Hike, but remember, the only way is up….baby !

The Cinque Terre in Italy,  a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five little coastal towns, spread out over 20km or so on the north-west coast of Italy,  about 1 hour east of Genova by car. I had wanted to go there for ages but was put off by the horrendous tourist numbers, but now seems to be the right time. Because of corona their tourist numbers have dropped to one third of their normal, still more than enough if you ask me.

There are 5 towns from left to right:

Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarole and Riomaggiore. 

No matter where you stay, they all have their charms and the next town is always close. You get to the next town in minutes by taking the train, the longest you’ll be on the train is 16min from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, or take it easy and hike, as we did.

FIRST HIKE : Vernazza to Monterosso, 2 hrs & 200m alt.

At around 7am we are woken by loud banging and talking in the street below our apartment, today (tuesday) seems to be market day, and they are setting up the stands, no sleeping late here. 

Not that we were still asleep, the trains drive by every 15min and the track is a mere 50m from our room, at times it feels like they drive right through our room. That’s the price you pay for being smack in the middle of it all, which by the way,  also has a lot of good sides !

Normally we would start hiking early, but our breakfast is only from 9-10am, so we walk from our cosy apartment in the middle of Vernazza up the hill to the main house for breakfast. We are told Italians would only have a piece of focaccia with nutella and an espresso, but we as guests get a „proper“ breakfast. After that we get going, it is already heating up. The hike takes about 2 hours which includes all the photo stops we do. The first stop is shortly after the Sentiero Azzurro checkpoint where we get great views down to the harbour. There are a few clouds back over the ocean and colorful houses line the harbour and piazza. This is exactly what I had hoped it would look like ! 

The path gets steeper and leads us higher and higher, our hearts are pumping and sweat is running down our necks, backs and faces, only stupid tourists go hiking around midday with humid temperatures  well over 30°C ! Luckily part of the track leads through forests where we linger in the shade. Lots of people cross our path, which isn’t always easy, at times the tracks are less than half a meter wide with steep drops on the ocean side.  At around 200m above sea level we reach the highest point, it evens out for a while which is lovely, then the more gradual descent to Monterosso starts. It is always good to do a photo stop, if only to catch our breaths, but seriously the views down along the steep coastline are amazing.

Monterosso has and old and new part. The old part is where the track comes down, so the first thing we do is find a restaurant with a spot in the shade and have a cold drink. After that of course a gelato, we promised ourselves at least one a day. Here we were recommended the Gelateria Colossone, and yes ! It was yummy ! 

 

Then to the beach. Which is somewhat of a problem… all these nice umbrellas and beds,  but if you want one they tell you no !  They are all rented out by the week, no matter if these people use them today or not,  are in town or away,  you won’t get that bed. So we ended up at the public beach just beside it,  squeezed in between some fishing boats and a lot of locals on a very rocky shore,  but we finally got our swim. 

From there we take the train back home, after a quick shower and a drink we take the next train (must make use of the Cinque Terre card we bought for the day) to Riomaggiore. Coming out of the tunnel we head down to the waterfront, it is narrow, boats are lined up in the street, lots of people walk by and even more are spread out on just about any rock near the water. The beach is a little to the east of the town, but you can also swim right here. We get up to the viewpoint opposite the bright red house. This place is so photogenic, and the late afternoon light is lovely, brings out the colors even more. 

Next train to Manarolo, we are getting good at this. Wearing the masks is a bit of a nuisance in this heat, but necessary, and everybody has one, you’d be the odd one out without one. The trains are climatized which is a relief. Manarolo has the famous „sunset strip“, a restaurant called Nessun Dorma, a little elevated and just opposite the harbour, for that perfect sunset drink with sensational views. Unfortunately the queue is so long we wouldn’t have gootten in before dark, so we just take photos and have our drinks elsewhere.

Dinner at Trattoria dal Billy, an institution in Manarola which serves super fine, super fresh seafood. You definitely need to make a reservation !

SECOND HIKE: MANAROLO- CORNIGLIA- VERNAZZA:

3,5 hrs & 600m alt.

We learned our lesson, this is a much longer and tougher hike…so we started a little earlier,  well just a little, and no clouds today,  so it was of little use. From Manarolo you head up towards the church, shortly before the Cinque Terre trekking shop take the steps on the left, nicely numbered route 502. From then on it is steps, up and up and up. Later we hear it’s about 1200 ! The hike to Monterosso was a piece of cake compared to this one, shit it’s steep, and hot, not a dry thread on my body. But the views down on Manarola, surrounded by vineyards is phenomenal ! 

Shit, more steps, and around every corner we turn there are more, finally after about an hour of going up, at 400m above sea level we reach the tiny town of Volastre. After a well earned drink we continue on to Corniglia. This is the easy and most beautiful part. We walk through the vineyards looking down at the deep blue ocean, this is great. About 30 min west of Volastre there even is a small wine tasting shop in the middle of the vineyards. I am afraid I will not make it to Vernazza if I start drinking wine now, so we keep going. Tough decision that was… !

Below us we see Corniglia, but the track first leads us past the town then down, the good thing is it’s only a drop of 300m downwards since this little town is perched high on the cliffs, and not at sea level as all the others. Pretty it is, just as all its neighbours. After a drink and a focaccia sandwich we start the final part of our hike. Now we are on the Sentiero Azzurro again, so we pay before we can continue.

This part is not so hard, one more hour. The path rises only another 100m before it evens out, and soon we see Vernazza in the distance. Yes, we made it !

The 3rd day we take it easy and get a day pass for the ferry at 27 Euro. There are 6-7 ferries a day between Levanto, which is to the west of Monterosso and Portovenere which is round the last tip of land you see, shortly before La Spezia. It was overcast as we left and seeing the towns from the water is a welcome change for a photographer, plus an easy way of traveling if you have sore legs from hiking.

 

Portovenere is a lovely town with a big fort, a couple of beaches and many lunch options.

Ciao bella Italia. One more to scratch from my bucket list !

For our favorite photos click here : Go to gallery

Copyright photo and text: Astrid Bluemel for bluemelphoto.ch

 

SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION 

WHERE TO STAY:

It doesn’t really matter where you stay, the towns are so close together and well connected, pick the one you like, and an accommodation to suit your budget, there are endless options, then travel by train, boat or hike. Don’t use your car, it’s useless and complicated.

THE TRAINS:

It took me a while to see through all the internet information, it’s actually quite simple.

1 trainride is 4 Euro, no matter where you get off.

A Cinque Terre Card is 16 Euro for unlimited train rides and includes hiking the Sentierro Azzurro.

The railway stations all have tourist information centers and the ticket machines have about 10 languages to choose from, and take cash or just about any card, so don’t worry, that is the easy part. The trains leave regularly during the day, before 8:00 and from 20:00 on only once an hour.

THE HIKING:

You’ll need to be more than a couch potato to do this. This is hiking, not just walking ! The tracks are dirt, stone and pebbles and lots of steps. Part of the tracks are very narrow with steep drops, the going is at times rather rough and uneven, not so bad you’ll need hiking boots, but be sure to wear proper shoes with good grip, sandals and flip-flops are a no go. 

The most famous hike is the Sentiero Azurro, the coastal path that links all 5 towns. Well, it only links towns 1 to 3 at the moment. Town 3 to 4 and the most famous and mostly even, so also the easiest part, the Via dell’Amore from Manarolo to Riomaggiore, town 4 to 5, are closed due to landslides in 2012 or so. Yes, this is Italy, not a third world country, but they don’t seem to be interested in getting this going soon. 

Generally hiking is free of charge unless you hike between Monterosso and Corniglia on the coastal path, then it will cost you 8,50 Euro a person a day. This is also the busiest part ! Remember if you get a Cinque Terre Card for a day this is included ! (so if you do 2 train laps and hike Sentiero Azzurro get the day card).