Days 11 &12: Cinqueterre

On Saturday we hiked from Monterosso to Vernazzo, aka Cinqueterre #5 and #4, respectively. There is a national park trail that connects the two following the Mediterranean Sea, but we choose the longer tougher hike that went over the mountain. For the first two hours we weren't completely sure we were on the trail, because we were hiking on a very steep road with switchbacks and traffic. There was some magic in the hills, seeing bungalows with groves of olives, lemons, or figs. At one point, our hostel host drove by and pulled over to say hello. We figured he would've said we were on the wrong path had it been.


Each rank of branches on this tree created a star


Someone's yard


Abundant cacti

By the time we got to the top of the mountain, it was cold, raining, and we had walked into a cloud. 


Where's Samwise when you need him?

We stopped at the Sanctuary di Madonna di Nostre Saviore, which just a few years back served as a shelter for folks during the time of the Plague. It has also sheltered locals in times of pirate attacks. It sheltered us in the event of a cloud. 


The sanctuary. Visibility: low


Interior, sanctuary


Glass in the floor shows the original foundation


The church's 1834 organ

We paused here for a bite and hot drink because it was too dangerous to hike on. One of the women working at the church was Sophia Petrillo incarnate. 

Fortunately when we were through the cloud had mostly lifted and we hiked on to Vernazzo. There last half dozen signs had incorrect distances, making us feel like we were perpetually 0.35 km from town. The five hour hike was wonderful and allowed us plenty of opportunities to identify wild plants, flowers, and fruits. 


Part of the hike


That's the destination, only about 0.35 km away


Heading down closer to town


Check out this neat mini monorail, presumably used for harvesting

Can you believe that we chose to take the train home instead of hiking back? That night's dinner was at restaurant next to the Mediterranean.


A view from that evening

Today we took the train to Corniglia (CT#3) and explored the town. From the train station, there are some 385 stairs to get to up the town, and once in town you can't walk much more than a dozen steps without encountering another stairway. Aside from beautiful area views, this Escher-esque town seems to have the least to offer on terms of things to do. We had lunch on a plaza and watched local children play football, kicking the ball into and around the tourists.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on a busy private beach that we soon discovered, thanks to our neighbor, was clothing optional. Sorry, no photos to share.

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