Walking the Cinque Terre


Home | Cinque Terre | Alpi Apuane | Tuscany | Resources | Links
Click the links above to see more information about each region or the link below to return to our HomePage
Main Page with links to hiking and cycling information in other areas



Vernazza to Riomaggiore
We woke up to sunshine and blue skies. Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this region. We continued on trail #2 'via de l'amore', passing another National Park checkpoint. If one does not have a 'cinque terre card' daily fees (3 euro per person in 2005) apply to access the trails. Going up steep, narrow stairs, Vernazza became smaller and smaller in the distance. I started to believe that the higher I climbed, the more steps there were ahead of me.
The effort was well
worth it. We were rewarded with incomparable vistas ofthe sea and vineyards thriving on terraced hillsides
We saw a couple of masons repairing one of the stone walls, quite hard labor as they also have to access this area on foot. Working diligently, they are able to repair a 20 square foot section per day.
Soon Corniglia was visible in the distance. This little town differs from other Cinque Terre villages in that it lies on a hill, surrounded on three sides by vineyards and olive groves with the fourth side dropping steeply toward the sea.
A few documents from 1276-77 mention the existence of a castle of which no remains have been found yet. The only ruin left is a stronghold on a cliff dating back to approximately 1556, and belonging to the Genoese fortifications.
After lunch and icecream (gelato ) on the village square, a long flight of 377 brick steps led us down to the train station and the rather flat path to Manarola.
Manarola is perched on a cliff, with a pretty, partially enclosed harbor. The narrow alleys ("caruggi") lead from one beautiful spot to another.
Above the houses lies a square where the religious buildings of the village are located. The church, oratory, and bell tower form a unique area which, even today, is the main meeting point of the local people.
Here again we found a wonderful store selling delicious gelato before continuing on to Riomaggiore, our goal for today. The short walk (less then a mile) between Manarola and Riomaggiore follows the coast and has been developed allowing people of all abilities to experience the beauty of this region. We saw folks in high heels, flip-flops, and some pushing baby carriages. Just short of Riomaggiore, a rocky path leads down to the sea, an invitation to dip one's feet into the mediterranean.
Turning the corner, we reached the Cinque Terre checkpoint and the trainstation in Riomaggiore. Here an elevator is available to take tourists (free with Cinque Terre Card) to the upper level of the town. We would have taken this climbing aid, but found the upper entrance only after we had walked to town!
The houses are built next to one another and construction material is of local origin: stones for the walls, slate for the roof, yellow- or pink-coloured plaster for the facades. The parish church (San Giovanni Battista) sits high on the hill, overlooking both the new, modern residential section and the 'old town'.
There is a path leading to a rocky beach, mediterranean water is very cold and refreshing!
Here again we found a room in a private home, this time in the new section near the top of the hill. From our balcony, we watched the sunset over Riomaggiore.
Dinner on the porch of Ristorante il Gambero (reservations for outside seating recommended) was a delight; we sampled wonderful antipasto plates and the local Limoncino, a sweet and tart lemon after dinner drink. We had walked past this little place while exploring the harbor and had made a reservation on the spur of the moment, by the time we arrived for dinner, all outside tables were reserved and soon filled.
 

Riomaggiore to Portovenere
Another morning with blue skies and sumshine. Trail #3 (not #3a) starts in the sharp left curve when walking up the main road from the village. Going straight across, the stone path goes uphill next to a gurgling stream, crosses a paved road and continues up and into the forest. Soon Riomaggiore grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
At the church 'Madonna della Monteneri', now a National Park Information site, we took the path towards Telegrafo. After passing the last of the cabins, the trail turns sharply right (#3 and #3a) and continues through vineyards, then along rock walls and into the forest.
Amid woods of pine and chestnut trees we stopped to admire the beautiful views.
Elevation gain is 1500+ feet between Riomaggiore and Monte Fraschi. Several trail meet at Monte Fraschi, here is where we left trail #3 (which continues to La Spezia) to take trail #1 towards Campiglia and Portovenere.

Turning right and passing a bar/snack shop at Monte Fraschi, we walked into the woods. There is a fitness trail along the first stretch of the path with multiple different exercise stations. The path is fairly level here and offered wonderful glimpses of the sea. Lunch at a bar in Campiglia, then continuing on. Here the trail was a tad challenging to follow, at first we passed to the left of the church, then reached an open area. One tends to want to go straight at this point to follow the coastline, but trail #1 is marked to the left (sharp turn) with red and white marks and returns to the paved road. After about 300 feet on the road, the path again goes up to the right and soon offers gorgeous views of the coast.
As this trail narrows and becomes more exposed, the views become more and more beautiful. There is a sign labeling this section as 'dificultoso', most likely because it requires a little scrambling over exposures of rock. Definitely not a trail for high heels or flip-flops!
After about 4 hours of hiking we had a birds-eye-view of the Castello Doria,a 16th century castle. Once reaching Portovenere, a visit inside leads to an art exhibit and outside to wonderful vistas of the harbor and sea. There is even a small orchard with chairs for quiet contemplation while viewing the scene.
The houses of Portovenere, up to six or eight stories high, have been standing since the twelfth century while others are more novel, dating from the sixteenth. They were built as defense towers directly above the harbor. When under attack, villagers could exit the rear of the upper stories for the safety of the castle above.
The 12th century Church of San Lorenzo holds the town's revered relic, the Madonna Bianca, said to have floated to Portovenere in the 13th century inside a log.
Once the tourist office reopened we bought our bus tickets to La Spezia (available here only, there is supposed to be a ticket machine near the bus stop but we never found it). The posted schedule lists a bus every 30 minutes and planning to take the 3:25 pm bus, we returned to the bus stop and waited. And waited. And waited. I caught up in my journal, we waited. Turns out, there really is not a bus in the afternoon, the first afternon bus goes at 5:25 pm. That leaves plenty of time to visit the church and the castle, and partake in some gelato!
The bus followed a narrow single-lane road with nice views of the harbor. In La Spezia we exited on the 'Viale Garibaldi' which was lined with hundreds of market stalls selling everything from produce to T-shirts. Walking about 5 blocks to the train station (click here for a printable map) we continued to Massa and the Alpi Apuane.


Home | Cinque Terre | Alpi Apuane | Tuscany | Resources | Links
Click the links above to see more information about each region or the link below to return to our HomePage
Main Page with links to hiking and cycling information in other areas