Cinque Terre - Part 1

We went from one group of coastal, cliff-side villages on the Amalfi Coast to another, Cinque Terre, on the Ligurian (northwest) coast. The name, Cinque Terre means "five lands" and it includes five villages that are linked by walking trails, by train, and by boat:  Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We chose Monterosso as our base and it was a great choice.

It is difficult to choose photos to display here. The beauty of the coastline and the character of each village are unparalleled. It is obvious why the Cinque Terre are a very popular destination. We were fortunate to have 5 nights there to explore.

Our first hike went north from Monterosso to Levanto. This is an 8 km hike that includes amazing views of all of the Cinque, the town of Levanto, and the ruins of the Chapel of St. Antonio. It took us about 3 hours to complete this challenging trail. All of the trails involve a lot of climbing and descending, because, well, what goes up must come down. We were fortunate to have a fairly cloudy day to keep us from overheating. Also, by visiting in October, we avoided the worst of the crowds.

Here is the view looking back to Monterrosso and the other Cinque:

Along the way we encountered some inuksuk-like rock piles created by fellow hikers:

And here is the view towards Levanto as we approached the town:

When we arrived in Levanto we had a lovely lunch – we had definitely earned the bread and pasta! We quickly learned that the fish is super fresh and the local white wines are really crisp in Cinque Terre. Perfect after a long hike.

The next day we took the sanctuary trail in Monterrosso. Each town has a sanctuary, an area where the village inhabitants could seek safety from any threats, including pirates! Just climb up the hill and you’ll encounter a protective church with amazing views. Here are the views down to Monterosso:

Here’s the trail marker at the top (you can see from the many options how extensive the trail network is:

We made our way back down the trail – down is always easier, albeit a bit rough on the knees, and spent our afternoon at the local winery, Buranco, where we enjoyed a lovely tasting with very tasty snacks. I was happy to meet the winery’s dog, whose name we can’t recall. He was super friendly, especially while we had food. I am always happy to get my puppy-fix.

The wines were lovely and the atmosphere perfect for relaxation. We met a fun group of three couples sharing an adventure through Italy. They were our parents’ age and highly entertaining. 

Here’s the view from near the winery:

After two days, we were loving Cinque Terre and we had not even been to any of the other Cinque yet!

Ciao,

Shana & Jeff