Riomaggiore from the water
This is the continuation of our journey around northern italy. Earlier post on Val d'Aoste here.
Oct 6, 2014
Earlier this month, my wife and I walked several of the trails connecting the towns of the Cinque Terre, or "five lands" on the Ligurian Sea on the coast of Italy. The Cinque Terre cities have existed for centuries, but were relatively isolated from the rest of Italy and each other prior to construction of a train line in the 19th century. The small fishing villages are perched on cliffs overlooking the sea or nestled in valleys that leads to the sea.
We started our trip in the city of Riomaggiore, the southernmost city of the five.
The evening before our walk between villages, we climbed up to an old fortification and were treated to a full moon rising over an ancient "Santuario" (more on that later) as the church bells chimed. Each morning and evening, at 7.
http://youtu.be/9EQpcLAbZk4
overlooking the sea from near the old fort:
later that night down near the marina:
The next day we set out to walk between the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola, the next town North. It's normally an easy 30 minute stroll on the "lover's walk", a paved trail along the oceanfront, but a storm devastated the coastal communities in 2011 and many sections of the trail have been damaged and are still closed. The route between the towns is still short, but requires climbing a steep headland to Manarola in the next ravine.
The trail starts in the middle of town.
and within minutes your are out of town and looking up at the terraced hillside you have to climb.
Grapes are the big commodity here, as they have their own DOC (controlled destination of origin), or wine growing region. They also make a popular desert wine called Sciacchetrà that is enjoyed by many locals and tourists alike.
So up the ancient pathway through the terraced vineyards
to great views of town
and the sea
The trail weaves through private property at places. Imagine the value of an ancient grape vineyard overlooking the ocean!
At the top it really opens up and you can see the tiny town dwarfed by the massive hills plunging into the blue water
This way
We crest the ridge and you can see more villages higher in the hills. That across the way is the tiny hamlet of Volastra. Our destination is in the bottom of the valley below it.
It was so fun to walk along the old terraces. It is hard to imagine how many generations have tended these plots of land.
Okay, down we start. Where are we going?
Ah, there it is! Manarola.
Zoomed out a bit, you can see the trail.
The trail in places was nearly vertical, many steps, some large down the steeper side of the headland until you arrive in the center of the small village. You walk through some "backyards" and just like that you're in town.
old arch
We walked a few feet down to the marina, looking back at the buildings in town:
The trail continues from here along the cliffs at the sea's edge towards the next town, Corniglia. You can walk a little further from town, but that section of trail is also closed from the storm damage. As you walk you can see some cool plants and rock formations of this coastal area.
This paper like rock flow;
close up reminded me of a cow patty
Occasionally you see these memorials along the trail:
We walked a little further and came to the end of the line:
Here you can see the trail continuing along the cliffs, but you can't access it as of yet.
Supposedly they are working on opening it back up. Nothing happens quickly in Italy, so it'll probably be a few years still.
We took a break to enjoy the water and the sunny day here in this beautiful spot on the water. Can you spot the little crab?
We had lunch in Manarola and then caught a ferry back to Riomaggiore and went swimming.
The water was nice, but the beach left something to be desired for our feet!
Local "art"
I wonder if Casey Nocket "was here"?
Went back into town through the narrow passages.
They were built narrow to protect the townsfolk from raiding pirates from the North of Africa. All the homes have a front & rear entrance, and some have connecting passages under the ground as well.
Communing with the locals:
There were many "village kitties".
About the "Santuarios" or Sanctuaries, there is at least one historic church in the hills high above all 5 cities in the Cinque Terre. There is also a trail connecting them all, fittingly called "The Sanctuary Trail". We were able to visit several of these sanctuaries on our trip, but for this report I'll just include the one I visited on this same day, the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Montenerro. Now I am not necessarily a religious person, but one can't help but be fascinated by these old structures, their locations, and their state of preservation.
To get to this one, you must climb (surprise) hundreds of steps to the highest point overlooking the town. This type of site designation is often the case as you would expect from a medieval civilization where nothing was more important, central or more powerful than the church. In case you forgot the daily bells would remind you. If that didn't work, you had only to look up and there you would see it looming above you.
Typical view climbing towards the Sanctuary
Some bedsprings repurposed as a gate:
Hey, this was an isolated place. Gotta use anything you can find!
To know you are on the trail, look for the red and white stripes.
I was gasping for breath, my legs absolutely burned! I was hurrying to make it before sunset.
Getting closer
Finally at the top!
I turned around and, oh yeah, there's a church up here, but NO ROAD!
I hurriedly snapped a few pics as the sun set, realizing I had to go all the way down before it became dark, but trying not to care at a time like this.
It was an incredible vantage point. You could see in pretty much all directions, as I'm sure that was the point.
I closed out the evening running down a gentler path from the top that led through vineyards, terraces and neighborhoods all the way back to the center of Riomaggiore.
Fancy filter:
What a magical place! My impressions overall of the Cinque Terre is that it's a special place for sure, but it is being loved to death. You've seen it in movies perhaps, it's been written about by everyone from Rick Steves to myself. Even in October, the towns were absolutely overrun by throngs of tour groups from every corner of the world. The locals are burned out and avoid the town center. Merchants, while happy to have your dollar, seem mostly annoyed at the 20 minute interval crush of visitors that arrive with every train, ferry or group of thru hikers.
This dual reality of the past and the present that these towns are mired in made me sad and I couldn't help but question their future. I suppose that is the nature of the world today, and I'm sure it will no doubt continue as recreation and tourism become larger parts of the economy in many places. But those are questions for another day. Hope you enjoyed!
We will send the SAR Police after you!