Cinque Terre by Tam

JUNE 2010

We arrived by train at Levanto after a long but scenic journey from Nice. The journey took us through to Monaco where we changed trains to Ventimigli (Italy).  Here we breakfasted on Cappuccino and ciabatta with fresh mozzarella and basil at a cafe across from the station. It seems any corner street cafe in Italy serves some of the most sumptuous food in town - breakfast was not only welcomed but utterly delicious!

A changed of trains took us on the 2 hour journey to Genoa where we changed again for the train along the Italian Riviera and to Levanto just outside the Cinque Terre national park. The total journey took 7 hours including stops but as it was a scenic ride the time passed really quickly.

Levanto is an Italian Riviera beach town nestled amongst the mountains. It has a definite Italian feel as it is a popular place for the locals to come and spend holidays and weekends. The beaches were busy, full of people enjoying the balmy summers afternoon, children splashing in the sea, couples embracing each other as they stroll along the waterfront, but the azure sea was inviting and refreshing.

Our hotel was spotlessly clean and the staff were delightful. It had very well appointed rooms and was in a great location only a 10 minute stroll from Levanto train station which was important considering the main purpose of the trip to this area was to access the Cinque Terre, and minutes from the sea front and local restaurants and trattorias.

The day was completed with our first taste of Italian pizza and salad at a great restaurant in the traditional centre of the town. A bottle of the locally sourced vino bianco (white wine) rounded the evening as we retired for an early night in preparation for a big day!

I had been told about the Cinque Terre before. A member of my family had visited and talked at great length about how stunningly beautiful this UNESCO world heritage site was, how incredible these 5 villages were, that were clinging onto the sheer cliff face of the coastline as if clinging to their heritage. Little prepared me for what I was about to witness.

A 30 minute train journey from Levanto took us to the most southerly of the Cinque Terre villages Riomaggiore.  From here we had our tickets checked and then followed fellow visitors along the Via Dell amore. (Lovers walk) This is a wonderful introduction to the national park. 30 minutes stroll introducing you to the coastline at an easy pace with a graffitied tunnel whose walls were adorned with notes of undying love for many previous visitors who had graced the walk. The random collection of tiny padlocks that had been locked onto the railing surprised me as many were etched with insignias and messages of love, permanently fixed to the rails to stand the test of time over looking some of the most breath taking beautiful coastline.

We arrived in the village of Manarola where we sampled some of the most fantastic pesto (Cinque Terre is famous for it) I have ever tasted, before following the coastal trail for a further hour to Corniglia for a Gelato (Ice cream) break. The latter part of the walk presented us with a climb of 382 steps following the gorgeous aroma of Jasmine before we could reach our prize! Well deserved.

Corniglia to Vernazzo was a completely different walk all together. The tourists walking the trail thinned out and we had the next hour and half without much interruption which meant we could appreciate this trail through the olive groves with occasional scent of wild mint and garlic and imagine the local villagers making the journey by donkey. It was a little more awkward in places but I guess this is what convinced many of the visiting tourists to take the train or stay and lunch in the villages.    

The next day we decided to approach the Cinque Terre from a whole different angle. Seeing the townships from the land gave us a real taste of how the locals worked the land. It’s rumoured that if the vineyards and olive grove high on the terraces above the Cinque Terre towns are not actively worked or farmed then the hillsides would simply slip into the sea. Seeing the coastline from the sea by the local boat service really put this into perspective. The Boat takes you from Levanto stopping at all of the Cinque Terre marinas eventually ending at Portovenere at the most southerly point of this gorgeous coast line.

Having walked the coast line the day before this was a wonderfully leisurely way to see the area so we decided to enjoy the ride 1.5hr boat journey to its terminus. A fantastic seafood lunch of king prawns and a bottle of Prosseco (it was my birthday after all!) by the bustling marina and the plethora of yachts in Portovenere was followed by a stroll along the winding streets of the old town just in time to jump back on board one of the returning boats. A quick stop in Riomaggiore for pistachio Gelato (ice cream) and then we headed back to Levanto arriving late afternoon