Levanto to Montorosso

We arrived in Levanto around lunchtime, our first stop was a little sidewalk bar for a taste of the Ligurian wine. Then a short stop at the tourist office for directions and soon we picked up the Cinque Terre path towards Montorosso.
Flowers blooming everywhere and the air smells of the sea and sun. As soon as we turned the corner from the beach promenade to path #1, it was uphill. About 1000 feet uphill to reach the higher level of the path which follows the coastline and provides spectacular views. At first, the sun was shining and we soon zipped off the lower part of our pants legs.

By the time we reached the ruins of San Antonio, remains of a church from which the whole of the coastline can be seen, the sky had clouded over and the wind smelled of rain.

After retruning from the overlook, we took path #10 downhill, all 2000 or so steps down. By the time we reached the outskirts of Monterosso, our raingear had been located and donned. By now a good downpour had begun and we ducked into a little grocery store for some fruit and then into the nearest hotel (La Spiaggia) for our first nights accomodation. We suggest you look further for a place to stay, this hotel was not a good value for our money. The 'fantastic' breakfast buffet promised was little more then the standard italian breakfast of bread, butter, jelly, and orange juice served buffet-style.
W e lucked out with dinner at the Ristorante il Gabbiano on the beach promenade. Friendly service and great value for excellent food and wine!
The old part of Monterosso has remained practically unchanged with a medieval center that dates as far back as 643 a.d. Of the ancient fortifications, the Castle which includes three round towers, a few parts of the city wall, the medieval tower that today is the bell-tower of the Church of San Giovanni, and the Aurora Tower are remaining.

The secret to a clean beach was revealed as we left Monterosso in the morning!

Why carry raingear if you never get to use it? Only minutes after picking up trail #2 towards Vernazza, a steady drizzle started and our ponchos came into action again. This trail is also called 'via de l'amore'; we decided that this stood for 'you have to love it to walk it in the rain' for the section between Monterosso and Vernazza. At the 'Parque de Cinque Terre' checkpoint, we stopped to purchase a trailpass, then up and up on somewhat slick steps. The trail continued to be quite narrow in places, but no steep drop-offs.

Soon Vernazza became visible, what awesome views despite the continued drizzle. 532 steps lead down to the center of town and by the time we had finished lunch, the rain had ceased. Laundry was waving in the breeze and we walked around the harbor and town. A dense system of narrow alleys called "carruggi", located on multiple levels, always offers new corners and views, such as Porticato Palace that is located in the vicinity of the sea and accessible from a narrow passage.
Other architectural elements that characterize the village include the complex defense system that the Genoese built to protect Vernazza from their enemies.

Making the most of the natural inlet of the gulf led to the construction of the port. This port was the only one in the Cinque Terre to be useful in the battle against the people of Pisa. The numerous fortifications, erected before the eleventh century, were repeatedly enlarged in the following centuries. Evidence of these remain, such as the Castle of the Doria, the watch-towers, the Torrione and parts of wall barriers.
Then the rain started up again and we ducked into a little store selling cinque terre products. Asking the proprietor about places to stay in Vernazza, he pulled out his phone and soon a kind lady came with an umbrella to take us to a lovely room in her house, right around the corner. Many people rent rooms, if you arrive without reservations, just ask around.