Cinque Terra

Manarola (our flat was located in the light green building in the upper left of the photo)

After returning to La Spezia from Porto Venere, we grabbed a gelato and our roller bags from the hotel, and hopped on the local train to Cinque Terre.  This famous area is about 7 miles of rugged Mediterranean coast line, with 5 villages built into the hillsides.  There seems to be car access to these villages via narrow, winding roads, but the only vehicles we saw inside the towns were delivery vans early in the morning (to stock up all the shops for the busy day ahead).  For most everyone, there are trains, trails, and boats (weather permitting) to move about.  The entire area is a national park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We stayed 3 nights in Manarola, and it worked out very well.  We hiked both full days we were there, first between Manarola and Corniglia, and then between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza.  There's a very famous trail connecting the towns (Sentiero Azzurro), but parts of it are closed due to washouts from severe flooding a number of years back.  It's also very crowded.  So we chose to hike the higher routes, well up the steep hillsides.  In addition to avoiding most of the crowds, these routes utilize some stone roads to visit old sanctuaries and a few small villages.  There were plenty of terraced vineyards and groves of lemon, olive, and fig trees, plus huge views of the coast and villages below.  

Each of the 4 villages we visited were incredibly scenic, with a little harbor and a hodge-podge of steep, narrow, winding pedestrian streets.  There weren't many "must see" items, so we mostly just wandered around following our bliss.  There were lots of little shops and restaurants, and the houses were seemingly stacked on top of one another.  During the day, the towns were all bustling with very large crowds (due to holiday week?), but Manarola, at least, quieted down in the evening and was incredibly scenic and relaxing. 

Manarola (from our window)

Manarola Sunset

Coastline and Corniglia

Manarola

Street, Volastra

Santuario di Nostra Signora della Salute, Volastra

 

Traversing Vineyards

Corniglia

Lonely Dog, Corniglia

Corniglia

Cemetary, Manarola

Quiet Street, Monterossa

Stone road and small sanctuary

Sanctuario Nostra Signora di Savoire (and apparently an inn)

Walkway, Sanctuario Nostra Signora di Savoire

Interior, Sanctuario Nostra Signora di Savoire

Coast and Vernazza

Stairway Detail

Santuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio

Ancient roadway with Statue-filled nooks

Vernazza Waterfront

More Photos

Activities

• Wandering/Sightseeing
• Manarola, Corniglia, Monterosso, Vernazza
• Hiking
• Manarola to Corniglia via Volastra
• Monterosso to Vernazza via the sanctuaries
  

Random Scenes

• On our initial arrival in Manarola, exiting the train was quite an ordeal.  The platform was mobbed, and there was a mad push of humanity to get on the train, while we (and others) were trying to get off.  It made the scene at the Porto Venere dock seem like rookie league!.  Then, the crowds continued down the stairway, under a set of tracks, up another stairway, and several hundred yards through a pedestrian tunnel leading to the town.  It seems that all the day trippers wanted to get back to La Spezia at the same time!  And after waiting who knows how long, the push to get on the train is at least somewhat understandable.  Ah, holiday crowds!

Sleeps 

• Affittacamere San Giorgio (Manarola).  This is what our booking.com history says, but web pictures of it don't look like where we stayed.
  

Noteable Eats

• Manarola
• Nessun Dorma ... excellent wine and light food (meat & cheese plates, bruschetta)
• Too many other good ones to figure out!!