Ditch The High Heels

Cinque Terre is a group of five car-free villages that cover 11 miles (18 km) on the Italian coast between Genoa and Pisa, an area that was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997 and became a national park in 1999. The villages cling to steep cliffs that plunge right into the sea and centuries ago, farmers built terraces supported by dry-stone walls on these slopes to cultivate vineyards. Nowadays, reduction in cultivated land is putting the area at risk because, if the hillsides are not worked, they become unstable and may just slide into the sea. Albeit less, wine production still goes on, and “Sciacchetrà”, a dessert wine, is perhaps the most famous. In local dialect, the name means “press it and forget about it for a long while” and it’s made by allowing the grapes to dry over a long period. This process eliminates much of the grape’s water and concentrates the sugar so this wine is known for it sweetness. And now I feel really proud because I almost sound like a wine connoisseur or someone who’s just swallowed a wine encyclopedia, but those who know me, know that I just can’t stand the taste of alcohol, especially that bitter aftertaste it leaves in your mouth. But Sciacchetrà is different: although the taste of alcohol is quite noticeable, it instantly disappears once you swallow it, leaving a sweet aftertaste, and that was just perfect for me.

All five villages in Cinque Terre are connected by Trail 2 (or Blue Trail) that runs along the coast from Riomaggiore to Monterosso, a trek that takes some 5 hours. You can also take the milk train (so called because it used to deliver milk and mail) that connects all villages. It’s worth getting the Cinque Terre card that includes train transport - it allows unlimited access to all trails and unlimited use of trains/vans. But very important: validate it on the yellow machine by the ticket window before you first use it, otherwise it’s a €50 fine.

The largest and easternmost village is Riomaggiore, also home of the main park office. This medieval village takes its name from Rivus Maior, the river that runs under the main road, and features typical buildings called “case torri” (tower houses), with three or four floors and no more than two rooms per floor. All villages have narrow alleys with countless slopes and steps, so an added benefit of such a Mediterranean vacation is that you also get in shape (provided you don’t collapse from exhaustion first). Even though we arrived without reservations, we lucked out and found an apartment with sea view. The view was stunning, but we had to negotiate 75 steps to get there…it may not sound much, but when you’re carrying a suitcase, it feels like the stairway to hell! So pack light; Cinque Terre is definitely one of the worst places to be if you have a large suitcase.

Right from the train station in Riomaggiore, you can take the Via Dell’Amore (Love Road), the most famous path in Cinque Terre, and one that gets so crowded that there are at times hiker jams. Only 0.6 miles (1 km) in length, it overlooks the sea and legend has it that the path got this name because lovers drew inspiration for their romantic declarations from the beauty of the promenade. I noted several cacti dotting the path and I’m sure that this has some deep philosophical meaning…maybe that the path of love is filled with thorns (am I cynical or what?). At one point on the promenade, there’s a little alcove with the symbol of Via Dell’Amore: a statue of two lovers facing each other. Around it there are several locks that couples place there to represent that their love is “locked” for eternity. I’m sure that it was a lock manufacturer who came up with this concept.

The Via Dell’Amore links Riomaggiore to Manarola, reputedly the town with the most vines. That’s probably true as the vineyards encircle the town and go almost all the way to the top of the hill, some 2,000 ft (600 m) above sea level. Billboards near the harbor show old photos of farmers carrying enormous baskets filled with grapes on their heads and, having almost collapsed carrying my suitcase up and down those slopes/steps, I can’t help but have the highest admiration for the willpower and resilience of those people carrying that weight down those hills every single day during harvest.

Manarola is probably the best town to be at sunset because the sun illuminates it head on. Go past Manarola and continue on as if you were heading for Corniglia; you can stop before the path makes a sharp turn to the right (after which the town comes out of sight) or, for even better views, take the path that runs above the official trail, one that leads to a small cemetery, where you’ll actually find some of the best views. Another path worth taking is the one along the vineyards.

Continuing northwest on the coast, the next village is Corniglia, the only one that sits on an elevation above the sea, reached by climbing 382 zigzagging steps. It sounds worse than it feels, and you actually get to the top before you know it. But if by the time you visit Corniglia, you’re already fed up with all the slopes and steps, just take the green van from the train station straight to the center of town. Corniglia has the lowest population of all five villages and sees less tourists. Although not as charming as Manarola or Vernazza, Corniglia has some of the best views of the region from the Santa Maria Terrace. You can also see all the other four villages from there.

Vernazza, the next village, is the most popular with tourists, perhaps because its main area is very close to the train station and you can get there without climbing any steps. Vernazza has the only natural harbor in the region, and was strategically important during the Republic of Genoa. For that reason, its buildings are more elaborate than those in the other villages and include features such as portals, porticos and arcades. Vernazza’s focal point is Piazza Marconi, a square adjacent to the harbor, filled with restaurant tables. Also by the square is a little beach with black sand, which though not very attractive, beats the pebble or boulder beaches in Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia.

Finally, Monterosso, the resort town of Cinque Terre and the most accessible by car. Of all towns, it is the only one on flat land, has a good stretch of pebble beach, and boasts the best tourism infrastructure with the largest number of hotels. In fact, Monterosso is so developed that for some time during the late 40’s, it was excluded from the Cinque Terre trail because officials thought it was too large. In Monterosso, I saw something that I believed existed only in Fellini movies: women with high heels on the beach! Now I understand why there are signs along Cinque Terre trails pointing out that high heels are not suitable for hiking...