October 26 - Cinque Terre, Italy

The first port we visit is Livorno, Italy, and we set off with the tour company Prestigerents to go to Cinque Terre for the day.  Our friend, Gay, organized this tour and we soon grew to a group size of 16.  This worked out very nice as the negotiated price gave us a comfortable bus and also a guide for the day.  The bus ride from Livorno to the Cinque Terre towns is approximately 1.5 hours.  On the way we picked up our guide, Marcella in the town of La Spezia, which is just over the mountain from Cinque Terre.

As we head over the mountain, Marcella tells us all about the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre.  It was inaccessible until some decades ago when a road was built.  The area of coastline was first first described in medieval times as "the five lands".  In the feudal era, this land was watched over by castles. and tiny communities grew up in their protective shadows.  Pirates from North Africa were a persistent problem until about 1400.  Many locals were kidnapped and ransomed or sold into slavery, and those who remained built fires on flat-roofed watchtowers to relay warnings--alerting the entire coast to imminent attacks.

As the threat of pirates faded, the villages prospered, catching fish and growing grapes.  Until the influx of tourism in this generation, the towns remained isolated.  Even today, traditions survive, and each of the five villages comes with a distinct dialect and its own proud heritage.

Our first look at the coastline and the village of Riomaggiore.

We leave the bus at Riomaggiore and Marcella guides us down to the harbor in the town where we board the ferry to travel to the next town.

The major river of this region once ran through this valley.  As in the other Cinque Terre towns, the river ravine is now paved over and it is now a main street of the town.

Colorful Murals

Close up of mural

These murals, with subjects modeled after real-life Riomaggiorians, glorify the nameless workers who constructed the nearly 300 million cubic feet of dry stone walls (without cement).  These walls run throughout the Cinque Terre, giving the region its characteristic terracing for the vineyards and olive groves.

Stone walls for terracing

The ferry which travels between the villages.

View of Riomaggiore from the ferry

Our next village is Manarola and we spend one hour there strolling through the streets and climbing the many stairs for a nice overview of the village.

Manarola

The village of Manarola has enchanting pastel houses that spill down a steep hill overlooking a swimming cove and harbor.  The whole town is built on black rock.  Above the town, ancient terraces still protect abundant vineyards and olive trees.

The swimming hole--no sand but is the best deep-water swimming in the area.

This village is the center of the wine and olive oil production of the region and its streets are lined with shops selling local products.

Back on the ferry, we pass the village of Corniglia, which we see only from the ferry.  This is the quiet town--the only one of the five not on the water.  There is no place for the ferry to dock, but a train does connect the town with the other villages.

Corniglia

The ferry ride is a short one to the next village of Vernazza.  With its narrow streets and small squares, Vernazza is the most charming of the five towns.  Because it has the best access to the sea, it became wealthier than the other villages.

We are enjoying the ferry ride.

The harbor of Vernazza

The castle still guards the town.  It was the town's lookout back in the pirate days.

Castle with lookout tower

Again, Marcella takes us on a walk through the town and up the stairs to view points.

What Vernazza looked like after the mud slides of 2011

In 2011 we had planned to go to Cinque Terre while on a Mediterranean cruise.  Two days before we were due to arrive, we got word of the flood and mudslides that devastated much of the area.  Of course, all tours were cancelled at that time.  Thankfully much has been rebuilt, but much of the walking trail along the cliff that connects the villages is still under renovation.

Local women

After climbing many steps, we reached a wonderful overview of the harbor.

Vernazza, with the only natural harbor of the Cinque Terre, was established as the sole place boats could pick up the fine local wine.

A glimpse of the trail which connects the villages.

Overview of the coastline from Vernazza.

Our last village is Monterosso, the largest of the Cinque Terre villages, with a population of 1,730.  It is the only Cinque Terre town built on flat land.  And this is where our tour will end as the bus driver meets us here for the ride back to the port.

Monterosso view from the ferry

The walking trail leading down into the village.

We opt to go to a restaurant for some lunch.

We sit with our friends and enjoy Trifoli Pesto.  Pesto is made in this area and is very, very good.  We also enjoy a glass of the local wine made here--a white wine.

With the purchase of some pesto to bring home and a gelato for dessert, we head to our bus for the 1.5 hour ride back to the port.

It was great to have Marcella as a guide.  She was very informative about all the villages and she saw to it that we made the ferry connection from each village.  We had a lot to see for only a day in port and with Marcella we did not have to worry about time schedules.

Marcella

As we travel along the highway, we pass the town of Carrara, where the world's most famous marble quarries are located.  Michelangelo traveled to these valleys to pick out the marble that he would work into his masterpieces.

As we near the port, we see a beautiful Tuscan sunset.  A perfect way to end our day of siteseeing.

Next port.....Cannes, France.