Stairway to Heaven

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We had some unfinished business with the Cinque Terra, which was really one of the main reasons why we returned to the Italian Riviera after only two years. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Cinque Terra, it is perhaps the most beautiful series of five villages that your eyes will be lay witness to. These villages are situated right by the sea along some very rugged coastline with mountains rising high above. For centuries, the only connection that these villages had with each other was by the sea, or by a coast trail. The people who lived here also managed to dig into this difficult land to create some extremely beautiful terraced gardens, plantations, and vineyards. In our last trip, we kind of cheated by walking only half of the trail connecting the five villages, so our goal this time around was to do the whole thing. All 26 kms. It was painful, at times frustrating, and very hot; however, the Cinque Terra is a place where we could visit a thousand times and find something new each visit.



We started early, much earlier than last time. We are learning! We got into Riomaggiore, the most southern village of the five, at about 9am. Riomaggiore is split in two, with one section of the village located right off the main train line, and the other, more historic village a short walk away. To get there, you walk along a tunnel, under the train, through another tunnel, down some stairs, and then BAM, your walking down a path from the 1500s. Houses, somehow built into the rock of sheer cliffs hang mercilessly above you. All types of colors are present creating a floral bouquet of dangerous beauty. The pathway, no more than 2 meters wide, leads right down into the ocean, an important entryway for the villagers as the sea is, was, the lifeline to their existence. Cafes litter the minute walk to the sea, the smell of fresh coffee tingling our senses as it mixes with the salty wind. From a slight distance, we are already aware of the shades of blue which are present as the rising sun triggers a cacophony of reflection off the sea. We walk up some stairs to get a more aerial view and there is just something there which hits you hard in the heart. It is a moment that you just never want to leave from, a place you can spend floating above for ever and be totally content. But with the harshest realization, time moves on and the sun is rising. We take some photos, breath in the beauty one more time, and begin the climb.



The climb to village number 2, Manarola, begins immediately. In our last trip we didn’t visit Manarola because we one, didn’t want to do the whole walk, and two there wasn’t a train connection. Now there is a train connecting all five villages, and so we were very, very tempted to cheat on the walk, however, the thought slipped away when we looked above at the vineyards dotting the hills above. The climb consists of stairs, lots and lots of stairs. Not normal stairs from the U.S., but stairs that were built by the villagers through thousands of hours of hard labor to create a passageway connecting these villages. They are any type of rock, cut into the earth and jammed together, creating a stairway of rock, root, and dirt. The first ascent takes us up very quickly, and after a few minutes of intense work, we are met by a view of the Riomaggiore valley. The aerial view only enhances the beauty of the area as the view exemplifies everything I thought a typical Italian countryside should look like. We continue climbing, passing vineyards and other groves of fruit trees, and our thought was who the hell works up here and climbs these freaking stairs everyday to do it. It is crazy. We finally hit the top of the pass and then descend, down some very steep pathways, before we enter Manarola. Manarola is also located right on the sea, but is built almost overhanging the gulch below. From a side view, it is really remarkable that people were able to build a village in this place. Villagers fish from the overhang and there are various stairways to get to the rocks below were tourists sunbathe. This village is a little more bustling than Riomaggiore and there are more cafes, restaurants, and hotels, but it still maintains its Cinque Terra charm as the backdrop are of two massive, terraced, hills leading down to steep cliffs with a little colorful village somehow built between. With our energy still going strong, we begin another climb, up the other massive, terraced hill to the third village, Corniglia, which is where we started two years ago. The stairs going up to this town were steeper and longer than the first, and it was a true test of our will to continue the climb. There were more than a few swear words as the climb began to wear us down mentally, but the view and the end product was totally worth the work.

Corniglia is the only village of the five not directly next to the sea, but is instead up on a cliff face overlooking the sea. It is a beautiful place, with multicolored houses and farms. As with most Italian villages, the smell of food is very tantalizing, and as our hunger grew from the 50,000 stairs we needed some food. Bellies full we moved on, believe it or not but up some more stairs.

The walk to Vernazza was a breeze. Much different than our memories but perhaps we are more conditioned this time around. The feeling of walking along these terraced vineyards, and little stone walls or huts is just so cool. There is a simple beauty here that is the most rewarding part of the area. The weather was perfect, not many people were on the trails, and our conversation moving us along, we quickly reached the hill overlooking the most beautiful village of the Cinque Terra, Vernazza. Vernazza is the quintessential Cinque Terra, or Italian Riviera town. It is just oozing charm. The watchtower on a prominent rock protruding along the protected bay. The little boats harboring from the crashing waves, and the rocks littering the bay with numerous people just lounging around. We decided to do the same and found ourselves a little rock and just relaxed as only you can after walking 10 kilometers of stairs. I jumped in because the water just looked too good, and it was quite refreshing. For anyone walking the Cinque Terra, we highly advise spending the most time in Vernazza and really taking the time to take in the beauty of the place, although it is a little dangerous because you might not want to leave.

The final leg to Monterosso al Mare was very nice. Refreshed after our stop in Vernazza, we were able to enjoy this last part despite the many kilometers we already traversed. Monterosso was packed with people and seems the most touristy which was the reason why we just quickly passed it by.



Reflecting, and for those reading this and thinking of going to visit the Cinque Terra, we HIGHLY advise doing so. It is our favorite part of Italy and is just so beautiful. The walk between all 5 was very difficult and I am not sure that we would want to do it again but we would definitely recommend walking between at least three of the villages because the views are so worth it. Take time to check out each village, but our spot to spend a majority of time is Vernazza!





Enjoy and now we move onto Crete, Greece!

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