I Left My Heart… in Cinque Terre

When planning this trip we debated whether or not we would return to Cinque Terre. It is a two hour train ride from Lucca. Two hours there…two hours back….There are beach areas closer than that… To be fair, Lucca has a vibrant community, sweeping mountain view’s, nearby attractions under two hours such as Florence and  Pisa,…Is it worth the travel time?….We’re doing it!

The first time we went to Cinque Terre,

( with great friends) was in 2014. It was our biggest surprise location, not a check off the museum, see the statues kind of place. In a trip to Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, and London, it was charming and jaw-droppingly beautiful, and un pretentious. When we were leaving, we wondered  -perhaps we’ll maybe never come back here, but so glad we came. That thought lasted until we got to our next stop.

Well spoiler alert… we have returned since and loved it even more the second time- so three’s the charm! We’re doing this!

The Lucca train station is a nice walk from our apartment.

We are beginning to recognize a few fellow travelers who are staying in the area and are also venturing to the day trip locales. The trip to Cinque Terre is a three train event. Lucca to Viareggio(easy peasy), Viareggio to La Spezia, (no problem), La Spezia to Cinque Terra( choose the town you wish to start in… we decide Corniglia)(ta da. You arrive). In some instances you arrive in track 3 and leave on track 4 which literally shares the same platform. At other stops you check the board, scramble down the sottopassaggio (underground passage) and up the stairs again to track 6 or 7. Occasionally you hear the announcement that the train x arriving on track y is now arriving on track z! We try to understand the Italian before the English translation is read. A very British sounding man repeats the notification the #train for -insert a very Italian sounding man who names the towns – British guy finishes out the message… we are getting better at figuring it all out. The ride today through to Corniglia is wonderful. The time flew by as the towns, farms, mountains flew by.

When you near Cinque Terre, the train speeds into a dark tunnel. Suddenly you pop out to a brilliant sun sparkling off turquoise and aqua blue water. Your eyes barely have time to register what you are seeing before you plunge back into darkness again. We are almost there!

Corniglia is the smallest of the five towns. It is a little hamlet set high up on the hill rather than right at the shore.

We leave the train and follow the crowd making their way up the stairs that zig zag up a steep incline to the village. There is a momentary crush as the passengers from the train ascend the stairs along the hillside, but views of the beautiful Ligurian Sea calling to be photographed and levels of fitness, soon space the crowd along the way. At the top, the village of Corniglia welcomes. Fresh citrus in baskets along with varieties of peaches, adorn the doorways of the little shops. Some shops are so small, you really have to pass through sideways in one door, passed the merchandise and out the doorway on the other end. The lemons, a hallmark of Cinque Terre, are the size of small football. A group of visiting students gasp and giggle at the sight

High a top the Hill of Corniglia, you can see Manarola jutting out into the Ligurian Sea to the left, a collection of creamy lemon, amber, coral and turquoise houses clustered along a rocky coast, Monterosso to the far off right with a grouping of colorful beach umbrellas dotting the sandy beach coast and
closer inlet, barely visible,  is the beautiful Vernazza with its tower on a little peninsula.
We pause to drink it all in( and to literally drink in a little H2O before hiking our way along the rocky trail up and down into Vernazza.

It is a beautiful day. The sky is clear and deeply blue. The sun glinting off the water is almost blinding but beautiful. The ferry that also travels to each of the towns is laden with passengers. A few smaller boats zip along. The trail is busy but like the zig zag stairway the people pace out and it is still a nature-filled experience.

We have done some of the trails before. Years ago, some flooding and storms washed out some of the trails. They are still working on the stretch from Manarola to Corniglia.

Since our last visit, some additional netting has been installed to catch rocks that may fall in certain cliff face areas. There are stretches of olive groves along the trail. The path is rocky, sometimes loose and gravelly, sometimes smooth but uneven. The path climbs up and up,stairs cut into rock.

At times the path is narrow and passers must yield to allow another in the opposite direction. There is that fleeting rush as you squeeze tight or pass closer the the cliff’s edge.Far above the path are small clusters of homes up in the hill tops. This time, the vegetation has changed. Nearly mid-September the cactus plants which have grown considerably since we were here last, are blooming with a fruit that looks a little like a large red apple or pomegranate.

 

We finally come to the point we are reaching Vernazza. This is our favorite town.  Just as the trail enters the village, a restaurant is nestled in the cliffside. We decide to enjoy the view and rest a little. Not only is lunch delicious-lots of fresh seafood and spaghetti, but we also see that the little  beach that formed after floods came through and broke through the stone wall, is active again. While we enjoy our meal, we decide to swim here in Vernazza.

 

Down the hill into the center of town there is a lane that leads to a cave.

There is light on the other side and as you pass through the opening you come out on a small beach area. People sunbath on the smooth rocks that crop the cliff leading down. There is no sand, just various sizes of smooth stones forming the shore. The water is glorious, cool and crystal clear. It has a salty taste and the buoyancy of the ocean.

It is dotted with rocks which can provide a place to stand but treading water and floating is the order of the day. In the water we can look up and see the table where we enjoyed lunch. After a long soak in the sea we seat on the beach to dry off. We had planned to take the train to Manarola, but decide on such a beautiful day as this, the ferry is a better option. The ferry could take us all the way to La Spezia but we want to stroll Manarola before we return.

Manarola has a small port. There are many boats and more of a crowd in the small pier area. Just off to the right, the area for swimming is set off by the cliffs. The bold climb to the top of the first outcropping and dive into the crisp water below. New arrivals from the ferry ooh and ahh at sight.

Soon it is time to make our way back home.(to Lucca!). It was a wonderful day. The train back to Lucca is full with many traveling through to at least Viareggio. We replay the day, read, observe our fellow passengers…. Trip back to Cinque Terre- definitely worth the ride!