Hiking the Cinque Terra

Just a few steps, they just keep going!

Today was pretty windy with a chance of rain so we packed our raincoats as we headed out on the train to the Cinque Terra.  The trains were pretty full but it was a short ride.  We decided to go to the farthest village then make our way back from there.  We toured around the crazy steep streets that included a number of stairs.  It made me think of what great shape these locals must be in as they get items from the market or work their crops on their steep slopes then head back to their homes.  There were a number of little shops, and a lot of restaurants & gelato stops catering to the tourists.  I have to say it really did not feel like we were in a national park.  There was very little information available and no identifiable personnel you could contact.  Actually now that I think about it you really did not see anything that noted it as a national park...no signs!  Definitely no branding here.  I guess they do things differently here in Italy.

I had hoped we could go on a boat tour and see the villages from the water as it would have provided a different perspective.  There was a fair bit of wind and the water was really rough so this was just not possible.  We actually watched a wooden boat tied to a buoy sink below the surface as the water crashed up over the breakwater.  It was wild watching these crazy waves jump over the rocks and crash with great force onto the other side.

Few boats sunk today!

Super long rock wall for kilometers!

We then decided it was time to start our hike from village to village.  Our hike didn’t go quite as planned as the first two portions of the trail were closed.  The trail followed the cliffs nearest the water and were impacted by landslides or they just felt it was too dangerous for the public so we had to train it to the 3^rd village where we could start walking.  It was really humid and we actually were hoping for a little rain!  The rain did not come but we did have a great hike to the second village.  Along the way there were a number of steep portions and it surprised me how many people were on the trail.  Just like in our parks there were a number of people unprepared!  They did not bring water with them and often their footwear was unsuitable ie. little fancy dress shoes.  The trail was rocky with a lot of steps.  Parts of the trail went through rock walls the farmers had created.  There were some great views of the villages along the coastline and of course we took a number of photos.  One photo I took was of a plant (cactus type plant) that sent off a shoot or rather flower that was about 20 ft high.  Apparently this plant only blooms every 25 yrs according to a tour guide.  It hadn’t quite opened yet but it was still pretty neat.  I really enjoyed the trail but it took longer than we expected and with the humidity it was hard to convince the girls to keep going to the next village. 

Crazy flower of the cactus.

We stopped and had a late lunch at a restaurant in the bay of the village.  It was nice to look out over the water while we ate.  While we enjoyed our lunch we met some very nice people from California who were traveling with their daughter.  They were like minded and we had some great conversations and laughs.  This is one of the great parts about traveling!  After lunch we lingered around the village for awhile while we waited for our train to take us back to Levanto.  

Jenna's photo of one of the towns in Cinque Terra.  Taken and edited on her phone.... man it's incredible what you can do with an iPhone!

 It was a great day and if we get a chance to come back I would love to hike some more of the trail connecting the villages as well as some of those that take you up into the mountains.   The rest of the evening involved packing for the trip to Rome and doing a little reading...my book is getting really good!

One of the towns in Cinque Terra... its all uphill!