CINQUE TERRE: FINDING THE WAY OF LOVE
Cinque Terre, meaning “Five Lands”, is a rugged portion of coast along the Italian Riviera comprised of five villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.
All five, the coastline and the hillsides that surround them, are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
There are two ways to explore these villages, depending on how much time you have. If you intend to see all five in a day, you can get to each town by train, then explore a few sights on foot, but if you have a couple of days to spare, the best way would be to get from one village to the next using the hundreds of walking trails in the mountains connecting them. The striking scenery and views of the beaches below will surely make it worth your while.
Riomaggiore
The first village on the La Spezia side, its town center is separated from the railway station and the wharf by tunnels. The famous Way of Love starts the moment you alight from the train and weave your way through a beautiful maze to the Old Town and to its famous wharf, which has been the subject of hundreds of stunning photos. I stood for some time at my perch on this wharf, watching people wander around, filling up the cafés, heading down to the beach, paddling canoes, sunbathing on the rocks, oblivious to onlookers and hordes of tourists like me just staring - amazed at the sight before our eyes. There was so much color, so much brilliance, so much life.
We then hiked up to the Castle and Sanctuary of Montenero. The walking trail to get there, the Riomaggiore Ring, is one of the most scenic walks I have ever taken.
Manarola
Our second stop, had its town center accessible from the train station through a beautifully designed tunnel. Built on a high rock 70 metres above sea level, it is made up of steep narrow alleys and has a famous bell tower, which used to be a post where one could keep watch for pirate raids.
As you head up the hill to behold the famous rows of colored houses perched on the cliff on the opposite side, you cannot help but smile and bask in the feeling of blessedness, because of where you are at that moment. The viewing deck carved into the mountains is the perfect vantage point for one of the most popular views from this area of the world. It is even more spectacular in the summer when the sun beams down on the vibrantly colored roofs that seem to sparkle all the more. For this view alone, I am sure Manarola is a favorite among visitors.
The happy vibe here was infectious, and as we headed back to the town center, we saw a sign outside a café advertising free tasting of its house wine with an order of its specialties. We decided to try it out and found out that the owner had five kinds of wine for us to taste. After the third one, we got up to leave, as we had a long day ahead - only to realize that we had offended our host, he felt that we did not like his wine because we left in a huff. Lesson learned. These places are not meant for one to rush through.
Corniglia
The third stop was a crucial one. For those like us who had just a day to see all five, it is the midpoint, decide here if you’re going forth or returning back. Corniglia’s location makes it very tempting to just turn back, since the moment you alight from the train, there is nothing remarkable within your line of vision.
It is the smallest and the highest of the five villages. Since it is on the opposite side of the track, there is no beach. Visitors have to wait for the bus or drive their own car up the hill. The view up there was breathtaking and with lesser people around, we were able to just relax and take it all in.
Other hidden treasures of Corniglia are its churches, the Church of St. Peter, the Chapel of Saint Catherine and the Sanctuary of our Lady of Graces. I entered one and had the place all to myself
Vernazza
Our fourth and my favorite stop, was this pretty town that had mostly been rebuilt after massive flooding in 2011. Upon entering the town center, a huge photo depicts how much damage the floods did to the area with a short chronicle of how the town got back on its feet.
Walking through the cobblestoned streets, the sight of colorful laundry hanging from windows seem like welcome banners. Many stores sell all a tourist desires and more. Here, we were unable to resist the much loved gelato. Italian gelato is richer in taste if eaten in Italy. But then maybe, that’s just my imagination maximizing the moment of sweet sinfulness!
When we approached the coastline, it was literally like walking into a postcard. It was so beautiful, that I actually took a step back and was tempted to tell the others to just go on to the next town and leave me to catch the sunset. But thankfully, we all felt the same way, so we stayed a little longer than planned. We even got adventurous and THURSDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2017 climbed the huge, smooth boulders on one part of the shoreline to get better photos.
Monterosso
Our last stop, the largest and the oldest village, was the most modern of them all. With the largest beach in the region, it boasts of a coastline dotted with private homes and resorts. We got there after sunset, and from where I stood, I could see the lights from the other villages illuminating the cliffs.
At dinner, we all agreed that the best way to explore Cinque Terre was to do so at leisure, to get a feel of how the locals lived. If we had to do it all over again, we would explore the five towns at leisure in three days. Walk the trails and take the train alternately, and stay the night wherever we wanted.
As we held up our glasses to toast to the day that passed, we knew we left part of our hearts in this gem of a place. There is much to see beyond photos, the people whose families have lived here for centuries have stories to tell. Next time, I shall sit down with them, taste more of their wine, swap stories, watch the sunset and spend the night.
Life is too short to be rushing through such beauty.