Cinque Terre

The romantic lure of Cinque Terre (Five Lands) on the Italian Riviera had been embedded in our subconscious for many years. Magical photos and over the top gushing from friends convinced us we had to travel there. We were going to Florence for a destination wedding, so adding on Cinque Terre was a no-brainer. Five tiny towns all connected by walking paths and trains for the less ambitious. Timing your arrival is crucial. Winters are stormy and summers are hot and crowded. We were there the beginning of June, and it was close to perfection: not too hot nor too cold and easy to navigate among the tourists (for the most part).

Monterosso Wins!

Wins what? The very challenging decision of which of the five towns to stay. Each town is unbearably scenic and charming, but Monterosso, the largest, has a wide sandy beach with rainbow colored umbrellas and comfy beach chairs. It has an Old Town and a New Town and is somewhat flatter and easier to maneuver than the others. Hotel La Cabana above the fray turned out to be ideal (see review).

Getting There

We bought most of our train tickets for Italy online to save money and reserve our seats. Florence to La Spezia is a different story because it’s a regional train which means they don’t reserve seats, so there is no advantage to purchasing them ahead of time. The day before our departure from Florence, we went to the main terminal Santa Maria Novella. We tried buying the tickets from a computer kiosk. The screen lit up with the warning: If someone asks you if you need help, say no. That very second a middle-aged woman in a colorful long skirt with a flowery top and long scarf showed up. “Do you need any help?” she asked. “Ah, NO.” First disaster averted. But the screen offered so many choices perhaps only that  lady could have helped, so we opted for the line. After waiting 20 minutes, we were informed we needed to use a ticket dispenser. A small child had pulled maybe twenty tickets (for his amusement), which increased our waiting time 30 minutes.. Long story short, the English speaking cashier helped us purchase our tickets for the next day. The train to La Spezia is about two hours. When we arrived, we immediately boarded the train to Levanto (the stop after Monterosso). About 40 minutes later we were there.

We were there for three nights. That first afternoon we explored the Old Town easily accessed through a tunnel from the New Town.

Entering the Old Town one notices the ubiquitous narrow stairways beckoning exploration. Cinque Terre is one massive StairMaster.

Village Hopping

Our first full day was village hopping. Our second full day we took advantage of those comfy beach chairs calling our names.Our tourist activities for the day were relaxation, books and the celadon Mediterranean. As a friend remarked, “The water is a shade of blue that crayons haven’t yet captured.” Looking out, I saw bobbing swimmers” heads out in the water which looked odd. Not swimming, just relaxing upright. The day was a bit overcast, so the water was a little less inviting, but once I ventured in, the water was silky and velvety. The water is so salty and bouyant, I became one of the bobbing heads. With a little kicking and treading water, it’s easy to enjoy the flotation therapy.

Our last night in Monterosso, we dined at Mikys (pronounced Mickeys) Restaurant located in the New Town. Upscale and gourmet, again local ingredients and local wines make this a “only in Cinque Terre experience.”