Cinque Terre

Three days in Cinque Terre!

We’re heading to the Cinque Terre this morning- driving from Spezia to Riomaggiore - only 20 minutes. (We picked up 3-day CT park passes in Spezia for unlimited trains, buses and trails within the park).  After a nice coffee-croissant breakfast, we headed to the train station to buy our park passes.  We (almost literally) bumped into the Italianas (Val and Claudia) arriving at the train station.  They hopped a train and continued to their place in Manarola, and planned to meet up with us later that afternoon after we hiked. It started out rainy that morning with low clouds in the mountains and overcast skies the first day.  Day 2 in the afternoon the skies cleared for some beautiful blue ocean photos :).

Three days and nights of hiking the park trails, relaxing, swimming, (no time for hammocking), and having incredible  dinners out! OMG, Cinque Terre is stunning.

DAY 1: Borgo to Riomaggiore

Brenna, Nicole and I stayed at Il Borgo Di Campi, a beautiful series of casitas perched on a steep cliffy slope overlooking the grapevines and sea.  They also have a wonderful restaurant - where we all had dinner that evening.

20 minutes after leaving La Spezia, we parked at Borgo and started hiking toward Riomaggiore. First, way up into the clouds and then over and down down down to Riomaggiore. We saw a few people on this trail (at the top) and more near the Rio, but mostly the 2.5 hour hike was a lovely park and forest hiking experience.  Then a well-deserved lunch in Riomaggiore! Then a train to Manarola (and finally, Sara and Mike - who'd hiked with their packs!) - were able to check into their place in Manarola.

View from Borgo di Campi (hammocks to left, vineyards and railway way below to the right. Riomaggiore is just around the bend to the right). Photo was morning of Day 2 (w/ clearer weather)

Brenna, Nicole, Kristi - hiking down from the clouds (with view of Riomaggiore)

Santuario on the park trail (also the Via Francigena!)

Trail through a santuario, hamlets and vineyards

View of Riomaggiore

Sweet Nicole (hiking down down down to Rio!) 

Sweet Sara, entering Riomaggiore

Bells as we're coming into Riomaggiore. So amazing. (Video by Sara)

Trail sign and map - notice red/white/red is Via Francigena marker (Photo by Sara)

Lunch in Riomaggiore (and an olive pizza!)

View of the Riomaggiore train station.  (Photo by Sara)

(The Via del Amore - to the left - was closed, but there's a new cliff trail south of Rio)

Dinner at Borgo di Campi (Kristi, Sara, Brenna, Mike, Val, Nicole and Claudia)

Day 2: Manarola to Vernazza

The weather was starting to clear (yeay!).  It was the perfect temperature for hiking - absolutely perfect in the 70s.  After a delicious Borgo breakfast (cappucinos, boiled eggs, cheeses, hams and many choices of pastry), we were ready to roll on the full hiking day. We took a free bus from Borgo to Riomaggiore train station (10 min vs. 2.5 hours hiking), hopped a train one stop to Manarola and met up with Sara, Mike, Val and Claudia (who stayed in Manarola). Mike, Sara and Brenna started in town and hiked to Volastra. Nicole, Val, Claudia and I waited for the bus/shopped for 20 minutes. Buses go between the low train station stations (sea level) up to high trails. We met up with Mike, Sara, and Brenna in Volastra (it only took them 30 minutes to run up there - what?) From the santuario in Volastra, we all hiked my favorite stretch to Corniglia and had lunch there.  

View of Manarola from Volastra

Trail through vineyards

Broom flowers everywhere (so fragrant). Vineyards and Corniglia in the distance

Corniglia (and train tracks below). Photo by Sara

Nicole, Brenna and Sara. :)  Corniglia in distance (to the right)

Rail for grape harvest (view south back to Manarola). Photo by Sara

Purple flower (boom)

Brenna overlooking Corniglia

Corniglia!

"A spritz" (with aperol)

Val and Claudia had to head back to Milan after lunch, but we took off on the low Corniglia-Vernazza trail.  The weather started to clear up to crystal blue skies and more intense sun...and viola!... lemonade slushies (vodka optional) at the top of an amazing amazing view! 

Trail views. Stunning.

Our lemon slushy heaven

Heaven.

Could not stop taking pictures.  Corniglia and Manarola (in the distance)

Nicole,coming into Vernazza

Vernazza (view looking north). Photo by Sara

Trail sign in Vernazza

Sunset wine back at Borgo di Campi.

Mike and Sara dinner

Our street food dinner: Cones of fried mixed seafood. Delicious!

Day 3: Vernazza to Monterosso...and dinner at Trattoria dal Billy!

Another gorgeous day! (So lucky).  Nicole, Brenna and I took a 10-minute bus and 5- minute train to Manarola, met up with Mike and Sara and trained to Vernazza to start the Monterosso hike.  This section was a LOT busier. Beautiful views, but only a single track so a lot of negotiating with oncoming hikers. But some good beaches in Monterosso!  Then dinner at Billy's for our last night in Cinque Terre. :))

Morning view from our balcony :)

View from Borgo's restaurant (breakfast). See little Brenna. The scale of this view is amazing.

Awww. Breakfast in Manarola

View of Vernazza, on trail heading to Monterosso. Photo by Sara

Single track trail view...straight...down

Trail view back toward Vernazza (and distant Corniglia)

Coming into Monterosso

Trail view of Monterosso. Photo by Sara

Mussels lunch at Monterosso beach. Went swimming after. Saw a small octopus!

View just outside Billy's Trattoria in Manarola

Hey, that's Billy!

Dinner at Billy's. We had the series of 12 different sea food tapas/appetizers - wow!

Dinner at Billy's is an event. Difficult to get reservations!

Sara showing Brenna the vineyards for the Cinque Terre white wine

  

Sara's photo of Manarola at sunset

View from highway after sunset above Vernazza and Monterosso in the distance. Buses stop at 7 p.m., so it was really nice to have a car to get back to Borgo

Our luggage lift from Borgo to the tiny parking lot.