Today was the last day our Cinque Terre cards were valid and we made good use of them by hiking to visit the remaining three cities we haven't seen yet: Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We got up early to get a head start on the day, stopped in some shops in Vernazza to stock up on fruit and water, and grabbed some pastries for breakfast. We started our hike to Corniglia and it was just perfect weather - a nice cool fall briskness, but still sunny and warm (especially after climbing up steps for 20 minutes). This trail was different than the one we took to and from Monterosso - it was wider, more stone steps and less dirt trail, and a lot of the path took place through olive orchards (groves?) which was really nice. Since it was also early in the day, it was also much quieter - we only saw about three other people.
About 75 minutes later we arrived in Corniglia. This is the only city of the five Cinque Terre that is not on the water; instead it sits on the hillside. At the entrace to the city we saw a sign that said the trail to the next city, Manarola, was closed. Based on the train schedule, we had about an hour to explore Corniglia before catching a train to Manarola. An hour was the perfect amount of time for this little city (fewer than 250 residents). There were some small piazzas, several shops, and some great lookout points. Then we had to climb down about 400 steps to get down from the hillside to where the train station was located. There were so many switchbacks on the stairway that it almost looked like a weaving pattern. It was also fun to watch all the people going up and down the staircase; everyone's movement made it look like an escalator in motion.
We caught our train to Manarola (a 45 minute hike transformed into a four minute train ride) and decided to visit Riomaggiore first, and then come back to see Manarola. To get between the two cities there is another "hiking" trail, which actually just a paved path along the cliffside also known as the Via Dell' Amore. This "lover's" path was one of the first real connections between the two cities and was a meeting point for inter-city couples. It still has some romantic significance for many people - there is a lot of graffiti of couples declaring their love for one another and on many railings and fences couples place a padlock (our guidebook says its a current craze).We arrived in Riomaggiore, which feels like the biggest of the five cities. We had some tasty focaccia with pesto for lunch and went to check out the city. We saw a few churches and oratories and climbed up to the top of the city for some great views. We made our way back down to the port where we had some well-deserved gelato and then walked around the sea wall where we found a small pebbly beach.
From here, we walked back to the start of the Via Dell'Amore and walked back to Manarola. During lunch time the Via Dell'Amore was much less crowded which was a nice change from our experience earlier in the morning, when it was bombarded with tour groups. In Manarola, we saw the main piazza, climbed through the town, took a stroll through a vineyard and ended up at a public park with great views of the town. All the Cinque Terre are really photogenic, but its not always easy to figure out where to get them on camera - all the streets are curvy because they cover up rivers that used to flow at ground level. Add to that the buildings on the hillsides, and you end up with a limited number of vantage points from which you can get a comprehensive photo that looks like the postcards.
Before leaving Manarola we grabbed another quick snack to help gear us up for the hike back to Vernazza. We took the train back to Corniglia and climbed the 400 steps back to town and got on the trail. Even though our legs were experiencing some serious burning sensations, we made it back in pretty good time with some more great views. We had a second serving of gelato on the way back to our room, got out of the stinky clothes we were wearing, and went back to the train station to catch a train to Sestri Levante for dinner.In town, our first destination was a bookstore (there are none in any of the Cinque Terre), to get a small guidebook/map for Genoa. We'll spend the day there tomorrow, but needed to get some information about the city first. We had a great dinner in town, walked around for a bit (but once the sun goes down it gets really chilly really fast), and caught a train back to Vernazza.
A couple of general observations about the Cinque Terre/northern Italy/Liguria:
- I forgot how much I love pesto. I haven't really had any since I've been in Italy because it hasn't made its way on to many of the menus. But here, its a staple. And I've made it part of almost every meal.
- I also forgot how much I don't love hole-in-the-floor toilets. For all that people say about Naples, Sicily, and Southern Italy - I didn't have to use any hole-in-the-floor toilets until this week. They might be free to use, but whether that is worth it is up for debate. (Actually, they are really not that bad but why can't they all have a handle on the stall wall or something to hold on to while you are doing your business? That would make things easier - especially for those of us who are "squat-challenged".)
- Southern Italians also knows the best way to serve gelato. Two flavors side by side. It seems as though people here didn't get the memo - they serve one flavor on top of another. Its not as easy to be brave and try something new when you might get stuck with it on the bottom. Side-by-side serving is the best. Speaking about gelato...
Gelato Gusti per il Giorno:
Mike - Banane e Stracciatella and Amarana e Marzapane
Aviva - Banane and Cioccolato e ACE
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