Blogs from Riomaggiore, Liguria, Italy, Europe

Today we decided to forgo the recommended hike to Portovenere since we'd already spent some time there. Instead, we decided to explore several of the Cinque Terra Villages which weren't on our self guided hike itinerary: Manorola, Corneglia and Riamaggiore. We took the train to Riamaggiore which is the first village (most southern) of the Cinque Terre. The village, dating from the early thirteenth century is known for it's historic character and it's wine produced by the town's vineyards. Naturally, we decided we should discover the finest of the town by starting our hike with a glass of the local wine and a plate of local cheeses at a great little spot with an amazing view. Our plan was to hike the Via dell'Amore (Love's Trail), a seaside trail leading to Corneglia, but it was closed ... read more

De wekker gaat om 7.20, nog even blijven liggen tot de eerste keer repeat. Dat duurt naar mijn gevoel toch iets te lang en inderdaad, zeker verkeerd knopje aangeraakt, het is al tien over half acht. Dus snel opstaan dan maar, want we hebben een lange dag voor de boeg. Een half uurtje later zitten we weer uitgerust en wel aan het ontbijt bij Le Pirate delle 5 Terre. We nemen ieder een hartig broodje en een zoete lekkernij met een cappuccino en nemen buiten plaats op het terrasje. Even later wordt ons vriendelijk gevraagd of we misschien ook een speciaal sapje willen. Natuurlijk willen we dat, ook vitaminen zijn welkom, zal wel wat kosten, maar maakt niet uit. Het is een smakelijk en vers ontbijt en ook het sapje is uitstekend. Bij het afrekenen vraagt ... read more

We have breakfast at the hotel on a large covered terrace with a spectacular view. Thankfully there‘s a conventional toaster, and I'm able to work out how to use it. We decide to spend the day hiking some of the trails that link Cinque Terre's five villages. We read that some of the trails were damaged by severe floods and landslides in 2011; five people were killed and another 50 needed to be rescued. We check today's weather forecast; fortunately no rain's predicted. We set off for Vernazza which is the next village to the south of Monterosso. The trail's rocky and narrow, and winds between vineyards around ridiculously steep hillsides that drop off almost vertically into the sea. Growing grapes here can't be easy. There are no natural surfaces that are even remotely close to ... read more

Met up with Oliver and family at 1000 and went to walk the via amore, only to find that it and a number of the other walks were closed due to landslides. Decided instead to get the ferry to Monterosso and then maybe walk some of the way back. Ferry trip was lovely but a little rough at times. Raechel, Jana and Roman weren't fans. It was very hot in Monterosso but it had a bit of a beach except that it was covered in umbrellas and chairs that you had to pay for! We found a bit of space on the public beach and went in. The water was pretty warm but nice, certainly much cooler than the beach. Erin wasn't having a good day and before she came in told us she could see ... read more

After breakfast and a quick trip to the supermarket we double parked outside Raechel's place and packed then headed off towards Riomaggiore. We decided to take a scenic route and drove through the mountains which was very picturesque. We saw a helicopter medical evacuation and the Carrera marble mountains. We stopped for lunch at Lucca and ate leftover pizza, tomatoes on crackers and iced tea in the shade of the city walls. It was again very hot! We had a quick look around the walls and then headed off. The drive from La Spezia to Riomaggiore was spectacular with lots of viewpoints. We arrived at Riomaggiore just before five and found a traffic jam. When we got to the front they were not letting anyone in to park, so Raechel rang the hotel and was told ... read more