As Styx (a band from the 70’s – “mature” folks will understand) said in their song, The Grand Illusion, “Don’t be fooled by the radio, TV, or the magazine.” Today, that translates to “…by YouTube, Tik Tok, or the latest blog.” Sometimes what you see and what you hear isn’t what you encounter. It might be more or less, but it is probably different. Cinque Terre, a beautiful, UNESCO World Heritage site along the Northern Italian Coast, is a prime example. Some sites talk about seeing it in a day, others suggest a week. Both are valid. But to understand and digest takes a little while. Thus, this post will be in two parts, primarily divided by day (not area or experience.) The first post will talk about plans and our trip up the coast – primarily by train. The subsequent discussion will focus on our walk back. But before I begin, I will set the stage with where we (Later Gap Travelers) are and what we (The Aitkin Extranjero and spouse) found.
Getting Ready – Know Before You Go
As a Later Gap Traveler, you need to evaluate what you read, and recognize who you can believe. Everyone remembers and recounts tales and adventures a little differently. Some articles and information are from sources that are not like us. The writers might be younger and uber-active, life-long globetrotters, individuals who have “gone native” and lived in an area for years (decades), or be part of the tourism industry. Also, many writers try to put a positive spin on things – heaven help someone who traveled somewhere that everyone else raves about and found it a little less than expected. Thus, blogs, Trip Advisor ratings, and fellow traveler or local friends’ recommendations are a great place to start, but you should take those all with a grain of salt.
There are some fantastic blogs and advice columns on Cinque Terre, a few examples include: Cinque Terre Insider, Along Dusty Roads, Geeky Explorer, Cinque Terre (IT), Michelle Damiani, The Blond Abroad – and those were just the first few returns we found in our Google search to begin planning what to see, where to stay and where to eat. We had also been there once before, several years ago with some friends. So with the plethora of advice and suggestions from the world wide web, our previous knowledge and experience, and suggestions from some new friends, we figured we were well informed and ready for a long weekend trip to the Five Lands (English translation). However, similar to our initial idea of moving abroad, for our Later Gap adventure, what we thought we learned and remembered didn’t perfectly match the reality of our experience. Some aspects met and exceeded expectations, but others hit us like a ton of bricks and left us wondering what we were doing.
The Trip To The Five Lands
One common theme throughout was that we didn’t need to drive – roads are scarce and driving can detract from the experience, especially if you plan to stay in one of the five towns. This fit in fine with our desires – we are trying to take advantage of trains as they are a more relaxing way to travel, and public transport does help the environment. Another bonus is that we can park free at our local train station and hop on one of the frequent trains up to Pisa. Leaving early on Saturday morning (an 8 AM train, which is pretty early in these parts), we made our way to Pisa and then on up to La Spezia. We had watched several YouTube videos and were impressed by what La Spezia seems to offer, but with only the weekend in Cinque Terre, and a desire to see all five towns and do some hiking, we elected to quickly press onward.
We had pre-purchased our tickets for Cinque Terre online (the Cinque Terre Card at Parco Nazionale Dele Cinque Terre). There are two ticket options, a Trekking ticket if you just want to hike (€7.50 for 1 day, €14 for 2) and a Treno (train) ticket (€18.20 for 1 day, €33 for 2) which allows you to hop-on-hop-off the local train that services the area (it is actually the regular Italian train that runs along the coast between a couple of other cities, just a little more often) as well as ride public buses and hike. There is also a single ride train ticket for €4, but that can add up pretty quickly if you want to visit a few of the towns – and you would still have to pay to hike. We bought the two day Treno ticket, figuring we could train on the first day and then hike and train, depending on the weather and our speed. After watching videos discussing the train ride through the park, we had visions of something akin to the Magic Kingdom in Disneyland, with an enjoyable shuttle skirting the Mediterranean coast, overlooking lush mountains and terraced vineyards. It was nearing 10 AM as we hopped on the train in La Spezia and were off.
Not the Disneyland Shuttle
First off, we found out that the train is really just the regular train, not the Disney Shuttle of our imagination nor special cars as some of the videos seemed to imply. Not a big deal, pretty much all the trains in Italy are comfortable and well-kept. Secondly, the train was pretty crowded, and this was in April, which wasn’t how it appeared in any of the videos we watched. However, we found seats on the side towards the Med, and were ready for our breathtaking journey up the coast. Two minutes out of the station, we entered a tunnel. Several minutes later, we sped past a small opening where we caught a glimpse of the blue waters as many passengers clambered for a quick peek, emitting small “Oohs and Aahs” as we re-entered the dark. A couple minutes later, we emerged from the tunnel and pulled to a stop in Riomaggiore, the first of the five small towns. We thought maybe the initial segment was through the tunnels, and the vistas would be a bit more expansive as our train progressed through the heart of Cinque Terre.
Many of our fellow passengers hopped off the train, but an almost equally large number were on the platform waiting to board. It appeared the hop-on-hop-off idea was accurate. We decided to stay on the train and try and get to the fourth town, Vernazza, and maybe get ahead of the main crowds. We left Riomaggiore and headed onwards, possibly to admire the view of the landscape from our seat by the window. Spoiler – all the segments between the towns were the same; there were very few quick glimpses of the Med as we rode along; the only time we could appreciate the views was from the station in a town. This was not how the ride appeared on any of the videos we saw. The tunnels are an engineering marvel – cut through the mountains on the edge of the sea; but the train ride is not an idyllic journey along the coast. However, it does provide a quick and easy way to travel between the towns.
Our First Town – Vernazza
We followed our plan and hopped off in Vernazza. The first thing we did as we wandered down towards the water was stop for a cappuccino. Stopping for a coffee (or a beer in the afternoon) provides a great way to slow things down and allows a trip to the restroom. We sat on the main street, admiring the view and people-watching. We had about an hour to kill before we planned to stop for lunch, so we meandered down to the harbor. The sun was out, it felt quite a bit warmer than the 60 degrees it showed on a weather app, and the sight of boats bobbing on the turquois blue water met all expectations. We took a short walk up the trail beside the harbor and enjoyed the view of the colorful houses climbing up the hill across the water.
While we were there, a ferry boat arrived. This is another option of travel between the towns – ferries run fairly continually between the cities, and similar to the train, allow tourists to hop-on-hop-off. The view of the towns from the water can be quite spectacular – that is the method of transportation we had opted for several years ago during our visit, and we had wanted to go overland this time so did not look into this option. However, just like the trains, quite a crowd disgorges when the ferry docks, and the mass of people, all trying to get a quick picture of the picturesque town (or a selfie) and queuing up for a drink or bite to eat, quickly swells. We decided to wander up away from the harbor and ran across the Monkey Art Pub (no website – but you can find writeups on Yelp, Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, or a number of other sites), which bills itself as Italy’s Smallest Pub. Sadly, it wasn’t yet open, but the interior looked inviting, so we made a note to return at a later date for a visit.
Heading Back to Manarola
After a sandwich and beer at a small restaurant, we reboarded the train and retraced our path hoping that the earlier towns were thinning by now as our fellow tourists made their way up the coast. We returned to Manarola, the second town, saving Riomaggiore for the next day, following our planned hike. Manarola is tucked into a fairly narrow alley opening up towards the sea, with a smaller harbor area and no beach. There were several restaurants along the walk down to the water, but after just finishing our sandwiches, we opted for a “cone” of mixed fried seafood, shrimp, calamari, and anchovies – a Cinque Terre specialty. We sat on the edge of the steps leading down to the water, eating our second lunch, admiring the colorful houses rising up the cliff face, watching a few brave souls swimming in the bright, clear water. It was April and although the sun felt warm, the water was a tad chilly – even for someone from Minnesota – but I did think about it.
Following our respite, we wandered around a bit longer, looking into shops and eating a gelato before heading back through the tunnel from town to the train station – you go through tunnels even during the walk to the station. We reboarded the train and headed towards Monterosso al Mare, the most eastern of the five towns.
Monterosso – Lodging and Dinner
Monterosso is the largest of the towns. It is split between a new and an old section, separated by a promontory that juts out to the water. The sections are joined via a tunnel. It is the only town that contains a wide sandy beach – it actually has two of them. The train drops you off in the newer, or residential, section – from there we walked through the tunnel to the older, historic center, side. We had made reservations in Monterosso for the night – our plan had been to get to the far side of Cinque Terre, enjoying the beautiful vistas from the windows of the train on the way outbound (which we found were really nonexistent), and then hike back, stopping in the towns we had bypassed. Lodging fills up quickly, especially in the summer months (high season), so book early. My wife had luckily gotten us a room at La Casa de Zuecca (through Booking.com), a lovely bed and breakfast run by Stefano, who met us when we arrived. Unfortunately our initial introductions required us to call him from his lunch – we missed the part about confirming arrival times. But he came and met us with a smile anyways.
The next item on our agenda was dinner reservations. We have struggled with reservations since we arrived – for a variety of reasons, least of which is that we do not speak or understand the language very well. I had tried calling San Martino Gastronomia (no website), a restaurant both recommended and with good reviews, the night before. The restaurant was busy, and the attempt did not go well. We decided to walk by and try in person. The establishment is small and tucked away in an alley – there are three tables inside and five outside. Although a bit after typical lunchtime, they were still busy. When we got there, I tried again for “Un tavolo per due alle sette e mezza (7:30).”
After a couple minutes of back-and-forth with Google translate, we found out that they did not take reservations, but we could show up and maybe get a table. Being unsure if we had misunderstood, I contacted Stefano, our lodging host, and asked him for some help. After a short while, he called back, and having spoken to San Martino’s owner, told us that the “no reservations” was accurate, but we should go by around 7 and if we couldn’t be immediately sat, they would take our phone number and call when a table opened.
We went by at 7 and all seats were full, but they served us a beer and we sat on a small bench at the end of the alleyway, watching the people wander the streets. Ten minutes later they called us over, sat us down, and we enjoyed some fresh pasta – my wife with the local pesto and me with an anchovy sauce – two local toppings the area is well-known for; the taste and freshness did not disappoint. With a bottle of local wine, and a caprese salad, our dinner in Monterosso was a wonderful experience. With dinner complete, we headed back to our room for a restful night sleep. With a train trip that didn’t follow the video script, but with picturesque villages, vibrant harbors, lodging, dining, and people that met or exceeded expectations, we were looking forward to Day 2.