On one ambitious day we decided to take on the tourist-overrun villages of Cinque Terre. We were told by locals that the tourist volumes were already surpassing peak summer numbers, given this was the first season “after” COVID-19 where travel has really taken off again. We did find at times we were walking in step with hordes of other travellers from one spot to the next; but, we still found the beauty of the towns shined through.
Short little train rides took us from one town to another. This was Elia’s highlight – standing on the platform waiting for that first peek of headlights in the tunnel and that first whirr of the train nearing. She jumped and squealed in excitement as the train whizzed by, ruffling her hair with a little gust of wind, and made sure she waved the entire time. This made these short transits, which might otherwise be seen as an inconvenience, an exciting focal point of our day.
Vernazza
We began our day in Vernazza, the busiest of the villages and most well known. It is often recognized as the most beautiful of the “five villages”, and even one of the most beautiful in all of Italy.
It has a lively waterfront lined with pretty pastel-coloured homes and bright fishing boats. Overlooking the town is a castle ruin and a little church. Narrow staircases and alleyways going every which way take you somewhere new to explore.
The town is a true “fishing village” and still continues production of fishing, olive oil and wine. Though nowadays, most of the revenue comes from tourism.
Manarola
Manorola is a village set into a steep cliff with a rugged coast and layers of colourful homes. The best way to appreciate the town is from a footpath along the coast that looks back toward the village and the water. There was a single tree along this path with a bench which we got lucky enough to snag to have a shaded lunch.
Riomaggiore
Of all the villages, Riomaggiore felt the most “lived in”. Wandering around, I felt more like I was walking in a town where people live, work, and play in, and less like I was only amongst tourists.
Monterosso
We ended our day in Monterosso, the largest of the five towns. What stands out most about this village is its flatness and its long sandy beach. While the other towns seem to forcefully squeeze themselves into a small crevice carved into a cliff, this town seems to have all the space in world to stretch and sprawl.
Colourful beach umbrellas and chairs made the coast all the more charming, and though we arrived too late in the day to enjoy the sea, we still enjoyed a waterfront stroll serenaded by the romantic sing-songs of peddlers.
Our exciting day ended here with dinner at a tiny but delicious pizza restaurant. They managed to fit our large group of 7 into a table for 4, and we stuffed our mouths with the tastiest pizza all the while sweating in the non-air conditioned restaurant with it’s fiery pizza oven. It was wonderful!
