Chinque Terra Hike

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An early start today - breakfast at 7:15 and it was surprisingly good given our exptectations of the hotel and Genova in general. The weather in Genova was a bit iffy, and we were hoping it would be nicer in Cinque Terre.

What we had discovered last night was that we were staying at the wrong end of the La Spezia - Genova stretch to access Cinque Terre. La Spezia is about 20 mins from CT, Genova is 2 hrs! Need to do more careful research next time.

In any case, we arrived in Riomaggiore - the eastern-most of the 5 towns - and started to look for accommodation. After being told there were no vacancies at the first few agencies, we were greatly relieved to secure a room for tomorrow and the following night. Now we could relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

First order of business was lunch - assorted focaccia which was a welcome change to ham and cheese or salami rolls for me. Then we set off on the trek towards Monterosso.

The weather had turned out to be perfect again - clear blue skies a perfect backdrop to the stunning vistas we would see during the walk. The main walking track links each of the 5 towns that comprise Cinque Terre. The tracks that join Riomaggiore to Corniglia via Manorola are quite easy and relatively level, aside from a climb up 28 flights of stairs when you reach Corniglia. The next section, to Vernazza is more difficult, with a few steep climbs and falls. Finally, the track to Monterosso is the most difficult, with several steep climbs and in places a very narrow track to navigate. After leaving Riomaggiore shortly after 12, and some stops in the towns to look for souvenirs and - of course - a gelato, we arrived in Monterosso shortly before 6pm.

The views along the walk are absolutely stunning! The trail climbs from sea level to moutain sides several times along the way, which give breath-taking views of the coast line, the vineyards and the towns themselves as you approach. From several vantage points along the way, you can see not only the neighbouring towns, but the towns futher along the coast as well. I've never done a hike as visually impressive as this before - I'd highly recommend it to anyone visiting Italy.

Each of the towns has its own personality - some seemingly more touristy than others. Vernazza, for example, has a small swimming beach and had the most people. Monterosso was larger, but I think the fact that it is the most difficult to access via the walking track, and that we had arrived closer to 6pm, was the reason there were less people there.

The "beaches" here are simply small areas with less rocks. The "sand" is mostly black, ground rocks and pebbles. The water is surprisingly "dirty", or rather littered with debris and I suspect boat fuel residue. Regarldess, it looks inviting after a day of trekking up and down mountains and there was no shortage of people in the water. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the chance to go for a swim? There are also no waves here - even on the larger open beaches we passed on the train to/from Genova. I guess that explains why there's no Italians winning the world surfing championships!

We strolled around Monterosso for a short time - I grabbed a beer and sat down waiting for Karina to scout out somewhere to eat and browse the souvenir shops. We decided on a small pizzerria where we could sit outside and enjoy a pleasant evening. The pizzas were very good, and reasonably priced, and we left quite satisfied.

We soon found the station and caught the train back to our hotel in Genova. It seemingly crawled the whole way - agonising in very uncomfortable seats. Finally we made it back, and after a hot shower decided to forego any TV and get a well-deserved early(ish) night.

Tomorrow we pack up and head back to Riomaggiore!

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