We bought Cinque Terre cards at the Oasi Hotel that would give us unlimited train service and access to the hiking trails (part of the Italian national park network). We checked out and lugged our single suitcase up the hill to the train station. After a short wait, we boarded for the approximate 25 minute ride from Levanto to Vernazza in Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre is a mountainous, sea-side region lying between Genoa and La Spezia on the Ligurian Sea, a.k.a. the Italian Rivera.
Car access to the five villages is limited and most tourists reach Cinque Terre by train. Travel between the villages is either by train, ferry, or by foot through the Cinque Terre National Marine Park (and World UNESCO site) along a network of trails.
After a short delay, we arrived in Vernazza and met Christian, our host from La Marina Rooms where we would be staying for the next three nights. Christian was very gregarious and affable, and gave us a short tour of the little town on our way to the room. He told us if we climbed up and down the hill between the harbor and the train station more than once, we would become honorary locals (day-trippers and tourists only make that trek once!).
Each of the villages in Cinque Terre is built around a ravine and so just above the train station, we saw where the water traverses down from the surrounding mountains and courses to the Ligurian Sea.
Almost all the way to the harbor, Christian steadied our suitcase on his shoulder and started humping it up through a labyrinth of narrow alleyways ...
past makeshift devotionals...
until we finally reached the green door and the entrance to La Marina Rooms. Our room wasn't quite ready yet, so we were escorted onto the veranda where we were forced to stare at the sea and listen to the waves crashing outside our window.
It was so relaxing, I think we both fell asleep in the warm sun and sea breeze.
Once the room was ready, we dumped our stuff and went to explore Vernazza. It's a charming little village with a humble piazza (Marconi) surrounded by restaurants and bars near the harbor.
Near the Castle Belforte, there is a tunnel that leads to a beach. It's where the village stream used to hit the sea. A 2011 flood deposited landslide material and debris from damage in the town here destroying the beach. Some ambitious sunbathers still stretch out on the rocks to remember their past youth. The color of the water is amazing!
After our short spin around town, Kathi and I made our way to the Castle Belforte for a lunch reservation at the "Lover's Table".
It sits on a perch over the water with an unobstructed view of the sea. Heavenly!
Our waiter promised to take our picture, but photo-bombed us instead.
Then he took one for real.
We enjoyed the fuss and the champagne while we waited for the food to arrive. Being in pesto country, Kathi ordered trofie pasta with pesto, and I got the "taste of the sea"
Kathi's pasta was amazing, and my dish, well, it had just about every local sea creature you could think of and all fried - whole fish, shrimp, crabs, octopus, etc.
In the end, nothin' left but a pile of bones and tails....
After lunch, we went to check out the Santa Margherita church at the far end of the harbor. It was beautiful inside and a cool escape from the hot sun. The church contains three portable crosses that are replicas of historic crosses that the locals like to believe were carried by Vernazzan ships during the crusades in the Holy Land.
We returned to the room for a short siesta and to plan our next moves. I was keen to hike from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare and Kathi wanted to head back to Levanto by train to rescue a lonely bottle of wine from our car at the Oasi Hotel and see if she could pick up a mortar and pestle she had her eye on (at Il Laboratorio del Pesto alla Genovese) and then we'd both meet up in Monterosso for dinner.
We gathered our things, and headed out.
I explored the area north of the train station and located the "Pirate" cafe where Christian told use we could get a nice breakfast. Around 5 pm, trying to avoid the heat and beating sun, I returned to the middle of town, hung a right, and hopped on the trial. I climbed as I wound my way through the city alleyways until I eventually popped out above the city.
After about another 10 minutes, I got this view looking back at Vernazza...
Compared to the ferry, you get a real sense of how small the town is. Climbing still higher, the view widens and you can get a glimpse of Corniglia, peeking out from the hillside. It's the next village south along the coast.
This photo shows the nature of the "trail" - stair stepping ever upwards! All those days preparing on the stair master were worth it!
A gate decoration bordering the trail...
Following the white and red marker, the trail continues upward.
All along the trail, these markers were posted to gauge your progress and to provide your position in case of emergency. Check out the International Aerial Aid Signal instructions in the lower right :)
Vernazza's getting further and further away. The water and the rocky coastline is stunning.
The trail passed through this olive grove. I'm assuming the netting is stretched out to capture olives that drop from the trees when ripe. Send me a message if you can confirm or correct this assumption.
Along the route, you pass this "cat colony". There were a handful of cat houses so the kitties could get out of the hot sun and there was a sign about helping out with donations for the care and feeding of the cats.
This cathouse was occupied. I can't recall if the project was to rescue orphan cats or just a quirky Cinque Terre thing.
I did see one rat in the trees but I didn't know if the
cats were here to keep the rats out of the olive groves, or if the rats
were drawn to the cat food left out in the open. On my hike, I only saw
the one rat in this vicinity - hmm...
Repeatedly passing over ridge and through vale, I eventually got my first glimpses of Monterosso al Mare. As I approached, the slopes were terraced with vineyards.
To climb the steep slopes, tend to vineyards, and harvest the grapes, the vignerons install these monorail tracks up the side of the mountain and use gas-powered engines to carry them and their train of bucket cars up and down. I would have liked to see this in operation; it all looks pretty precarious!
Close to Monterosso al Mare, you pass this vineyard that offers a tour of the vines and wine tasting. You have to hike to get there, but it would be pretty easy from the MaM side. Next time, for sure!
All downhill now. Monterosso al Mare (MaM), here I come!
Arriving from Vernazza, I first encountered the "Old Town" section of MaM with the train tracks bisecting the Piazza Giribaldi honoring the revolutionary who, in the 1860s, helped unite the people of Italy into the modern nation.
Colorful umbrellas designate the fee beaches. I hustled through the Old Town to meet up with Kathi who was undoubtedly waiting for me.
Under the trestle that holds up the elevated train tracks there were several photographs that showed a historic, bygone MaM.
Continuing on past the rock outcropping that separates Old Town from the "New Town" harbors, I searched the wide boardwalk until I found Kathi.
Sweaty and a little gross, we snuck into the fee beach area among the hoy paloy and Kathi held my clothes as I stripped down to my Patagonia shorts (designed to double as swim trunks!) and took a dip in the Ligurian Sea - so refreshing!
I toweled off and donned a fresh shirt and we went in search of a restaurant to have dinner. We found a boardwalk cafe that would give us a view of the sea as we ate. We had to wait for a good seat, but it was worth it. After dinner we enjoyed our sunset passeggiata as we slowly made our way towards the Old Town and the train station.
With our Cinque Terre card, the train ride was free and within a short 15 minutes, we were back in Vernazza. We walked around the harbor to enjoy the lights and pleasant ambiance.
We climbed up the alley steps to our room at La Marina Rooms. We were both tired, but I was determined to get a night shot of Vernazza from the heights. I grabbed my headlamp and tripod and stepped out into the evening sea breeze. My leg muscles complained as I climbed the town's stone steps one more time, to reach the proper vantage point.
I fumbled around the the tripod, connected the camera, and messed around with unfamiliar settings, taking a number of test shots. Like a blind squirrel, I did get lucky and captured this image.
I hazily made my way down the train into town, trying not to trip or fall. I climbed the steps to our room, dumped the gear and crawled into bed for an overdue sleep.
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