Cinque Terra - A day trip from Genoa

Piazza de Ferrari, Genoa

Genoa is a port city and hometown of Christopher Columbus and, as Rob and Beth discovered, was beautifully constructed on the coastal hills that surround the beautiful harbour in the Gulf of Genoa. Genoa although a larger city like Rome or Napoli, had a cleaner appearance with streets generally free of garbage, graffiti, and animal grime. Also its shopping corridors were luxuriously lined in granite and marble with views of impressive sculptures that graced the sides of buildings, underpasses, and squares. The buildings, unlike those constructed in the south, stood much taller and were richly painted in bright earth tones of reds, yellows, and greens, which gave each neighbourhood a pleasant sense of unity.

Riomaggiore

Standing at a high point in town, Beth and Rob peered out onto the expansive cityscape that rose up with the hillside in harmonious unison. Surrounding the landscape stood the backdrop of the distant peaks of the Ligurian Apennines mountain range that extend south along the coast into Cinque Terra National Park, Italy’s UNESCO world heritage site and most popular hiking destination.

Overlooking Manarola

On a Tuesday Beth and Rob left their fifth floor apartment, scaled up narrow alleyway stairs, walked past the Christopher Columbus sculpture, and caught an early regional train from Genoa’s Principle Central Station to Cinque Terra. The train moved slowly for the duration of the two hour ride which took riders through numerous tunnels bored through the rock walls. Each time the train plunged into a tunnel its riders flinched as the change in air pressure squeezed their inner ears.

Cinque Terra, as the name suggests, represents five coastal villages found in a park that juts out onto the seacoast and are joined by blue trail #2. As it is the easiest of the trails most summer tourists choose to hike it to view its scenery and visit the five towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazzia, and Monterossa al Mare.

Terraced hills hide a
distant Riomaggiore

When Rob and Beth stepped off the train in the station they expected to hike for approximately five hours from Riomaggiore to Vernazzia along blue trail # 2 . However, once they entered the park's visitors centre, they were disappointed to find out that trail #2 was closed due to winter season.

Manarola

“It is too dangerous.” said the visitor centre's receptionist.

“But it’s a beautiful sunny day!?” Rob questioned with disappointment.

Climbing to the clouds.

“The trail is wet and there may be falling rocks this time of year.” she explained.

So, although disappointed at having to alter their plans, Rob and Beth, accepted the alternative suggested by the receptionist-visit the town of Manarola by train, hike the high trail up then back down to Corniglia, then train to Vernazzia.

So after a short tour of Riomaggiore, which included a hilltop climb for photos, stops for coffee and shopping for a lunch for the trail, they boarded the train to Manarola.

Looking down to Corniglia

Just like the other four villages, Manarola, a fishing and wine making town, rests in a valley crowned with terraced olive groves and grape vineyards and consists of colourful bouquets of tightly packed buildings. As they walked the first kilometer up a winding road leading out of town, Rob and Beth often stepped onto terraced vineyards to gaze upon the beautiful pastel buildings and the small harbour that provided refuge to fishing boats. After filling their eyes, they ensued a trek lasting two and one half hours through a 750 m (the equivalent of 4200 stairs) climb.

From the pinnacle they sat amongst olive trees, relieved of the distance they’d climbed, shared lunch with a friendly tortoiseshell stray cat, and looked down to the trail that led to the town Corniglia which laid before them. The trail this time lead through a natural mixed forest of pine, maple, and oak. As they repelled down the slick leafy trail, they questioned their decision to forego the cost of long term health benefits during their year off.

Vernazzia Harbour

Looking at Manarola from a
Balcony in Corniglia

Corniglia, though smaller then the previous two towns, was as equally as scenic in the way it's buildings were crowded together on the coast. Walking through the narrow streets, they found one that led to a terrace clinging on a rock wall facing the sea. From there, they looked south at Manarola and the very short distance they would have travelled had they been allowed to walk the blue trail. Then, with only a couple of hours of sun light left, they quenched their thirst before rushing off to catch a train to Vernazzia.

Fishing boats in storage.

Chatting with Australian Tourists

Now tired and exhausted, Beth and Rob walked the Vernazzia harbour at a leisurely pace. Although thwarted at finding an open shoreline restaurant in which to sit and enjoy the sunset, they settled for a tiny bar along the main course of the town. The bar, which would hardly get noticed during the high season, was inviting as it was one of the few open establishments and it provided two lone chairs out front. Content with their day's accomplishments they sat, chatting with fellow travellers, Beth enjoying her wine and Rob his beer.