Liguria, Italy
Cinque Terre
If you come to Cinque Terre looking for off-the-beaten-track bliss, you will find it.
But you’ll have to put in a fair bit of effort.
Maybe on some of its 48 well-beaten tracks.
Riomaggiore red
So, when I say you’ll struggle to find more beautiful vistas anywhere on the planet, what I really mean is “You’ll struggle, and you’ll find some of the most beautiful vistas anywhere on the planet”.
Five picture postcard fishing villages perch precariously on the rugged Ligurian coastline, clinging resolutely to whatever foothold they can grab. Which is more than can be said of much of the hillside. It seems landslides are not uncommon. With classic Riviera flair, the colourful buildings cascade ever so picturesquely down to the tiniest beach and harbour you can picture. Space for just a few boats, a few brave souls diving off rocks and a whole throng of tourists.
Because, while Cinque Terre is relatively unknown in the UK, the cat's out of the bag for whole swathes of visitors; Americans ‘doing’ Europe, Asians on their Tuscany tour, Italians and hikers galore.
Even in late September, the stations in each town more resembled London Tube platforms at rush hour, than the kind of quaint village station I had in mind.
So, the trick to savouring Cinque Terre is to follow a few steps. Well, a few hundred, to be honest.
OK, several thousand.
I hadn’t received the memo about the uniform. So, I set out each morning in my standard painting gear; Panama hat, linen shorts, flip flops, art satchel. Whereas most of Cinque Terre’s visitors were sporting ‘technical wear’; shorts with multiple zips, backpacks with even more zips, fancy walking boots, golfing hats and those poles whose main function seems to be to signal 'I’m taking this pretty seriously', (also useful for ‘elbows out’ claiming of your piece of the trail).
Hats off to them though. I completed one medium-graded walk and was in bed, exhausted, by 9 pm. I woke twelve hours later, still exhausted.
Corniglia perching to perfection
Where you stay is more critical than ever.
Don’t under any circumstances day trip it. It will all end up a blur of logistics, railway stations, pastel colours and perhaps a souvenir.
The towns empty out from late afternoon onwards as the hordes leave, the shadows lengthen, and the first aperitif beckons. The warm orange glow of the buildings matches your sundowner. With a golden hour that unforgettable, who needs a souvenir?
It’s actually rather tricky to find a room here, let alone one you'd relish staying in. I'm afraid many hotels or apartments just look a bit tired and soulless. But in this place it’s outside that really matters. I always say a balcony is delightful, but here it’s downright essential.
Vernazza looking best from outside Vernazza
So, if you’re looking for advice on trekking the Cinque Terre trails, this is not the write up for you. But I can, and will, blather on about finding the bliss without the blisters.
My eyrie was perched several hundred lung-busting steps up in the top echelons of Manarola. The views from its terrace and garden were 180, both in the sense of panorama, and a maximum in darts. Roofs higgledy-piggledyied their way down to the sea. Rows of vines hugged the countours. Over breakfast, walkers slowly picked their way up the slope opposite, eventually reaching my elevation just as I was supping my second uplifting coffee.
But high up, the real hero was the sky. It smiled and scowled, was placid and moody, and all temperaments in between. It glowed deep and ruby long after daytime had been shown the red card. It dusted us with light cloud, then blew it away more or less in an instant. It was wider than the horizon, wilder than the landscape, more wanton than the weather and warmer than the sun. The sea was its foil, silvery, reflective and malleable.
The real hero
Settled into the view, I barely want to move. But my sketchbook wasn’t going to paint itself, and there were five villages to explore.
Wide screen entertainment
Manarola turned out to be my favourite by far. It meanders colourfully down through a gorge. A wing of the village scales a rocky outcrop, peeping through to the station on the other side. When the meandering eventually reaches the sea, Manarola hosts a free theatre show of boats being hoisted in and out of the comically small harbour. From there, the promontory shows off Manarola in wide-angle perspective. Man, that's a view.
Via Dell'Amore
Next door Riomaggiore was also my favourite. It feels more town-like, and has the cutest mini-marina. A bright red corner house by the sea sets the tone, chromatically. Epic Italian fish and chips too, (as good as in Syracuse).
The romantic Via dell’Amore connects these two villages. Described as a trail, it’s a breeze really. Paved all the way, it cuts into the hillside, making it entirely level and doable in ten minutes flat. You will, however, pay handsomely for those ten minutes. The alternative route, number 531, the Via Beccara, is an up and over number, euphemistically described as ‘not for the faint hearted’ and taking about an hour and a half. That one’s free.
Corniglia, in the middle, is also my favourite. She often gets missed out, being several hundred steps up from the station or a couple of hours trek from the next village. She doesn't flirt with tourist so much and is a little shy at showing her best side. So much the better. Once she opens up, she reveals her charisma.
Neighbouring Vernazza would be my favourite, if she weren’t everyone else’s too. Exceedingly pretty, she gets far too much attention, but looks best from a distance.
Which leaves Monterosso. Under normal circumstances he’d be my favourite, but frankly, he’s outclassed by the other talent. Monterosso does however feature a viewing spot where all five contestants in this Ligurian beauty contest line up.
A picture is no doubt emerging here. Each village is enchanting in its own way. Attempting to do more than one a day is sheer madness. A mistake I fear many people make. Beyond simply getting there, each needs to be unwrapped and explored from every angle.
The best view of each village is from the sea. This prized perspective can be scored from the ferry or private boat, or more dramatically, by clambering along rocks and breakwater to the furthest point of solid ground. This is where you’d typically find me most evenings, perched precariously, simultaneously painting and sundowning.
Liquid beauty
There seemed to be about three minutes every evening when the saturation button was pressed. The pastel buildings pinged and radiated dazzlingly against darkening rocks and sky. A few minutes later they faded into dusk. Of course, this moment features on numerous jigsaws, mugs, hoodies, screen savers, and the like, but the reality is firmly Not For Sale.
Just don’t attempt it on a red-flag day, when the sea state is lively.
Bliss without the blisters
Speaking of lively, I must make a case for doing nothing, especially here of all places. Forget the obligation to ‘do’ all five lands and simply enjoy your balcony, rock or clearing amongst the olives. Carry a good book, paints or headphones.
I had Van Morrison’s ‘Days Like This’ in my head the whole time, which felt so appropriate.
That rock may not be the most comfortable, but grounding yourself anywhere in the five lands will give you more high fives than any relaxing sunbed on some manicured beach.
Above all, don’t plan the action-packed two-day or three-day itineraries the entire internet seems to advocate. The number five is a big clue here. Allow Cinque Terre the time to let her magic unfold. You'll need it to escape all the other people like you looking to escape.
While doing just that, I dubbed the notion of being ‘agenda fluid’. A realisation that may just have changed my life.
A Few Links and Practicalities
(Just sharing the love. I absolutely don’t get paid for these.)
Getting there
Train from Pisa, Genoa or Florence airports, or an extension to your Tuscan retreat.
Getting around
This is easy once you’ve figured it out, but may hurt your head as much as your thighs. I’ll try to make it pain free, but brace yourself.
Your options for getting between villages are train, walk or ferry. Only a crazy person (or a local) would drive. Trains take two minutes between villages, walking is measured in hours. Equally crazy.
The whole system encourages you to buy the ‘access all areas’ Cinque Terre card for the duration of your stay. There’s a pricey one with trains included and one without. You really don’t want either. Because you shouldn’t try to visit multiple villages in a day, (unless you’re a crazy person, or a day-tripper - same thing). Just pick your village each day, buy a single train ticket, then either walk back or let the train take the strain.
There are limited exceptions to this rule: Three of the walks have tolls. (All others are free, although definitely not easy). For the Blue Line linking Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia you effectively pay cash at the checkpoint. (Technically, you’re buying a daily Cinque Terre card).
The third is the Via Dell’Amore connecting Manarola and Riomaggiore. Nowhere on earth does mankind make a ten minute walk more complicated. You must book and pay. There are limited 15 minute time-slots, mornings only, and you must walk in the direction Rio to Man. Furthermore, you can only do this if, guess what, you buy a Cinque Terre card and upgrade it. You can book online up to a day ahead. On Sunday morning, the ticket booth had a two-hour queue. As discussed, the Lovers Way is lovely and the way to get between these two villages. You may even find yourself taking it more than once. The solution to this Gordian Knot of a riddle is the residents QR code your accommodation gives you. This entitles you to a discount and unlimited walks, in either direction, until 1 am. You ‘just’ buy a ticket (which is valid for your whole stay) on top of, surprise surprise, a daily Cinque Terre card. Then flash all three bits of paperwork at the checkpoint. I do hope you’ve got all that. There will be a short test to check.
The ferry is a fine way to see the villages, not least for the views from the water. But skip any notion of the all-day all-village pass. There aren’t enough hours and ferries in the day to make it worth doing. You can’t get a ferry to Corniglia anyway, on account of her being 100 meters up a cliff. Simply take one single passage from Riomaggiore to Monterosso, or vice versa. That takes about an hour and will lay on the whole show for you.
Where to stay
While there’s much discussion about which village is the best to stay in, the answer is clearly Manarola … or possibly Riomaggiore … maybe Corniglia if you want somewhere really quiet.
I found one decent hotel room and www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en has done the hard work of picking some of the best apartments.
www.hotelmarinapiccola.com/en is right in the thick of the pointy end of Manarola, but their junior suite delivers sharp styling and the requisite balcony.
Cantina Burasca.
Nice place up in Manarola. Also, a wine tasting room / experience.
Cantina Capellini, Voltara
If you’re up for it, this is the place to taste wine, eat platters and feel like a soaring bird. But I do mean ‘up’. (Don’t click on this link if you’re at all nervous about heights)
www.cantinacapellini.it/en/muvi/?v=a53ed5f9cae8
Trattoria Dal Billy. www.trattoriabilly.com/en
This is the place everyone recommends, and you can see why. Slogan: ‘Where good lobsters die happy’.
Don’t miss;
For all I’ve spooked you about the trails, the (relative) isolation, wide angle views and supreme sense of achievement means you must do at least one. If I can make it in flip flops...
This is pesto and focaccia territory. You know what to do.
If you fancy Cinque Terre, you really must visit Symi.