On our second day in Santa Margherita Ligure, we headed for the famous Cinque Terre region on the train.
Cinque Terre is a collection of five picturesque fishing villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. We chose to the visit the latter two villages, being both renowned for their prettiness and the closest villages to Santa Margherita on the train.
Cinque Terre attracts thousands of hikers every year due to its spectacular views. To walk along the tracks, you need to purchase a pass from one of the information offices near the train station. Due to severe storm damage that almost wiped out several villages in 2011, some of routes are closed for maintenance due to potential landslides and other paths are quite steep to climb so be prepared and check out the routes that you have chosen. The route between Vernazza and Monterosso is apparently the steepest and needs a good level of fitness. We had limited time and wanted to experience the villages so we opted for the trains and ferries rather than hiking but with more time, a hike would have definitely been on the agenda.
Vernazza and Monterossa are the oldest of the villages. Most of the villages weren’t actually supported by fishing but by olives and vineyards – only Monterosso was a fishing village. Interestingly, the colourful buildings that define Cinque Terre were only painted in the 1970s but the isolation, rocky terrain and complete absence of the modern world give the area a unique and beautiful charm.
Typically for Italy, the trains were late – we aimed for the 10.16am train which should have arrived in Monterosso at 11.05 but we would have been at least 45 minutes late by the time we arrived. Never rely on trains in Italy – the timetable is seriously just guess work!
When we arrived in Monterosso, we only had a short time to wander down to our 12.20 ferry to Vernazza where we planned to have lunch. We should have had an hour and a quarter to look around but we ended up with just time for a walk along the foreshore, visiting a few shops and waiting in the queue for the ferry.
Monterosso is however beautiful with the aqua water and the colourful lounges and umbrellas on the sand. This village is in fact the only village in Cinque Terre that actually has a stretch of sand and in places amongst the rocks, the water is truly clear and turquoise. The pastel coloured buildings, whilst a little worse for wear in parts, are divine with little cafes, restaurants and shops along narrow alleyways.
The ferry over to Vernazza has a covered area as well as a top deck and was comfortable for the 15 minute trip. It was definitely worth taking the ferry rather than the train as the view from the ferry looking back to shore is lovely. You can see the glorious rolling hills with just a few buildings spotted here and there. It was a little misty on our journey and the view of the blue hills stretching into the distance was magical.
As we pulled into the harbour at Vernazza, it was clear why this is considered one of the jewels of Cinque Terre. The colourful boats lined the harbour as if they had purposely been positioned for a painting and the pink, yellow and cream buildings were delightful as they rose up the rocky hillside.
After browsing the shops along the winding streets, we stopped for lunch at Ristorante Vulnetia in the piazza near the harbour. There was a happy, bustling atmosphere in the village and, with the sun now shining, it was very relaxing and enjoyable.
I think this is where we saw the narrowest laneways of any on our trip. Right next to the restaurant where we ate, the houses on each side of the laneway were joined by a series of little arches. I don’t know if they connected essential services but they were quite delightful.
If you have time, Vernazza has a medieval castle called Doria Castle and a church – Santa Margherita di Antiochia. We just soaked up the atmosphere and enjoyed our leisurely visit without packing too much in – for once!
We headed back to the ferry early and were almost first in the queue. It was worth being early as the crowds heading back were eventually huge and there was a lot of jostling to get onto the ferry. Everyone made it onto the ferry though and we had a great view from the top deck as we made our way back into Santa Margherita.
Our ferry left Vernazza around 13.55 and arrived back in Monterosso 15 minutes later. We had 45 minutes until our train back to Santa Margherita so we just casually wandered down to the station, looking at stalls and shops along the way. This was probably one of the most relaxing days of our holiday so far despite having a schedule of trains and ferries to meet. For me, this is how to experience Cinque Terre – by taking the time just to breathe, browse, enjoy the view and eat and drink delicious Italian food and wine.
Getting back around 15.45, we had time to just relax before heading back out for dinner. As it was our last night in Santa Margherita, we chose one of the waterfront restaurants which were quite touristy but had a lovely view of the harbour. Ristorante Pizzeria da Gennaro wasn’t just a pizzeria – it was quite a nice restaurant with the feeling of alfresco dining but under cover. The service was okay if a little distant and the food was good. Probably for the price it wasn’t as upmarket as we had imagined but it was still an enjoyable meal for our last night on the Italian Riviera.