Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera

Cinque Terre –  Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Mararola and Riomaggiore

Within the high rugged seaside cliffs of the Italian Riviera are five villages of Cinque Terre, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Mararola and Riomaggiore nestle like fairy tale villages.  The homes of their citizens cling to the steep landscape together with their vegetable gardens and olive groves, merge naturally into the uneven terrain.

Each town has their own medieval story with ruins of castles, narrow streets and pirates.  Each are incredibly beautiful.  They remind me of story book kingdoms with a cascade of coloured houses of ochre, pale pinks, greens and yellows that are piled high as the cliffs rise out of the sea.   The contours of the cliffs are impossibly farmed with vines, olives, vegetable gardens, goats and chickens.

The Streets of Cinque Terre

From the Ocean

Arriving at one of the towns and taking your first stroll along their steep, old colourful streets is amazing enough, but nothing compares to catching a ferry from one village to the next.  It is only then when you appreciate the geography and beauty of Cinque Terre from a distance.  My memory of this moment was the crisp sea water spray from the ferry boat across my face as I saw, for the first time, the tiny hamlet Riomaggiore.  I sat on the deck outside with my chin on the side railing of the boat and starred at a dream that was real.

Apart from the colourful houses, my most vivid memories of my visit are the long sandy beaches of Monterosso, the tiny port of Vernazza surrounded by pastel houses, restaurants and bars.  The olive groves that grow up the steep terrace that produce, some say, the best olive oil in all of Italy.  The 70m rock cliffs of Mararola with its tiny harbour below complete with fishing boats that are lifted from the water by crane to the top of the cliff when the water is rough or need repair.

The Lone Trumpeter

Monterosso trumpeter

The lone trumpeter of Monterosso.

Monterosso train station audience.

Monterosso train station audience.

In Monterosso, we were treated to a serenade by a loan trumpeter there to entertain travellers waiting for a train to the next village.  He was perched on a terrace above the station where the acoustics of the terrain made a perfect studio as his music reverberated off the cliff walls to his audience below.  When he finished his serenade, his train station audience cheered and clapped his wonderful entertaining performance.  One of my most vivid memories.

 

 

The ferry runs regularly and stops at each town on the coast.  From memory, the fairy returns every hour so you can move to the next town or return home to your chosen hamlet.

Each town in Cinque Terre is connected by rail and a unique (and challenging) network of well- maintained footpaths.  If you visit after rain, be sure to check the condition of the walking trails at the local tourist office.

Monterosso

I chose to stay in the largest town of the five, Monterosso which is a little busier than the other towns which why I wouldn’t normally stay there, but I visited in April before the crowds arrived in June to July and wanted a bit of life around me.  Things get very quiet in this part of the world during winter and the shoulder seasons.

       

 

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