Cinque Terre

Today was something! Had a little bit of everything and the night’s just finally over, 17 hours after it started.

We started out with coffee and breakfast on our terrace overlooking Corniglia. That’s the way every person should start the day should they be lucky enough to experience it. The Italian coast is gorgeous.

After breakfast we started our journey — and yes, it was definitely a journey.

We’re staying in Corniglia, town #3 of 5 towns along the coast that make up “Cinque Terre,” all connected by train. We had intended on hiking between all five, but the trail has been permanently closed between towns #1 and #3. So we decided to explore all five towns a different way.

In the morning, we walked to the train station (down about 30 flights of stairs on the side of a hill) and got on a train to the first town, Riomaggiore. It. Was. STUNNING. Around every corner was an explosion of uniqueness only the Tuscan coast could offer. Bright colors, quaint charm, and a constant state of awe. That’s Riomaggiore in a nutshell. We could’ve stayed here all day.

We had wanted to go to the only all-vegan place in Cinque Terre, but they didn’t open til pretty late so we snacked on some fresh fruit and nuts then hit the road. And by “hit the road” I mean hit the train tracks. Back on the train! This time all the way to town #5 to start our hike from there to our home base of Corniglia.

We explored the town for about an hour, then started our hike. And wow was it a hike! It was basically a stair stepper up the side of a mountain with a steep cliff jetting down to the Mediterranean Sea. Epic and beautiful and kinda scary all at the same time. They said the hike to town #4, Vernazza, would take two hours, but it only took us about an hour. But that was one hell of an hour.

When we arrived in Vernazza, we explored the town for a bit, including finding a good salad and sandwich at a place called The Lunch Box. Afterward, we checked out some people free-diving off cliffs then started Part II of epic hike time.

The hike from town #4 to town #3 was a tad bit easier. Again, they said it would take two hours, but it took us about 55 minutes. We wish you could experience this — the scenery was something you can barely imagine. As you look down to your right, you see nothing but green mountain then hundreds of feet down just the most beautiful blue, crystal clear water you could ever imagine for as far as the eye could see.

When we made it back to our home base, we decided to go for a swim. The walk there turned into a journey itself as we had to find hidden passages down a rickety homemade ladder leading to a beach. The beach was all big rocks though, jetting out into the incoming waves. In a stupid move rooted in being overly excited about swimming in the sea again, I hopped onto a rock, slipped, and landed on my arm. Damage was minimal though, just some scrapes. I got lucky. Amanda and I headed down the beach to a pebble beach, much more swimmable. We both got in the water and headed home to get ready for the last night of our epic time in Cinque Terre.

We changed and I took Amanda out for a little belated birthday celebration. We went to Monterosso, town #2, the only town we hadn’t yet made it to. It was pretty! By the time we got there, it was twilight so it was a little harder to see, but we liked the town. We got dinner at the most epic restaurant we’ve ever been to as far as views go. It was alongside a hill, all outdoor seating, directly across from a beautiful array of the famous Cinque Terre homes. Not to mention the sea right in front of us. Dinner was good, then we headed back to Corniglia, got some drinks, enjoyed the terrace, and called it a night. After 35,000 steps, around 14 miles walked, and up 240 flights of stairs, it’s time for sleep!

Tomorrow: Florence!