We were staying in the first village: Riomaggiore. We would skip the next village of Manarola and take a train to Cornilia, from there we would hike to Vernazza. Then, take the train to the last village, Monterosso. From Monterosso, we could take a ferry all the way back to Manarola. This way we could see all 5 villages in one day.
So with new game plan in place, we set out! We had pretty well explored our little village already, but we took our time walking through the main street and taking in all of the sights.
Behold, Riomaggiore:
The village of Corniglia is known for it's high elevation. Visitors must climb 365 stairs (one for each day of the year, as they say) to reach the 'city center'. Corniglia was really cute. We bought a bag of cherries from a little market to snack on as we explored the narrow carruggio (this is the italian word to describe the enchanting little alley ways) and her beautiful church. Then, we headed in search of the trail to Vernazza and picked up some gelato for the hike.
The majestic, Corniglia:
The majestic, Corniglia:
The hike to Vernaza was a little higher on the 'challenging' scale. (I also wore a very poor, albeit cute, choice of shoes). There had been some rain in the days prior to our arrival in the villages, so some of the steep steps were slippery or washed over in mud. Totally worth the views, though.
Vernazza was a charming village. It seemed to be a bit more touristy with souvenir shops replacing the markets along the main street. The harbour offered serene views to the restaurants placed around it. We had, yet another, 'tutti fritti' (a cone of lightly battered, fried seafood - aka a cone of heaven) and our first slice of real italian pizza. It was all phenomenal in case you were wondering. We almost took a water taxi to Monterosso, but figured it would be better to take one from Monterosso to Manarola instead and see more of the villages from the sea. So, we hurried along to catch the next train.
Vernazza, the enchanting:
Monterosso, if I had to choose, was my least favorite of the 5 villages. Don't get me wrong, it was still gorgeous! But, the parking lot near the beach, lined matching lounge chairs and umbrellas, really took away from this village's natural beauty. If you are not looking for an airbnb or hostel, this is the village for you with multiple mini-resort-style hotels. We explored a bit more and decided to find that water taxi for our last village. Unfortunately, by this point, the winds and waves had begun to pick up and it was too dangerous for the taxi's to enter and dock in the small harbors. Alas, we took the train.
The beautifully discovered, Monterosso:
Manarola seemed like the smallest of the villages to us; it felt very welcoming and quaint. We strolled through her alleys and found our way to the shore. Manarola had one of the best views of the sea! The water was a rich blue color, even considering the weather and the tide. We took the path around the harbor to get a different view of the village and found an awesome ledge where people could jump into the sea and easily climb back onto the seawall. We didn't jump, although we heavily considered it.
Manarola the magnificent:
We hopped on the train back to Riomaggiore and enjoyed one last seafood dinner in Cinque Terre while listening to the waves crash and watching the sunset. (Ahhh, take me back!) By the way the food was AMAZING. We had mussels as an appetizer, lobster gnocchi for our 'primi' (first course) and fish for our main dish. Daniel had Tuna and I honestly cant remember what the server called mine, but it was by her recommendation and is also now by my recommendation. If we're being honest we could've thrown in the towel after the lobster gnocchi, but we had to get dessert! Let me tell you, if you ever think you don't have room for authentic tiramisu - you are wrong.
And so ended our stay in the Cinque Terre, (However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't look up real estate when we got back home.) We were off to Rome after breakfast the next day!
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