Cinque Terre, Italy

Thursday morning I got everyone off to work and school and a couple hours later drove to Nurnberg to pick up Grandpa and Grandma with Haaken.  That night we went out in Eschenbach for a farewell dinner for John and Clarise who had finished their stay in Germany and were moving back home.

The next morning the kids went to school and Carissa to work while Rick, Sandy and I finished packing and picked up the van we were using for the upcoming road trip.  That night we drove to Garmisch and stayed at Edelweiss.  The kids swam and we all ate pizza by the pool and then we all went to bed.  The next morning, we got up, let the kids swim a bit, ate the breakfast buffet and then checked out.  On the way out of town we picked up some food at the Commissary and filled up before our long drive to Italy.

The drive was beautiful - we drove the mountain pass from Garmisch to Austria, where we picked up the autobahn that took us all they way to Cinque Terra.  We drove for hours through the mountainous northern Italian landscape.  It flattened out for a little while and then we hit the mountains again as we approached the coast.

Our hotel was in the little town of Deiva Marina, about a 15 minute train ride from the northern most town of the Cinque Terra (Monterosso).  After we got checked in and all the luggage upstairs we took a walk down to the beach and spent a little while skipping rocks and enjoying the sunset.  That night we ate dinner at a hotel in town that specialized in seafood.

Skipping rocks in Deiva Marina

The Cinque Terra is a string of five villages built into the rocky cliffs along the Mediterranean Sea.  You can hike from one village to the next along the water - I think the entire trail is about 11km.  Unfortunately, the woman at our hotel informed us that due to rain and landslides all of the trails were closed except for the shortest and only paved trail between the two southern-most towns.

Since Carissa and I had pretty much planned our whole stay around hiking between the towns we were pretty bummed.  We took the train Sunday morning to Monterosso in hopes to getting a different answer from the people selling the tickets to hike the trail, but got the same news.  As a result, we hopped back on the train to the last town, Riomaggiore, to hike the easy trail.

The train dropped us off at the base of Riomaggiore.  We walked through a long tunnel and then began climbing the steep streets to explore the town.  The weather was perfect - high 60s, low 70s, no wind, and completely clear.  It was pretty amazing to see how the city was carved into the cliffs.  At the top was a tiny fortress and an incredible view of the sea and coastline.  While we were snapping pictures we started talking to another American family who'd been there a couple days.  They informed us that they had hiked a different section of the trail that was supposed to be closed which was good news.

We walked back down to the base of the cliffs and the start of the trail.  The first section of the trail is called the Via Dell'Amore (Love Walk).  Apparently until the last century there was almost no communication between the villages.  Villagers rarely married anyone from outside their village.  In the 1920s a trail was made between the two towns, but because of landslides it was closed more often than it was open.  After WWII the trail was improved and became established as a meeting point for boys and girls from the two towns.  The couples often decorated the trail with amorous graffitti and after seeing it a journalist coined the now-established name.  In addition to the graffitti are hundreds of padlocks along the railings of the trail.  Closing a padlock with your significant other is the current craze in Italy.  We also saw this at a park in Budapest.

Via Dell'Amore

Approaching Manarola

The hike took about a half hour.  We detoured off the trail for a bit to climb on some rocks right on the water.  Once in Manarola we stopped at a little shop for some fresh olive focaccia and gelato for lunch.  Afterwards we walked a bit along the shore and then climbed a staircase that led to a playground overlooking the town.  The kids played for a bit while the grownups took a rest in the sun.

Manarola

Above the playground was a cemetery.  In the 1800s cemeteries were considered health risks and as a result were located out of town.  The only way out of town is up, so the cemeteries are all on top of the bluffs.  After the cemetery we followed a footpath that took us through the terraced vineyards that surround the town.     From the top of the town we then descended back to the train station.

We hopped on the train and took it to the next town, Corniglia  Tiny Corniglia is perched high above the sea and is the only town in the Cinque Terre with no beach access.  We took a shuttle driven by a very irritable man into town, and then explored for about 30 minutes, which is about all that is required to see the whole thing.  The shuttle dropped us back at the train station and we took it to Vernazza.

Corniglia

In Vernazza we walked straight to the waterfront and chose a place for dinner right on the water.  Although the food wasn't very good, it was a beautiful night and the location was perfect.  After dinner we took the train back to our hotel and crashed.

Vernazza

Great location / Bad food

Monday morning we got up and took the train back to Vernazza.  We began the day with hike between Vernazza and Corniglia.  It was a fantastic hike, much better than the Via Dell'Amore.  The rugged trail wound up and down the steep shore offering beautfiul views at every turn.  With a couple stops for snacks and pictures we arrived in Corniglia after about 2 hours and were rewarded with another stop at a gelato shop.

View from the trail-head in Manarola

Looking down on Corniglia

Corniglia with Manarola in background

We hopped back on the train to Vernazza.  Just up the hill from the train station was a playground that the kids played at for a bit before we climbed a long staircase to the top of the town.  Rick and I enjoyed the view while everyone else climbed a bit higher to explore another cemetery.  We wound back down through the town back to the waterfront and then bought ferry tickets to the last town, Monterosso.

Vernazza from above

The ferry ride was about 15 minutes and dropped us off near the best beach in the Cinque Terre.  The kids played while Sandy and Carissa lounged in the sun.  Rick and I walked to a beachfront bar for a couple beverages.  After a couple hours we walked into town and wandered the streets of the old town.  Afterwards we walked along the waterfront and through tunnel to the new town and selected a spot for dinner.  We sat outside and enjoyed a fantastic meal to close out our stay in Cinque Terre.

Approaching Monterosso

Anchovy Dinner