Northern Italy – June 2011
My husband, two friends and I wanted to explore the most beautiful areas of North Italy so we met in Milano in June 2011, picked up a rental car and drove out to the Ligurian coast to the town of Levanto where we stayed, to access the Cinque Terre National Park. Within the park we were able to visit the 5 beautiful villages that make this area so unique to travellers all year round.
We chose to stay at Levanto because we were travelling by car and needed to park somewhere but you can also travel to Cinque Terre by train from Milan. The train departs from Milan to the five villages which makes it really easy to get to. Whilst there we chose to stay at the charming, local family run, B & B Vignola set in olive groves up towards the mountains and it was just spectacular!
The five villages of the Cinque Terre were constructed crazily on mountain sides along an 18 km of coastline dating back to mediavel periods and they are cut off from each other by mountains full of olive groves. The villages from South to North are named – Romiaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Montereossa (and Levanto is the next northern town on this coast).
Because we only had one full day to explore all five villages we set out early and took the local train which winds along the coast and into passes and tunnels cut into the cliffside, to the furtherest away and the village of Riomaggiore and stopped to marvel at the spectacle of how these villages were constructed amongst this rugged terrain. The train chugs along quite slowly and has a very rigid set time table for departures. It took about 20 minutes from Levanto to Romiaggiore and then you either walk the walks or go back to the train station at every village to get to the next. We bought a one day train pass for this travel – bought locally on the day.
There was an easy walk from Romiaggiore to the next village of Manorola, sometimes called the lovers walk (Via Del a’more). This part is tar sealed and if you are not young or fit enough to attempt any of the climbing or trekking required between the rest of the villages then at least you can say you have walked part of this area.
The next village was Corniglia which we had to again reach by train as the walkpath has been closed due to slips. Our party then began the rather formidable trek between Corniglia and Vernazza - probably the most difficult, goat like track in some parts with steep terrain. We made it half way before turning back but the view from the mountains were just breathtaking and well worth any climb that you can manage. We then finished the journey by train back to Monterroso, the last village which is set down on the sea front and has a nice beach atmosphere with restaurants and beachgoers. It is however possible to walk the trail from Vernazza to Monterrosa. Here you see scarlet bougainvillea growing on all the buildings which adds to the beauty of the area. All in all a day well spent.
If you do have a few extra days to spare you can also stay a night at any of the villages and explore the towns a little more too one by one. There are lots of tiny hostels and B and Bs. My favourite village was Manorala and had we had more time I would have liked to spend a night or two there experiencing local village life with locals. This area would appeal to all - young, middle aged and even honeymooners as the towns certainly have a very romantic feel to them and very unique to Italy.