Cinque Terre, Italia
JUNE 2009
After traveling to Venice and Turin after my university program in Florence was over I made my way over to the Ligurian coast to Monterosso al Mare. My intention was to hike el cinque terre, through each of the five towns from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore in one day. Folks say it takes about 6 hours to go the ~11kilometers, but I don’t recall how long it took me as I took breaks in different towns. And I’m not sure how I heard about this area of Italy, but it turned out to be one of my favorite areas in Italy and was a highlight of my trip to Italy. And.. I claim it as my first international hike.
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al Mare
One of my most favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. Had this as my laptop screensaver for years.
Map of the 5 towns
The path to Vernazza
Vineyards along the seaside trail
Seaside terraces
On the trail to Vernazza
First view of Town #2 -Vernazza
Vernazza
Bella Vernazza
Town #3-Corniglia on the bluff
Corniglia with Manarola in the distance. I remember there were a lot of stairs there.
Town #4 Manarola
You can also take a train from town to town
Easy walk to town #5-Riomaggiore along Lover’s Lane
Love locks on Lover’s Lane
Lover’s Lane
Then once I arrived in Riomaggiore I took a train back to Florence and a day later flew back to the states.
Since hiking this trail a decade ago I have recently read that now you must obtain a ticket and pass through checkpoints along the way. I’m glad I hiked it years ago and had the trail mostly to myself.
