Cinque Terre

The trip to Cinque Terre was the definition of last minute planning. A group of Furman students, including myself, had planned to go on a three day weekend in November. However, we were told that we had better do it as soon as possible, because come November, many of the restaurants, shops, and hotels close for the winter. Yikes! What followed that announcement was a day of frantic trip planning. Luckily, there were 8 people interested in going and we were able to find a great deal on a hotel. Whew!

View from the train.

There were little water caves all long the coast.

A swimming hole we found.

I arrived in Cinque Terre with my travel bag and a Rick Steves' book tucked under my arm. If you haven't guessed yet, I have become a Rick Steves' junkie. His recommendations are fantastic and usually reasonably priced. I definitely have Rick Steves to thank for many of my best traveling memories. End shameless plug. 

The vineyard trail.

This picture was taken from several hundred feet up, but you can still see the rocks on the bottom!

View from the Via dell'Amore.

The funny thing is that in the midst of all the time I spent planning and pouring over my Rick Steves' pages, I managed to miss one of the most telling lines in his description of Cinque Terre. He wrote something to this effect: Cinque Terre has a way of slowing down time and stopping your momentum. How very true this was! Once we arrived in the beautiful city of Monterosso, I completely forgot about the Music History test I had just taken, the planning I had done, and the long train ride. 

First day of hiking!

Manarola.

Vineyards in Manarola.

Cinque Terre literally literally mean “5 lands” and is named such because it is made up of 5 small towns on the Italian riviera. Each of these towns is unique and boasts beautiful views from the sheer cliffs on which they totter. As we hiked through through towns, I felt that I truly experienced the delicate balance that exists in this place. The houses, churches, and restaurants in Cinque Terre are all painted a different pastel color, and are nestled in the cliffs overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. From the top of the hills, this pastel jungle looks a if it may slide right off the mountain. It was like nothing I have ever seen before! 

View of the cemetary from the trail.

We started our day bright and early with a hike on the via Dell'Amore, the pathway between the first two towns. Every twist of the trail offered great photo ops. We continued to mosey our way through each of the towns, stopping to enjoy every beautiful view that we came across. In Manarola, the second town, we came across a deep water swimming hole. At the time, we were standing hundreds of feet above the swimming area, but we could still see the rocks at the bottom of the ocean. The pictures don't lie – this was the most clear water I have ever seen. 

View from the trail.

After Manarola was Corniglia. Corniglia is the only town that is not directly on the water. Instead, it is higher up in the mountains, overlooking the sea. In Corniglia we stopped at a wonderful sandwich shop to pick up a panino and some fruit. Rick Steves also recommended Alberto's gelateria, which we had to try for ourselves. The dark chocolate gelato was to die for! It was an excellent pick-me-up before our hike to Vernazza. 

We saw so many musicians serenading the tourists.

Was I ever glad that I brought my walking shoes with me to Cinque Terre! The trails were quite steep at times, but I suppose that is what you'd expect of cliff hiking. I think the best way to describe the hike was exotic. On one side was a jungle of vineyards and indigenous plant life. On the other side – the Mediterranean.

A few of the 450 stairs we had to climb to get to Corniglia.

After the hike we decided that we needed some beach time, so we took the train to Monterosso. Monterrosso is the only one of the towns not on the cliffs, so it was the perfect location for some quality time in the sun. For the next couple of hours, we splashed around and then fell asleep on the beach. We were so spoiled! 

Corniglia.

After hitting the beach, we decided to backtrack to Vernazza for dinner. I had heard that while in Cinque Terre, I needed to try some seafood, foccacia bread, and PESTO! Pesto was last on my list, so I ordered some at our restaurant in Vernazza. The dish was called trofie al pesto and it did not disappoint. I still don't exactly know what trofie is, but the waiter assured us that it was handmade and tasted great with the pesto. It was the perfect way to end such a wonderful day!

On our final day in Cinque Terre, a couple friends and I decided to go back to the deep water swimming spot in Manarola. We got up early and headed back to our favorite spot. It was the most wonderful morning swim. Even though we didn't have googles, we could still see the bottom, which I think was about 20 or 30 feet deep. 

American flag!

The last thing I did in Cinque Terre was go to Mass in a little church perched high on the hills of Manarola. It was the best way to end the trip. Cinque Terre was jam packed full of sight seeing, swimming, hiking, and eating, but I can honestly say that it was one of the most peaceful and relaxing trips that I've ever been on. It was so nice to forget about my check list and planner for the weekend, and just thoroughly enjoy my time in this unforgettable place.