Cinque Terre

Chuck took three days off work and we went to the Cinque Terre.  The Cinque Terre is the equivalent to the French Riveria and is popular for its hiking, swimming, lounging in the warm sun, savoring local wine and cuisine.  It's very touristy, a lot of Americans, and the locals understand a lot of English.  The name Cinque Terre comes from the sea towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore (from north to south, respectively).  The landscape is beautiful with thousands of kilometers of dry-stone walls enclosing the terraces where vineyards are cultivated and the water is amazingly blue and clear.  We stayed at Vernazza, the second-most northern town.  Vernazza has no car traffic, so we parked the rental car in the long-term parking lot.  They have a short-term parking lot as well as a residential lot, but I recommend taking a train as it goes through all five towns.  To take the train from Modena, you would have to transfer either two or three times but the trains appear to come pretty frequently.  Plus, it costs a lot less as gas is expensive (approximately 8 euros/gallon) as well as the tolls to use the autostrade (highway).

Vernazza's action is at the harbor, where you'll find outdoor restaurants, bars, and a wonderful view.  There's a small sandy beach where people sunbathe, play soccer, and swim.  

Vernazza.  

Our room is at the fifth building on the left at the corner.  We didn't have a view of the water, but of hikers making the ascent to Monterosso as the trail ran through guesthouse's alley.

The locals must be in really good shape as there are many steps to climb.  Elevators are scarce and we made a steep (four floors) ascent/descent to our room.  Most residents' houses are on the hillside and there's no way around climbing any stairs.  

Chuck demonstrating the narrowness of the alleys.

Enjoying a few beers and complimentary bruschetta at a restaurant on the harbor.  It was fun just relaxing and enjoying the warm sun and relaxing atmosphere.

Vernazza at night. 

 We walked around the town at night and took a parital picture of the town and castle.

Luckily we hiked to Monterosso first and early in the morning as it was the most challenging of the five towns.  The weather surprised me and I didn't expect it to be so hot! Or else,  I'd pack shorts, summer dresses, and tank tops.  I guess I'm not used to this type of weather in June with Seattle being chilly and cloudy at this time.  I also forgot my bathing suit so couldn't enjoy the crystal clear water and break from the sweltering sun.   The hike starts and ends in the town center, through one of its narrow alley.  To find the trail's path, you have to look for the red and white striped paint on a rock wall, rock, and/or tree.  

The first part of the hike to Monterosso and to Vernazza is really steep and there's a lot of stairs.  Also, there are parts of the trail that's really narrow and can be dangerous if you aren't aware of your footing or if there's rain as there are a lot of stone paths on the trail.

The view of Vernazza on the trail to Monterosso.  

We had a much needed rest after the trek up this cliff.  Luckily, it was earlier in the morning and it wasn't sweltering hot yet.

We finally made it to Monterosso al Mare, the northern most town of the Cinque Terre.  Monterosso is the more touristy of the towns with cars, hotels, rentable beach umbrellas, and a thriving late-night scene.  From its waterfront, you can pick out each of the Cinque Terre towns on the coast.  This town is most enjoyable for the younger travelers for its late-night scene and its resort-like feel.  Even so, its not a full-blown Portofino-style resort and locals appreciate quiet and sensitive guests.

 

I'm heading back down from Monterosso to Vernazza with the blazing sun beating down on my sweating skin.  I got a really nice tan!

 

After fueling up with much needed calories at Vernazza with a Caprese Insalata (tomato and mozzarella salad) and pizza, we begin our trek to Corniglia.  Here's a view of Vernazza on our way there.  

 

Pictures of Corniglia on the trail.  The hike there was definitely more mellow than to Monterosso.  It was a relief for our calves to enjoy more leveled surfaces.  

Corniglia is the only town of the five that is not on the water.  It's definitely a lot more quieter than Monterosso and Vernazza with fewer tourists, cooler temperatures (much needed after being in the beating sun!), and fewer restaurants.

We finally had our first gelato in Italy!  At least not store bought.  Chuck had a combination of chocolate and coffee while I enjoyed a lemon and berry gelato.  Delicious!!

On our way from Corniglia to Manarola.  

The view of Corniglia on our way to Riomaggiore, the last town and most southern Cinque Terre town.  

There are tons of cacti around this area.  I was surprised to see them as I didn't realize there were cacti outside of the southwest of America. 

We're almost to the last of the Cinque Terre towns, Riomaggiore!  My calves are waiting the much needed rest by taking the train back to Vernazza.  

At last!  We made it to all five towns by foot.  My goal was to do a round-trip hike, but I was too tired and hot to walk back to Vernazza.  The only round-trip hike we did was from Vernazza to Monterosso and back, the hardest part of the trail!

We finally make it back to Vernazza and immediately head to dinner as we were famished from our hike.  We eat at Ristorante Belforte where there had a beautiful view from their terrace.  Unfortunately, we had to climb more stairs but it was worth the view as well as the food.  We dined on Caprese salad (our favorite), shared a plate of pesto pasta, and a plateful of fresh seafood (fish, mussels, prawns, squid).

Before we headed back home, we stopped by Porto Venere.  This is where Chuck's co-worker Christian and his wife got married.  They actually married at the church pictured below.

The Church of St. Peter is on a promontory overlooking the Ligurian Coast.  

The view from the Church.

The insides of the Church.  

We didn't spend a lot of time in Porto Venere sight-seeing as I was too tired to do much of it.  I think I was much tired of the heat and ready for the comforts of an air conditioner and the cooler weather of Maranello.  Not surprising as it has been for the last two weeks, we got home to big droplets of rain.