By admin When planning my Italy itinerary, Cinque Terre was a must-see. I had never been to the Ligurian “five towns,” and loved the idea of hiking coastal trails between charming Italian villages built into towering cliffs. Friends had recommended Vernazza as a home base, and everyone told me the thing to do was stay in a quaint local B&B (in fact, there are very limited options for large hotels in Cinque Terre). I found the lovely La Mala online and booked a room months in advance, as the home-turned-resort only had four guest rooms.
Getting to Vernazza
Cinque Terre is not a car-friendly place (in fact, cars are not allowed in most of the villages), so the train was the way to go. I booked a ticket from Firenze Santa Maria Novella station to La Spezia Centrale, a trip that took about 2 1/2 hours. While not technically one of the five towns, the city of La Spezia is essentially the gateway to Cinque Terre, and the place where visitors transfer to the Cinque Terre Express, the train service that connects the five villages (for the record, those five towns are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso).
Upon arrival in La Spezia, I opted to buy the three day Cinque Terre Train Card, which would give me unlimited access to ride the train and visit the hiking trails during my stay. To be honest, not one person asked to see my train tickets or hiking pass in Cinque Terre, so in hindsight I could’ve gotten away with fare evasion, but I still think it’s better to be safe than sorry, not to mention a responsible visitor supporting the local economy. The ticket booth was always a cluster whenever I took the Cinque Terre Express, so it ultimately saved me a lot of time to not have to buy individual train tickets.
Once I made it to La Spezia, I sent a WhatsApp message to Gian, the proprietor of La Mala. He would meet me at the train station in Vernazza and help me with my bags on the way to the property. My friend Lauren advised that it was not worth trying to carry my bags over the cobblestone streets and up the steep steps on my own, and after my nightmare experience in Granada, I wasn’t taking any chances.
Gian gave me a mini tour of Vernazza as we made our way through the village; he had grown up in the town, and La Mala had been a family home for years until tourism blew up in Cinque Terre, and they decided to refashion it into a guest house. He and his wife still lived in town, around the corner.
After getting settled in my room, I headed into town for a late lunch. Since many restaurants were now closed between the lunch and dinner hours, I’d have to take what I could get. The maze-like path through the winding staircases from La Mala to town was not easy to remember; fortunately, there were only so many wrong turns I could make before ultimately finding my destination (the walk took less than five minutes if I didn’t get lost).
Lunch was a caprese salad and a local white wine at a tourist trap of a restaurant. The food was subpar and the service was even worse (not uncommon in Italy), but I was hangry and the meal at least did the trick in restoring my patience and generally positive outlook on life. I resolved myself to doing a better job researching and planning meals in Cinque Terre from here on out.
Wine Tasting in La Spezia
For my first night in Cinque Terre, I had booked a wine tasting through Airbnb Experiences at a restaurant back in La Spezia. My intent in booking a small group wine tasting was to hopefully meet some friendly fellow travelers; alas, it wan’t meant to be. I found myself sitting alone in the beautiful jasmine-scented garden for a private tasting with the sommelier, Valdo. At least he was charming and easy on the eyes. This would do.
Valdo had emigrated from an Eastern European country (I want to say Moldova but am not 100% sure about that – sorry!) years ago, and had worked his way up at the restaurant. The tasting was very relaxed; he brought out each wine, sat to chat with me, and offered me extra pours of the wines I liked. After I told him I was staying in Vernazza, he brought me an additional bottle of wine from Vernazza, opened it and left it on the table for me to enjoy. At this point I became convinced that he was trying to get me drunk. He obviously didn’t know who he was dealing with.
The restaurant garden was so lovely, and Valdo was so accommodating that I decided to stay for dinner. I hadn’t made plans and figured it would be hard to beat this place, especially after my uninspired lunch.
I made my second mistake of the day when I headed back to La Spezia Centrale to catch the Cinque Terre Express. I had assumed that trains came frequently and ran on schedule. Neither of these things were true. Once I realized that I had an hour (at least) until the next train, I vowed to consult the train table (easily accessible through Google Maps) more carefully going forward.
Day Two – Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso
I of course wanted to get my hike on when in Cinque Terre – that was kind of the point, right? While some people plan to spend all day hiking from village to village, the benefit of staying for a few days is being able to break up the treks to avoid the crowds. The hike from Vernazza in either direction (to Monterosso or Corniglia) takes 1-1.5 hours, and Gian advised me to start well before 9am to beat (foot) traffic. I opted to head to Monterosso on my first morning in Cinque Terre.
Another realization – the trails weren’t obviously marked from the center of town. I had to wander around the various alleys and stairwells for a bit before eventually coming upon the proper route. Fortunately, the village was tiny, so it was only a matter of time before I found my way.
I was thankful for the cloud cover and cooler air in the morning.
It was fun to glimpse different views of the villages along the trail
I made it to Monterosso before 10am, so the town was still pretty quiet – no complaints from me. I wanted to get back to Vernazza in time for breakfast, but I also wanted to walk around and take some photos without those pesky tourists getting in the way.
While I did not plan to bask in the sun while in Cinque Terre (there would be time for that later), I did get some tips if you are looking for beach time in Monterosso.
Afternoon in Vernazza, Back in Monterosso, Sunset Cruise
I ended up missing breakfast back in Vernazza due to the slow/unreliable trains. Mistake #3 in Cinque Terre. I reminded myself to add a buffer if I had to get to a destination by a certain time. New plan: shower, clean myself up and get an early lunch. While I didn’t have a reservation, I figured if I arrived early enough, I could get a table somewhere nice, even if I had to wait a bit.
Gian had recommended Ristorante Belforte, just up, down, and around some stairs from La Mala, so I decided to check it out. While it wasn’t packed with people yet, the host informed me that all the tables were being saved for reservations. Fine, but how long would the wait be for a table? Another hour? Sure, I was ready to wait. Miraculously (or not), once I indicated my willingness to stick it out, the staff became more accommodating. Within a few minutes, they identified a party that was excessively late for their reservation, pulled the reserved tables apart, and graciously led me to a seat with a view.
I was already well aware that Andrea was a popular man’s name in Italy. When I traveled through the country with my brother in 2017, servers unfailingly returned my credit card to Jonathan when it came time to pay the bill. Not only did I meet fellow Andreas, but almost every Italian that I met had a story about my name. “My dad/brother/cousin/best friend is named Andrea!” It oddly made me feel more at home. And it doesn’t seem like this trend is going to end anytime soon. As of 2018, Andrea was the 6th most popular name for baby boys (behind Leonardo, Francesco, Alessandro, Lorenzo and Mattia). Just a fun fact.
My plan for the afternoon and evening? Head back to Monterosso (via train), which would be the starting point for the sunset cruise I had booked. Then dinner at Trattoria dal Billy in Manarola, where I finally had made a reservation!
Maria and Nicola, the hosts for my sunset cruise (again, booked through Airbnb Experiences) had contacted me earlier with a warning that the sea was being “annoying” (their choice of words), and that it may not be the most comfortable day at sea. The conditions weren’t unsafe, but they wanted everyone to know what they were getting themselves into.
Not my first time on this rodeo. I had been alerted to “rocky” sea conditions as a tourist in the past (Harbour Island) and it would happen again a couple months in the future (Barcelona). On both occasions, we convinced the captains to stay the course, and the concern for personal comfort turned out to be overblown. We all had a blast.
On the other hand, I had previously encountered waters that could more accurately be defined as rough (sailing in windy San Francisco Bay on an especially turbulent day, and bumping violently through the Adriatic Sea for multiple hours on a transfer to Dubrovnik are two examples that come to mind). I didn’t get seasick on either occasion. Either way, the conditions on the Ligurian Sea didn’t appear to be particularly concerning (certainly not annoying) to my inexpert eye. I was willing to take a risk for my sunset cruise.
Remember all of my vows to be better about planning dinners in advance and giving myself extra time to travel between towns? I apparently still hadn’t learned my lesson. While enjoying the sunset, I looked at my phone and realized that I was cutting it very close to catch the train from La Spezia to Manarola for my dinner reservation. We were supposed to dock at 8:30pm, but Maria and Nicola did not seem to care about sticking to the schedule. I abruptly alerted them to my dinner plans, and we motored to the port with a new sense of urgency.
As I rushed through the city streets of La Spezia, I gradually resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be eating dinner in Manarola that night. I was too late to make my intended train, and even if I did take the next one (an hour later), Trattoria dal Billy would be closed by then. Guess it would be another impromptu meal. Unsurprisingly, dinner wasn’t noteworthy, so I won’t waste any more time reminiscing about the evening. Fortunately, I had some fun plans for my last day in Cinque Terre.
Hike from Manarola to Corniglia – Plus Wine Tasting!
I had booked a small group guided hike from Manarola to Corniglia through Airbnb Experiences for my third morning in Cinque Terre. While one could easily navigate the hike sans guide (it was mostly uphill, but not technical or difficult to follow), one of the key selling points to the experience was a private wine tasting from a local producer.
Our group of eight (seven travelers and our guide, Doug) met at the Manarola train station. Despite my best efforts for a punctual arrival, the train was still late pulling into Vernazza, so I was one of the last people to arrive. Fortunately, Doug was also coming from the same direction, so I didn’t have to feel guilty about delaying the group.
First, we did a quick tour of Manarola. It would be my first and only time in the village, so I was happy to take the time to see the town.
By the way, this wasn’t just a hike with a wine tasting at the end. We did get an education in the Cinque Terre wine industry and its history. To be honest, it’s not much of an industry. The wines aren’t exported much, and the vintners generally don’t make a profit from the wines they produce. However, winemaking goes way back in Cinque Terre’s history, the people are serious about their work, and I can affirm that the wines pair quite nicely with the local seafood.
The hike itself was more challenging than the Vernazza-Monterosso trek (a lot more inclines), but I was happy to sweat a bit and admire the beautiful views. As a group we went at a slower pace since we had a couple kids (tweens?) and an older woman, but I found my groove leading the pack with a couple of solo Aussie female travelers (they weren’t together, they just happened to be the only Aussies in a group of Americans). I don’t mean to stereotype, but with the exception of my trip to Seminyak, Bali, I’ve always had a good experience meeting Aussie travelers.
The tour was officially over at that point. We had the option to hike back to Manarola, take the bus from Volastra, or continue on the trail to Corniglia. I of course planned to go to Corniglia (another hour or so), and the Aussie women decided to join me.
The Aussie women were wonderful. They both advised me on my next trip to Australia (New Year’s Eve), and the one that lived in Hobart, Tasmania even invited me to stay with her! I doubted I would take her up on the offer, but it was extremely generous of her. We ended up having lunch together, although the restaurant in Corniglia that Doug recommended (Mananan) was closed. You know, because it was Thursday. Oh, Italy.
After lunch, the two Aussies decided to continue on the trail to Vernazza. I considered joining, but the trails were getting crowded and the weather was getting hot. I opted to take the train back to La Mala for a break in some air conditioning.
Last Night: Dinner in Monterosso
I can proudly say that on my last day in Cinque Terre, I had no logistical mishaps. After relaxing and showering at La Mala, I made it to Monterosso in plenty of time for my dinner reservation. Gian had booked me a table at Torre Aurora – he was friends with the owner, assured me that the food was excellent, and that it featured one of the best views for sunset in Cinque Terre. I wasn’t going to argue with any of those points.
I’m guessing that thanks to Gian I ended up with the best seat in the house. My table was in the corner, overlooking Monterosso, the sea and the sunset. People seated on the interior of the rooftop kept coming over to lean across me and take their own pictures of the view. I didn’t care.
A foursome next to me (two Aussie couples – affirming my earlier assessment) apologized for interrupting my meal, and we started to chat as I was reaching the end of my meal. They eventually invited me to join them for a nightcap, which I’m sure would have been a joy, but I had a train to catch (I had learned my lesson), and a big day of travel ahead of me.
Next up: train back to Florence, where I’d pick up a rental car for my first-ever experience driving in a foreign country (in Italy, nonetheless). Gulp.
