This weekend Caiden & I made an overnight jaunt to Cinque Terre. I have wanted to do this for months, & the 3 of us actually did visit in February, but that trip coincided with Carnevale di Viareggio. So, instead of hiking the world’s most famous string of 5 pastel-hued seaside towns (Riomaggiore – Manarolo – Corniglia – Vernazza – Monterosso al Mare), we watched a flabbergastingly amazing parade of gargantuan paper-mâché floats along the Liguarian coast. It was a choice well-made as our jaws dropped while our eyes popped, taking in this spectacular annual event.
All the same, I yearned to re-explore Cinque Terre &, once again, walk her hillside. The last time I’d done the all-day hike, from town 1 to town 5, was in 2005 & at the end, unbeknownst to me, a stunning diamond ring & the sweetest question awaited. I was excited to retrace the steps I took with the biggest love of my life, this time with the littlest love of my life, so Caiden & I set out early Saturday morning on the 2-hour drive northwest. We parked our car in Monterosso (considered by most the 5th & ‘final’ town) at around 10:30 am & took a quick “here we go!” snapshot at the trailhead around 11 am, choosing to go a bit backwards-- town 5 to town 1. Caiden & I were fueled with excitement & a quick breakfast from a roadside Autogrill & I carried a small backpack with some snacks & water.
We weaved our way into Vernazza, making the 4 km trek in about 1 hour; we clocked about the same time from Vernazza to Corniglia. Both of these routes are the longest of the 4 segments of trail, but they’re also the least grueling—in terms of steeps & climbs.
Caiden was rewarded for his efforts with an artiginale (handmade) gelato in Corniglia—he chose coco e café (coconut & coffee) flavors; I joined him with a menta e caramello salato (mint chip & salted caramel). We wandered through these first two villages in no particular hurry, delighting in the pinks, salmons, yellows & celestes of the iconic structures that edged turquoise-meets-sapphire-blue, fishing boat dotted waters.
Onward to Manarola! We were both feeling good & as I looked at a map showing the short distance to this next town (& the equally short distance to the last town, Riomaggiore), I was elated—we’d complete our hike long before sundown. We pittered down the Lombard Street of staircases in Corniglia, hustling past the train station & toward the coastal path where we expected to continue our journey. Little did we know that this trail was closed, & actually has been for many years (more on this in a moment). There was fencing, a gate & barbed wire & no possible way to pass these barriers. I was temporarily crushed when I realized we’d have to trudge back up the 318 steps we’d just come down (Caiden counted!) & further crushed when I realized we’d now have to slog up the punishing ‘mountain route’. But, we were determined to achieve our goal & despite a setback (that contributed to the exquisite pain now in my ultra tight, sore calves), we persevered.
I was dumbfounded – literally, speechless at the number of stone “steps” we ascended & in my mind *may* have tossed out a few silent ‘no more g’damn SCALE!!! (steps)’ gripes. It was up, up, up, up, up & piu (more) up, with a halfway reward of exhilarating, panoramic, sea, vineyard & mountain vistas. C & I snuggled together for a timer-photo & cautiously bumbled down the other side.
We’d visited Manarola in February so we didn’t linger too long there. Besides, it would be getting dark soon & we still needed to check into our hotel & a big, gorgeous pasta dinner was shouting our names, too. So, we took the train back to Monterosso, a hair deflated that we hadn’t made town 5 yet, but determined to finish the hike the following day.
Back to the comment about the trails being closed for years… we swung into a great hiking/outdoor shop in Manarola & I ended up chatting with the shop owner (Italian) & his wife (American). They shared that the lower/easiest/waterside paths from Corniglia to Manarola, Manarola to Riomaggiore have been closed for many years. They went on to say that the work needing to be done to repair the trails isn’t terribly extensive & could certainly be achieved, but it seems the government is choosing not to. They stand to make more money when tourists take the train or boats from town to town & dine, shop, eat gelato & so on; through hikers don’t spend the almighty Euro. I found this interesting & sad, at the same time, as they added that now each town sees floods of folks walk in, take their obligatory Instagram selfies & then move along.
Once in Monterosso, Caiden & I dressed for dinner at L’Osteria & shared 2 flawlessly delicious meals: a trofie pasta (a thin, twisty specialty pasta of this region) with pesto (another local specialty) & a beautiful branzino (sea bass) with a simple olive oil, tomato & olive sauce, accompanied by pillow-like roasted potatoes. I paired my meal with a crisp, lovely white Cinque Terre Sassarini.
Sunday morning Caiden & I returned to old town Monterosso as I eyed a couple of closed ceramic shops the night prior (I have a thing for ceramics—much to Steph’s chagrin). They didn’t disappoint & I now have a few more hand-crafted Italian treasures to adorn our Truckee home. :) We then took the train back to Manarola & lumbered up, up, up the hill – again – & down, down, down the hill into Riomaggiore… we did it!! We high-fived & whooped as we completed our hike through Cinque Terre.
I sit here now with wildly aching buns & calves, but even moreso in deep awe of my son. No longer is he a child where I have to worry about his fatigue, boredom, hunger or thirst. That kid was up to the challenge & honestly, leading the charge the entire way. There wasn’t a single “are we there yet” or “how much longer”. Instead, there were ooohs & aaahs, he took so many photos & even said at one point the scenery was almost “too much” – too much color & beauty to fully absorb. I’m also reminded of how powerful getting outdoors, getting away from our phones & technology & social media, the news, etc. can significantly replenish a soul. I was, as of Friday morning, starting to feel the familiar pangs of anxiety at Italy’s rising Covid numbers as wave II sweeps through & there’s talk of another lockdown. Beyond the dread of being chained to the inside of our home for indefinite weeks, I feel even greater grief at the prospect of schools closing & these children being tethered to a g’damn computer again. It is NOT right & beyond unhealthy for students to “learn” this way—without connection or social interaction, cooped up with a, sometimes, dejected homeschool teacher, aka parent.
Caiden & I have now topped up our happiness buckets & we stand ready to travel the road ahead. Folks: in the face of these unfathomably difficult times (Covid, ‘numbers’, distance learning, social distancing, masks, lockdowns, sheltering in place, BLM, RGB, fires, politics & so on), remember to unplug, both literally & metaphorically. The less chatter you read, the less you engage, the more you get outside, the more you delight in the simplest pleasures with your people, the sooner you’ll remember, in the words of my very wise cousin, that we “WILL find our way to the end of this very long tunnel” someday, somehow.
I’ve always wanted to go to Cinque Terre. So glad you’ve been able to do it multiple times! Enjoy your photos! They are beautiful!