being the “hot sister” in comparison to Corniglia and Manarola. While I did find Vernazza beautiful, I’d say that I liked Corniglia and Riomaggiore better, but to each their own! It happened to be quite the warm day, as my light jacket and jeans were too much for the Mediterranean climate.

We explored the streets, which were packed with tourists– Vernazza is probably the most-popular village that people visit, whether for hikers for day-trippers from Pisa or Florence who arrive by boat. We saw plenty of souvenir shops, tiny cafes and pizzerias which sold focaccia, which is a regional food. I would be getting some later on, and its crispy, olive oil-greasy exterior/fluffy interior would be enough to make me blissful– nothing like the dry Costco brand that I’ve had in the U.S.!

After we had our fill of Vernazza, the assistante and I headed to the entrance of the hike to Monterosso. The thing is with hiking in the Cinque Terre is that there are several routes, some of which requires paying to enter. From what I remember, it’s the “blue route” (aka the shortest and most direct) which requires paying a fee, and the “red route” (longer and more difficult) that’s free. While I’m all for not paying, I also didn’t want to waste time taking a more-convoluted route to Monterosso, so the assistante and I paid 4€ each to access the blue route.

We happened to run into a couple whom the assistante knew from a previous hike, and we ended up hiking together all the way to Monterosso. The hike for most of the way was along the edge of the cliff and, at least in the beginning, we got views of Vernazza from above, which looked even tinier than when we were exploring it. Of course, we stopped for photo opportunities with the “hot sister” of the Cinque Terre before continuing with our hike.

Despite our hike being along the cliff’s edge, there were wooden bars that protected us from otherwise falling to our doom, some hundred or so meters below. Much of the path was either flat or downhill, the latter being a bit uncertain at times since the steps weren’t well-definited, or it was literally a small slope to get down, at the risk of slipping. Call me super cautious or just inexperienced, but the Cinque Terre trails are definitely not for those who want to take it easy.

The hike took about two hours– the last 0.5 mile (0.8 kilometer) was just a steady drop by the stairwell to the base of the village, where we were welcomed with the ocean right next to us. Monterosso al Mare is the northernmost and largest Cinque Terre village, and I would say that it’s not the prettiest. Not to say that I didn’t like it, but I did find Monterosso having less to offer in terms of picturesque houses or a calm Mediterranean sea, which in fact was quite stormy when we arrived, as they were crashing against the sharp rocks jutting out near the cliffs.

After saying goodbye to the couple who’d hiked with us, the assistante and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the village. We got gelato in town, and I’d say that it was probably one of the best gelato that I’d ever tasted. I got lemon and Malaga flavors, which were divine: the former was bursting with fruitiness and the latter in sweet, wine-drenched goodness. In fact, the Cinque Terre is known for its lemon production, so having its lemon gelato was very appropriate. I usually don’t like fruit-based ice creams or gelato, but this one made me a believer again!

We strolled through town before spending the rest of the afternoon on the beach– we camped out on the sand, where we watched the tides go in and out, all the while soaking up the sun. Usually, I’m not the type of traveler to relax on the beach or a resort, but I do feel like there’s some merit to it, especially after making it through a long hike.

Around 17:00, I headed back to Corniglia, taking the train as I didn’t have the energy to hike all the way back. It was then a matter of resting for the remainder of the day, in order to prepare myself for the next couple of days hiking even more in the Liguria region of Italy.

More to come soon, so stay tuned!

 

— Rebecca