1/07/2009
Up early and down to the Parks Office to get our day pass (17 Euros) for the National Park that includes the train and walking trails. Well, the office didn’t open till 8:00 but we could get our tickets from the train station and off we went to Riomaggiore at the beginning (or at least on one end) of the Cinque Terre. The tickets allow access to the park (there will be rangers checking that we have bought tickets) and unlimited access to the trains running between the towns. We hope to take our time and get back to Monterosso late in the afternoon.
The first town is very picturesque and we bump into a few Australian teachers from Werribee (small world) who are catching a ferry back to Monterosso. The town was slowly waking up and delivery guys were busy humping boxes up stairs, and trolleys (very carefully) full of drinks downstairs (hot & sweaty already), everything is either up or down, not much flat area around here. So, lots of photos and I wonder how I’m going to choose a few for the blog…?
The first section was fairly flat and is called Lover’s Lane and unfortunately covered in grafitti. There were also sections of railing with lovers padlocks affixed and amorous inscriptions (in black texta) written on them. Even the cacti along the path had been carved with names, a bit sad really… The walk was easy and quite spectacular, high up on the cliff with great views to Monterosso 5 kms away, glimpses of the train tracks & tunnels, pastel painted villages in the distance, the green/blue sea below, and cultivated terraces hand built out of the mountain side by gathering the stones to build the terrace walls. Lots of grapes & olive groves, the nets for olive harvest bundled up around the tree trunks. Manarolo was the next village and the local people there were bustling around and tourists were down in the little harbour swimming, laying in the sun (with their spot marked out by large beach towels, and the young machismo guys were jumping off the rocks.
Then is was on to Corniglia, a very steep climb up some stairs to get there, and time for a coffee and a rest. Probably about a third of the way there and we’re already feeling the affect of walking in the heat. Wendy had her brolley out for shade and I’d probably left it a little too long without my hat. But, drinking plenty of water & we’re not in a rush, so feel OK. Some people seem like they are on a mission to get to the next village, sweating profusely and looking a little too flushed on a hot day… A huge tower of Cumulus cloud was starting to build behind the mountain, and looked like thunderstorms might be on the menu for the afternoon. The village are small and quaint, all with their church (or two) along with bell tower and narrow winding streets/alleyways. Shops are selling tourist stuff as well as local produce and the bus seems to come down to each village, so they are well connected with transport. On the way out heading to Vernazza, we marvel at the narrow lanes lined with hand-made stone walls, rustic gates/doors leading into little terraced plots, and steps made of blocks of stone set into walls leading up to the next level.
It’s a bit of a slog to the next village, lots of up & down steps but the views coming down into the town are amazing. We did feel drops of rain as we walked and spots appeared on the ground, but it didn’t rain. Some rain would have great as by now things were very warm and the climbing in the sun was using up our energy. Time for some lunch and another rest after about 3 hours of walking… As we came into Vernazza we got a bit of a fright because the place was packed with tourists – people everywhere, swimming in the little harbour with grey sand, sitting any/every/where, as well as under the umbrellas of the cafes, strolling along eating icecream, or standing in groups chatting. As it really was now the hottest part of the day, we decided that it might be a good idea to head back to Monterosso on the train and then do the walk from Monterosso to Vernazza later in the afternoon when things were cooling a little, and catch the train back to the apartment later in the evening.
It was a good plan. Caught the next train back and we went to the supermarket, had lunch, a shower, a rest, and then headed back out around 7 pm to do the two hour walk to Vernazza. The sun was low and behind us now, so the light was wonderful, but we still got quite warm on the first steep climb up out Monterosso. Still a lovely walk and enjoyed the scenery and the garden plots with some sort of little carriage/railway track to transport boxes/baskets of produce up & down the steep slopes. even though it was late, we still saw plenty of people on the walk. We do have similar and wonderful walks like this at home and in certain sections we said that we could be somewhere in the Otways or on the Great Ocean Walk. The main difference is the cultivation and the history of the people carving out some subsistence level agriculture here for hundreds of years and the quaint little villages along the way. Once we got to Vernazza things had quietened down, no one was swimming, and the cafes were closing down so it was time for some Limone gelati. Caught the 9:44 train back to Monterosso and crashed (after another shower). We were very happy to have been able to complete the walk, and see a very special part of the world.
