Cinque Terre, Italy

We left our home away from home for the Cinque Terre adventure in the early morning. We had about 2 hours drive to get to the destination. When researching about this Italian paradise we figured that parking can be troublesome. During busy seasons it is limited to locals and those with hotel reservations. To avoid all the hassle of parking we left our car in the parking garage next to the train station in La Spezia (one of the closest towns to the Cinque Terre) and bought our all day train tickets.

This girl is ready for the short train ride (about 6 miles stretch for all 5 towns). Its so great to see her grow and get more independent every time we travel.

Here is the link to Rick Steven’s must watch Cinque Terre youtube video. I could hardly wait to visit the place after watching it.

Cinque Terre (five lands) is located along Italian Riviera and consists of five small towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. As much as we hoped to see all five towns, we simply didn’t get to do so in one day. This traffic free area is known to have the most relaxing tourists and we were no different. We wanted to stop and savor the beauty and the atmosphere of this paradise-like place every few steps we took.

Our first stop was in Riomaggiore. We walked from the train station along the seafront trail to the main street of the town. The weather was just perfect, about 75 degrees. Although the trails are known to get packed with tourists, it was nothing like that for us as it was still early in the morning. The towns and trails can get really busy between 10am and 6pm due to cruise ships (not supported by many locals), so early morning and evening are the best times to enjoy these wonder lands. On our first walk we met an older couple who lives few miles away from where we live in U.S.A. Talking about “small world”.

Once we got to the Via Colombo (the main street) we were ready for a snack. And, there it was, mamma mia! We couldn’t walk by this quick-take-out restaurant without getting variety of seafood snacks sold in cones. Freshly made calamari, anchovies, fish & chips made it a perfect snack or more like a meal for the harbor picnic just down the hill.

 
The first picture below it the picture I took of an advertising board in the pedestrian tunnel that leads to the harbor. The pier on the picture is where we enjoyed our snacks. We were so busy enjoying “the moment” and the yummy food, I didn’t even bother to take a picture. I enjoy the moments I can forget about technology. This was definitely the time to take pictures with my own eyes and make memories. Not until we were finished eating and getting ready for our next stop, I figured I was missing my phone. Ready for the worse, I headed back to where we came from looking for my “treasure” which had all the pictures of our trip so far. Not stressing out at all . 🙂 The minute I got to the mamma mia dinner I saw my phone laying on the counter. I couldn’t thank the owners enough!! What a relief. My phone was returned to the restaurant owners by people who were using the outdoor table right after us. As I like to say, there will always be great people out there!!

I will never forget our incident with the camera 10 years ago when my sister, our two girlfriends, and I visited Mexico for the first time and lost (or got robbed) our photo camera in one of the water parks. Worse things can happen, but we couldn’t believe that it really happened to us after such remarkable photo shoots and video captures of our adventures in the previous few days. Our solution was to come to the same park in the next few days for capturing more memories. 🙂 Good old days!!

Well, this time I was blessed to have my phone back but would definitely choose to come to this place again. Maybe one day!

Next stop was Monterosso. We decided to go there next because of the beach. Refreshing water and sand were exactly what we needed for a mid-day break.

Mid-day was a little hot for us. We did find a shadow for Ashley to play in. Our little princess loves playing with sand. The water was too cold for me but Vitaliy didn’t miss a chance to swim.

Off to Vernazza next. While sitting in one of the town’s squares, we witnessed a funeral of a local citizen and found out about his life story. The elderly gentleman was bedridden for many years.

An interesting fact I’ve learned about the Cinque Terre region is that all properties here are locally owned and the colors of the buildings are regulated by the local government.

Exploring the Castle (Castello Doria) was on our to do list as well. The way to the castle was trough a set of steep steps called carrugi  (the picture below) but the view from the castle was really worth the hike up the stairs.

We still had the energy to climb up the tower for even better views.

We briefly stopped in Corniglia and walked through the town to the viewpoint at the end of town. Bus shuttle from and to the train station was included in the cost of the train tickets.

I couldn’t ask for a better sunset scenery. We all loved this perfect summer weather in October and wished we stayed in Cinque Terre for a little longer. Well, maybe next time. ☺️

A must tip to remember when using a train to get around Cinque Terre is that not all the trains stop in each of the five towns. Rick Steves guidebook had clear instructions but we were not too worries even if we would miss a stop as the rides are really short and we could always come back or switch trains if need be. The Information desk at the La Spezia train station where we bought our all day train tickets had the instructions as well.

On our way back we stopped again in Riomaggiore as this town had good choices for dinner. We also stopped by in one of the grocery stores where I picked up some pesto souvenirs to take home.

Another day to never forget. What a special place given by God for people to enjoy. If God lets, my wish is to come back to this place again and explore this region by hiking between the towns which is the must experience in the Cinque Terre.

“O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.” Psalm 104:24