Saturday, April 13, 2012 -- The Cinque Terre

OK, we’ll start by saying that we do have to enter the Cinque Terre into our “Best Combination of God’s Handiwork and Man’s Modifications” competition. How could we have forgotten how extraordinarily beautiful these villages and their hillside settings are?!?

As we’re spending three nights here and there’s not much to do except drink in and hike through the scenery and explore the little towns strewn along the coast, we had a leisurely start to the day.  We spent (probably too much time) trying to recharge our Italian SIM cards online in the foolish belief that it would be more  efficient than other methods of doing it.  But, working at that task, even unsuccessfully, over yet another espresso in our own kitchen did not seem onerous at all.  In the event that our online efforts don’t work out, all the grocery stores and Tabacchi around sell recharge cards and we’ll do it that way.

At the Riomaggiore station, we bought two-day tickets that allow train travel among the villages, as well as access to local minibuses, several museums, and the national park trails.  As the trail from Riomaggiore to the next village, Manarola, was closed, we took the two-minute train ride there and wandered around a bit before moving on to Vernazza, the fourth of the five towns, going south to north.

Vernazza was the town most devastated by the October, 2011 landslides. It was inundated and buried in mud then but its recovery has been remarkable.  And, the tourists seem to know it – they (we) flocked off the train in droves to walk down the shop-lined main street that ends in a piazza at the small harbor.  We explored the old waterside church and some of the back lanes, including one that led to a lovely belvedere seemingly unknown to any but the locals.

We decided to see just how “closed” the closed trails were and decided to walk back from Vernazza (the fourth town) to Corniglia, the middle town.  We had a wonderful hike, which began with beautiful views down upon Vernazza’s harbor, tower, and church.  We met no barriers, so we continued hiking through areas of the trail that are obviously being reconstructed after the landslides of 2011.  We stopped to enjoy the ultimate lunch-with-a-view on our hike, which was a fairly challenging, frequently uphill trek.  All along the way, wildflowers seemed to be growing out of the rocks.  Wild iris, rosemary, the ubiquitous yellow flowers, cactus, century plants, and varieties unknown to us were everywhere along our way.   

The views were rewarding, especially as we neared Corniglia, our destination, and the only one of the five towns that does not get its feet wet in the sea.  It’s dramatically perched on a hilltop above the sea, so the approach is gorgeous and it has its own fabulous views over the water and to the other villages along the coast.  Entering the town from the trail, we walked along some of the thousands of miles of terraces that climb the hills in the Cinque Terre.  Vineyards and olive groves fill the terraces and a land that might seem unsuited for much yields great agricultural bounty.

After unwinding and cooling off with a beer at a small belvedere in Corniglia, we switch backed down close to 400 steps (some young children were keeping count) to the railroad station and caught a train to Manarola.  There we took a bus, hoping to visit an historic olive press WAY up the hill.  All was closed up when we arrived, however, so we found a trail, took it back to Manarola, then a train back to home base in Riomaggiore and happy hour before venturing out for dinner.

We had local seafood for dinner at Il Grottino, on Riomaggiore’s main drag.  The standout dish, and one that will likely be hard to forget, was cuttlefish and fennel, dressed in lots of olive oil.  We’ll be tasting it in memory for years!

(Mary Ellen insisted I put in a picture of myself so I am adding one of her. Forgive the wind for its effect on her hair. It had no effect on mine.-Tom)