Cinque Terre

8/17/2013

I was going back and forth over whether or not I was going to visit Cinque Terre on a day trip from Florence. Its a 3 hour train ride at best one way, so getting there and making the hike between the 5 seaside towns and getting back is a looong day. Plus, I hadn't been successful in meeting many people at my hostel in Florence (if you read one of my earlier posts you would know I was avoiding the hostel and my weirdo roommate like the plague) and the thought of hiking Cinque Terre just seemed more fun with some company. Finally though I made the decision that this was something I did not want to miss. So, I got to bed early so I could wake up and catch the earliest train out to the town of Monterosso, the northern most of the 5 towns, where I was planning on beginning my hike. Of course, since I have the worst travel luck ever, this plan did not quite work out. First of all, I was not able to get on the early train because it turned out being 3x more expensive then what I had seen posted on trenitalia.com, and I did not bring my Eurail Pass to offset the cost. So I had to wait until 10:30AM for the next, less expensive train to La Spezia, where I would then catch a train to Monterosso. This already was putting me back about 3 hours. Next, when I boarded the train in La Spezia I forgot to validate my ticket and was kicked off at the very next stop by a brute of a woman who refused to give me back my ticket, and so I was forced to buy a new ticket. Luckily, I realized that this stop was actually Riomaggiore, the southern most town where I had expected to end my trip, so I figured I might as well just stay and work my way backwards. By this point it was already past 2PM, and I figured if I was going to see all 5 towns in the chain I better scrap the hiking idea and just take the train between the towns. I was a little disappointed, but with 2-4 minute rides between the towns there's not much to complain about. Also, I found out that a few of the paths have been shut down since 2010, when a flood damaged the tracks, so maybe I'm better off.

Finally on track, I took a deep breadth, decided to put the awful morning behind me and have a good day. The towns were each really beautiful. Ive heard people compare Cinque Terre to the Amalfi Coast, and I would have to agree that it is very similar, but Cinque Terre just seems a little more untouched, as if it has yet to be discovered by the masses. There was a fair amount of tourists in each of the towns, but nothing close to Amalfi Coast. My favorite of the 5 towns would have to be Manarola, followed by Corniglia. Manarola was a beautiful seaside town with excellent cliff jumping spots. There is an area right off of town where you have to pay to swim, but if you follow the path further round the coast there are plenty of spots to swim and relax and cliff jump for free. I am proud to say that I did go cliff jumping, but I also have to admit that the cliff was not very high at all. I guess I'm not that brave. The water was crystal clear all the way to the bottom, which was incredibly deep in some areas, and the perfect temperature in the sweltering summer heat.

Corniglia also had a marina to swim in, but the more interesting part was the town high above the waves, teetering serenely on a cliff edge. You have to walk A LOT of steps to get to the town from the train station, but it is totally worth the effort. The town has a real local feel to it, even though you can see hints of where it has been touched by the tourist market. The people of the town are just so friendly as they go about their daily activities.

There was not much to see in Vernazza, aside from shops and restaurants, but I did take a nice hike, again up many many steps to a lookout point that I am guessing most people do not venture to. The view from the top was absolutely stunning.

I didn't spend much time in either of the bookend cities of Riomaggiore or Monterosso, but I don't mind because they seemed to be the most touristy ones. I would have liked a little more time in Monterosso, but I actually made it there just in time to catch the last train of the day back to Florence. I am glad that I made the trip to Cinque Terre, but I do wish everything hadn't been so screwed up from the get-go, which would have made the day much more pleasant and relaxing. Who knows, maybe I will get the chance to visit again with some friends and have a great time.