Cinque Terre is a hidden gem. It's true that it is very touristy, but not as much as you would think for such a beautiful collection of towns along the Italian Riviera. I had the luxury of going twice during my summer in abroad.
When I arrived at Riomaggiore I felt like had been transported into another world. It all started with the train ride. It takes about three to four hours to get to the final destination from Siena. By the time I was almost arriving I was tired and anxious to arrive. The last stop before finally getting there is La Spezia. Along the ride from La Spezia to Riomaggiore is filled with views of quaint Italian communities before the train zooms through tunnels along the coast. The best part of arriving, in my opion, was this moment. After being in a tunnel for a few minutes you suddenly see a FLASH of sky, sea, and cliffs. That's all you see, and you only see it for a few seconds, but it is wonderful and truly exhilirating. To me, it felt as if I had jumped in a pool of cold water after laying in the sun for hours. I was suddenly refreshed, and so excited to see what was to come ahead. The closer we got to the end the longer these flashes became and a clearer picture of the paradise that awaited started to form.
When I finally arrived and disembarked the train at Riomaggiore, the platform was surrounded by more cliffs, sky, and sea. It seems like I keep saying that I "fell in love" with everything in Italy, but this is really what kept happening. Every moment of this summer was amazing and I can't describe it better than falling in love.
the most beautiful train stop in the world.
Even though I am a planner, I decided to go to CT on a whim and bought a train ticket without any idea of where I would sleep for the night. Some of my travel mates had already arrived and secured a couple of beds in a hostel. I figured I would do the same, but when I got there all of the beds had been booked. There were quite a few hotel booking agencies on the main road so I went to the first one I saw that seemed most appealing (tons of flowers on the stoop) and asked for a room. They had one, it was a private room and bath, and the rate was €80. I managed to use my Italian skills to charm the owner and his wife to bring down the price to €60, which ended up being just double the price my friends paid for a hostel bed and a bathroom shared by ten people. Score!
balcony views.
The room was unbelievable. It was situated on the highest point of the town which meant that I had to climb very steep hills and countless steps to get there while dragging my overpacked carry-on bag and backpack with all of my camera equipment. I huffed and puffed on my way up as the owner's wife sped up the hill in her stiletto heals, but after a 15 minute climb we were finally there. I thought I had been used to hills from living in Siena for four weeks, but those hills were no match for the ones I climbed that weekend. They definitely came in handy to counter all of the delicious food that I consumed during those three days.
In Venice, I had to make a conscious effort to get out of the touristy areas to have a more authentic experience. In Cinque Terre, the entire place is an authentic experience, at least as the people are concerned. The streets aren't flooded with vendors selling cheap souvenirs, and you aren't trampled with tons of day-trippers on a mission. It did feel like the locals were catering to the tourists, but they were in fact locals were very connected to the community and deeply cared about their town.
Some study abroad-ers may be tempted to save money and simply visit Cinque Terre for the day and stay at Pisa for the night. I would have to argue that this place is definitely worth saving your long weekend for. Here is a breakdown of what I did during my two night stay.
Day One: I arrived in the evening so I didn't get much done besides enjoy the beautiful views. However, after spending the entire week studying and then taking a four hour train ride, this peaceful time just what I needed.
Day Two: Took the train to Monterosso. A group of us reserved a block of lounge chairs on the beach. The beach, the sand, the views -- everything-- was perfect. We spent the evening on the quiet harbor of Vernazza. Instead of having dinner at a restaurant we opted to order our food to go and ate by the water. We all agreed that there is no such thing as a bad meal in Cinque Terre as we indulged on pesto pizza, trofie al pesto, and spaghetti alla bolognese. We listened the crashing waves behind us as we gazed at the lovely lights reflecting on the water. After our dinner we took a very short walk (you can walk from one end of Vernazza to the other in about 5 minutes) for some gelato before we headed back to catch the train to our room in Monterosso.
Day Three: We woke up early and had lovely breakfast with Italian pastries and cappuccino in preparation for a big hike. We planned on hiking from Monterosso to Vernazza because I had heard that this route was less challenging than the other way around ( I was lied to, by the way. The is the MOST challenging leg of the entire hike, but it was a lot of fun). There were countless steps, dramatic views, and friendly cats along the way. This leg of the hike should have only taken an hour and a half, but we were having so much fun exploring and taking pictures along the way that it took us over three hours to complete. When we arrived in Vernazza we had lunch at same spot we picked up dinner from the night before. Some last minutes shopping left us with a bittersweet feeling about leaving. Even though we enjoyed our entire weekend throughout the Cinque Terre, Vernazza held an extra special place in our hearts.
There is nothing I could say to express the way my heart swells every time I think of all of the moments I I spent in this hidden gem. From the second I got off the train, to the the moment I frantically tried to find a hotel room, to hiking up and down the steepest hills I have ever experienced in my life, to the lasting memories I made with friends who I will know for the rest of my life, this weekend was dream.
