Cinque Terre

Manarola at night

I spent a day and a half in paradise. Cinque Terre is the most relaxing and beautiful place I've ever been! If anyone needs a peaceful getaway - this is your place. 

Bit of Manarola and the vineyards

"The territory of the Cinque Terre is the result of a thousand years of work by peasant farmers who transformed the steep cliffs into fertile terraces for the cultivation of vines and the production of famous wine. The delicate balance between the natural elements and human actions has created a unique scenery, is included in the list of cultural asset belonging to the "World Heritage" appointed by UNESCO." - Exert from a pamphlet.

Lemons are also grown here

Cinque Terre consists of 5 coastal towns along the Mediterranean Sea. The thing to do there is to hike between each town. The views are spectacular and the countryside is beautiful. We stayed in Manarola, which was the prettiest town in our opinion. The first evening we took the train over to Riomaggiore because the trail was closed to that town. After wandering a bit we found some rocks and stretched out to catch a few rays of sun. When we got back to Manarola that night we walked up to the lookout point to get amazing postcard pictures of Manarola at sunset/after dark.

My dream penthouse apartment

Tuesday we set off on our long hike all the way to the other side of Cinque Terre. Unfortunately, the coastal trail was closed between Manarola and Corniglia, so we were forced to take the mountain path that was listed as a 5 hour hike... never again. I have never been so tired in my life. We managed to do the trail in three and a half or four hours, but almost the whole thing was either climbing straight up for climbing/trying not to fall straight down. Killer workout! Thankfully Corniglia had delicious homemade gelato, and we definitely enjoyed some lemon and strawberry gelato. This is for sure the best combination of gelato known to man, especially when its really hot. 

A very picturesque hike. There are flowers everywhere!

From Corniglia we took the train to the far town of Montorroso. Of all the towns in Cinque Terre, Montorroso is the most touristy and our least favorite. Although it was the only town with an actual sandy beach, so its worth something. We were able to take the coastal trail from Montorosso to Vernazza, which was a much easier hike, and actually quite enjoyable. After taking a few pre-sunset photos of Vernazza, we hopped back on the train to go home to our favorite little village, thoroughly exhausted and ready for a hot shower and a bed! The best part of Cinque Terre was the fact that even though it is amazingly beautiful, it still felt like a very sleepy village where everyone knows each other. Of course there are still many tourists, but nothing like most of the places we've been. My only regret is that, yet again, my plans to go cliff diving fell through. Maybe I will just have to wait til I get home!

Manarola at sunset