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| Date | Starting Place | Ending Place | Author | Last Update |
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| 05-14-19 |
Chiavari, Liguria, Italy |
Chiavari, Liguria, Italy |
ray | 06-28-19 12:10:24 |
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After 4 days of riding, today would be a "rest" day hiking along the Cinque Terre. I decided to aim for the 8:30 train to the Cinque Terre and had eaten and packed up by about 8. I walked to the train station and wanted to buy the Cinque Terre Pass, which covers both train travel and walking fees, but was told the Cinque Terre Pass wasn't sold there. Instead, I had to buy €20 worth of tickets to get to Corniglia and home from Montarosso. And, that didn't include the hiking fee! I arrived in Corniglia, the middle of the five towns, about 9:30 and walked the hundreds of steps that go from the train station up to the town. I got this view down the coast toward Manarolo, the next town south, along the way.  Once into Corniglia "proper," I walked through a narrow street to find a cafe where I could sit and write my first trip email. I ordered a hot chocolate, which was good but not great, and sat outdoors writing on my iPad while dozens of people walked by rolling luggage. There is a cliff side trail that connects all 5 Cinque Terre villages. When I was done writing, I set off to find the trail for Vernazza, the next town north. I walked up through more narrow streets only to find that the trail between Corniglia and Vernazza was closed (the website had failed to mention this). My only option was walking along the steep, paved road, which climbed steeply up to San Bernardino at the top of the hill and then down to Vernazza. Here is a look back at Corniglia from the road just up the hill from the town.  The road was steep and I was sweating as I trudged up. I did get some nice views up the coast  and down to the water.  This photo shows Corniglia and, in the distance, Manarolo, the road I am walking on and, below it, the (closed) trail.  The grade was brutal but manageable on foot. I saw a couple cars. I didn't enter San Bernardino, as that would have required even more uphill. Instead, I took the steep downhill to Vanazza. I felt sorry for two bike riders I saw struggling to get up the road. Here is a view looking inland near the top.  Here is view up toward San Bernardino.  It took me about an hour to walk up to San Bernardino and down to Vernazza. I spent some of that time next to the rocky Torrente Vernazzola.  The tiny town of Vernazza is right on the water  and full of people.  After my long, hard walk, I was hungry. The easiest option was a pizza that was OK but I was getting tired of pizza. After eating, I started on the path to Monterosso and had to pay €8.50 for the privilege. Here's a final look at Vernazza.  The path is well trod but constructed of many stone steps that are often steep, uneven and slick.  It took concentration to stay upright and even more so as there are many, many people walking the other direction. It was easy to get stuck behind a group of slow walkers and I often waited for a group to pass me the other way because it just seemed safer that way. There were a number of pretty views but not much variety. Here is a common look up the coast toward Monterosso.  And, another one.  OK, one last look back at Varnazza.  There were several viewpoints with nice vistas where taking a photo sometimes required waiting in line. At one, I got to talking to a French woman who was describing how busy it got on the weekends and during later summer months. It was barely tolerable today. It is hard to imagine what twice as many people (or more) would do for the experience. I was getting tired, of both walking and the people as I approached Montarosso and the many steep steps down didn't help. I spent no time there. I went straight to the train station and waited about 40 minutes for a train that stopped in Chiavari. On my way back to the apartment, I stopped for some dinner vegetables. When I arrived, Paolo was there and we got to talking. He is a non-permanent English teacher at a local school, so his English is excellent. Soon after, Davide, his good friend and another excellent English speaker, came by. We talked a bit. Davide, a CPA, offered tips on how to avoid Italian taxes. After a cup of coffee, they both left and I cleaned up. Paolo returned, we talked some more, and he left again. I made dinner and eventually went to sleep. |
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