We Take a Break in Vernazza

Thursday, March 23, 2011 (Part 5)

It took us about an hour and a half to complete the trail from Cornelia to Vernazza, and we were definitely ready for a break. Vernazza is one of the prettier of these five towns. Dad says he would stay in this town (of the five) if he were to visit again.

All of these towns, however, are very small. We walked the main street of Vernazza in about 5 minutes, and then we headed to the harbor area. There is an old fort perched atop the southern side of the harbor, and there is a breakwater area where pedestrians seemed to congregate for a break in the sun.

We decided a rest in the sun would be a nice idea, but it would be even nicer if we had a little gelato to enjoy while we were sunning ourselves. So we popped into the local gelato cafe (located conveniently in the harbor area) and bought gelato cones and water. With our bodies thus replenished, we were ready for the last leg of our hike -- the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare.

Breathtaking Views and Olive Groves

Thursday, March 23, 2011 (Part 4)

The gentleman in Cornelia was right. Many parts of the trail from Cornelia to Vernazza were difficult to maneuver. There were many sections that were extremely narrow, that hugged the cliffside, and that had to guard rails or protective barriers. There were also a few muddy, messy sections but, all-in-all, this section of the trail was not that bad.

Meanwhile, the scenery was truly beautiful. Closest to the towns, we found ourselves picking

our way through people's gardens. I suppose you might call them "farms," but they did not resemble at all the farmlands we know from driving US highways. These farms are terraced along steep hillsides, and the largest sections were being used to grow grapevines or olive trees.

The trail itself was very different from the first one we had been on between Rio Maggiore and Manarola. This trail was all natural surfaces -- either hard packed dirt or stone. Typically,

we were walking a trail that was flanked, on the left, by an immediate drop downward several hundred feet to the sea and, on the right, by a rocky wall. Sometimes, it felt like we were walking through a forest or small grove with flowering trees and bushes all around. And every once in a while, we would encounter an odd gate or ancient looking footpath leading mysteriously somew

here. We stuck to the main trail!

Did I Mention That We Walked a Lot Today?

Thursday, March 23, 2011 (Part 3)

Did I mention that we did a lot of walking Today? And, for the most part, we were walking on trails that were technically closed. At the start of the trail from Cornelia to Vernazza, a gentleman (he looked like he was with the park service -- Cinque Terre is part of a national park) -- told us that the trail was closed and "dangerous" -- in part due to landslides -- but we could go if we wanted to. His mouth said don't go, but his shrug said he wasn't going to stop us, and the entrance was not physically blocked (as we had seen elsewhere). So what is an American tourist who has traveled thousands of miles to hike these trails supposed to do? Katherine and I exchanged a glance, and with little hesitation, we started down the trail.

Ok, so there was some risk, but how bad could it be?

Let me further clarify that we were in the middle of the five Cinque Terre towns - Cornelia. Unlike the other four towns, Cornelia does not sit directly only the water. Rather, it sits at the top of a very high cliff just above the water.

What that means is that getting to Cornelia, on foot, is itself a physical challenge. We arrived at the Cornelia train station and realized we had a decent walk into town. Additionally, we had to maneuver a very long series of staircases to get there. When I say "very long," I mean very, very long. When we arrived at the top of these stairs, there was a sign

that said that we had just climbed 372 steps!

It is hardly surprising that I saw no overweight people in Cornelia -- or, for that matter, anywhere else in Cinque Terre.

The Walking Begins

Thursday, Marsh 24, 2011 (Part 2)

Today, we walked . . . and walked . . . and walked.

There are four sections of walking trails between the five Cinque Terre towns. It is the walking trails that bring the tourists to these picturesque, seaside towns. Much to our dismay, however, only one of these trails was officially open today. Of the remaining three trails, one was gated and locked. The other two

were officially closed but unofficially open. Given that these trails were the reason we had come to Cinque Terre, we decided to walk as many as we could get to. So we walked three of the four trails:

(1) from Riomaggio

re to Manarola (called Via dell'Amore);

(2) from Corneglia to Vernazza; and

(3) from Vernazza to Monterosso.

Dad joined us for the Via dell'Amore which is considered the easiest of all the trails. It was, in fact, a very easy stroll. It was a gently sloping, entirely paved path that ran along the hillside above the coastline. This trail was the first of the trails to have been created and it has a history as a "lovers' lane." Along the trail, there are hundreds of locks with names or initials engraved on them that have been affixed to the fence. They have been left there by couples as a sign of their enduring love.

The Sun Shines in Cinque Terre

Thursday, March 24, 2011 (Part 1)

It is another beautiful day in Italia! We have clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight. And the air temperature is supposed to reach the low 60's. We have been blessed with good weather this entire week. My umbrella has remained buried in the bottom of my suitcase!

A word about my Dad. He is 79 year old (and will be 80 in three months). He is in excellent health, and I am really impressed with him. He keeps up really well, and he's a good sport. He never complains and rarely even mentions if he is in any discomfort. Sometimes I think he is, but he just soldiers on. And when he has had enough, he says so and takes a break - but always while encouraging us to go ahead on our own. He never wants to hold us back from seeing as much as we can. What a guy!

Local Food Plus Local Wine Equals One Good Meal

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 (Part 7)

Tonight we had dinner at a restaurant in Monterosso al Mare. It was recommended to us by the proprietors of our hotel. The restaurant is called Il Pozzo.

One of the local specialties in Cinque Terre is pesto. They claim that pesto was first created here. So we all had to try some. It was very good. We also had grilled swordfish -- also excellent. And we tried a local white wine called Buranco. We all liked it, and Dad wants to buy a bottle to bring home.

Getting the Feel of Cinque Terre

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 (Part 6)

In Cinque Terre, we are staying at the Hotel Steno in the town of Monterosso al Mare. It is quite nice, and the proprietors (husband and wife) are extremely friendly and helpful. Our rooms are small but comfortable, and we have small balconies that look into the center of town and afford a view of the water.

The hotel is perched on a cliff, but then everything in these

seaside towns is perched on a cliff! There is a beautiful, albeit long, set of stairs that leads from the hotel, through a small grove of lemon trees and down to the main street of the town. It's lovely. There 136 steps to the main street, which we must climb every time we leave or return to the hotel!

We arrived in Cinque Terre relatively early - by about 2:30 p.m. So once we were settled in our rooms, we decided to check out the town. We walked from our hotel down the main street to the beach. There are several nice parks along the beach, and there are lots of places to sit -- which we did -- and catch some sun.

We then decided to take the train from our town -- the northern most of the five towns -- to Riomaggiore -- the southern most town. This is a 12 minute train ride and for most of the trip, we were in tunnels in the mountains between the towns.

Once in Riomaggiore, we walked around a bit and found our way to a vantage point looking out over this town's beach -- which isn't much of a "beach" at all! it was all rocks, and I mean rocks (not pebbles, but rocks). We were not very taken with this town. We like our own Monterosso much more.