Stop #5: Cinque Terre, Italy

Just arrived in Cinque Terre and couldn't be happier!

Where do I even start with this one??  Our two weeks in Italy were beyond amazing, memorable and full of adventure.  It was really a trip of a lifetime (squeezed in between other trips of a lifetime).  I knew I’d really enjoy our time in this country, but in fact, I absolutely loved it!  It started out a little questionable but quickly became incredible.  There is so much to tell about our visit to Italy so I split the blog for this country into two – Cinque Terre, Italy & Italy Continued.

First, our journey from Germany was slightly hectic.  As my cousin was driving us to Stuttgart to catch our flight, I realized that our flight was actually out of Frankfurt (2 hours away)!  Good thing I just happened to check our itinerary randomly during our drive.  We got dropped off at a train station, booked an incredibly expensive ticket to Frankfurt and just barely made the train.  The 3 of us were running like crazy to catch the train, and my cousin had to literally jump out of the train as the doors were closing to take off.  It was a stressful time, but a very funny one (looking back now).  Isn’t that always the case?

We landed in Genoa, Italy in the evening and check into our hotel by the port.  We managed to get in a quick tour of the city, which was full of narrow alleyways, hundreds of suspended colorful umbrellas (above the walk ways), nice shops and restaurants, and a huge plaza with a very nice fountain.  Our evening ended with a very fine dinner at a lovely restaurant called SOHO.  There, we enjoyed an octopus appetizer (our favorite thing these days), a seafood pasta and stuffed cuttlefish.  Dessert was something I can’t explain, but it was all absolutely delicious!  Day 1 in Italy was very nice.  However, I was not the biggest fan of Genoa.  Although it has a decent amount of things to see and do, the people made me feel a little nervous, especially at night.  It was the first place during our trip where I felt that I couldn’t walk around alone at night.  I always heard that theft is a big thing in Italy, and I sense that it is true.  Regardless, everything turned out fine.

Day 2 was spent touring around Genoa again, and included a visit to a cathedral, a delicious lunch at a place that made its own pasta, a stroll along the harbor and making a simple dinner in our hotel room from a variety of foods that we collected throughout the day.  It was a chill but very nice day (you need those once in a while!).  We were trying to rest up and get ready for the next part of our journey – to Cinque Terre!  For those of you who don’t know Cinque Terre, you need to Google it.  Read about it and check out the photos ‘cuz you have to go there one day!  And go there while you’re still energetic and healthy.  Cinque Terre is basically 5 small towns linked by hiking trails in the mountains and along the seaside.  You could drive to each town, but hiking is way more fun.  Technically, you could hike to all 5 towns in one day, but it’d be very rushed and you won’t be able to truly enjoy the beauty of each place.  So Lorenzo and I decided to do it over 3 days.  And here’s how it went…

Day 3 of Italy was spent packing up our trekking backpacks, leaving our luggage at the front desk, and taking a train to the furthest of the 5 Cinque Terre towns, called Riomaggiore.  We wanted to start at the furthest town and hike our way back.  This turned out to be an excellent idea and I highly recommend it.  One reason is because I think Riomaggiore is one of the most beautiful towns in which trekkers should really stay one night.  The town on the complete opposite side (Monterrosso) is more touristy, not as clean (in my opinion) and not as beautiful.  I didn’t feel the need to stay a night there.  So our plan was to train to Riomaggiore (stay one night), hike to Manarola, Hike to Corniglia, hike to Vernazza (stay one night), hike to Monterrosso, and then train back to Genora (stay one night).  Again, this turned out to be the perfect plan, although both trails between Manarola were closed, so we had to ferry that portion.

Anyhow, back to Riomaggiore.  Riomaggiore is a beautiful, hilly town with plenty to see and do.  Our AirBnB was absolutely fantastic – clean, spacious, and perfectly located.  Our host recommended a café in the hills which over looked the ocean, so that’s where we went for lunch.  And the views were breathtaking!  Crystal clear water for as far as you could see, paired with excellent white wine.  My face was beaming with excitement and my heart was beating with intense love… arriving to Cinque Terre was one of those few moments in life that you wish would never end.  It almost makes you want to live forever so that you could experience more of these moments.  And it almost makes you sad cuz you wish you could share this moment with every person you love, so they could feel the same thing.  And the emotion is so intense that there is nothing more I’d wish for, than to bring my father into this moment. To have him sit next to me and to see what I’m seeing, and to feel what I’m feeling.  I wish I could do that for him, but I can’t.  It’s ok, he’s still in my heart and mind and joining me along the way.  At least I get to share this time with the other most important man in my life – Lorenzo!

The next day we got ready for our long hiking day.  First we had to take a quick ferry to Manarola since the trails were closed, and then we immediately began our hike to Corniglia, which was approximately 2.5 hours of fairly intense hiking.  The views from the mountainous hike were absolutely breathtaking. I couldn’t stop taking pictures which kinda prolonged our hike.  But its ok, the point is to enjoy it!  And I did, every step of the way. Once we got to Corgnilia, we enjoyed lunch with a beautiful mountain view.  This town is the only one that is not located on the seaside, so its surrounded by amazing views. The best part is when you hike into and away from towns and look back at the bird’s eye view.  Everything you see is postcard-perfect.  My photos don’t do it justice so you’ll just have to come see for yourself 😊

When you hike all day and then discover a new, drop dead gorgeous village <3

The next leg of our trip (Corgnilia to Vernazza).  This section was even more green, fairly hilly and full of vineyards.  It took us about another 2 hours, including picture taking time.  It wasn’t as difficult as the section of Manarola to Corniglia, but it was still fairly challenging.  I’m sure it would be more challenging if the weather was hotter.  We were so lucky on this day, as there was a slight overcast all day long.  We were sweating but not too uncomfortable.  Anyhow, arriving to Vernazza was another breathtaking moment.  I just can’t get over how gorgeous this place is!  We checked into our AirBnb, which was located right in front of the water.  Lorenzo was also quite excited about our fantastic hike and perfectly located apartment, however he was not so excited that he had to study for an online exam he had to take in a couple of days.  So while he stayed back in the AirBnB, I hit the beach.  T’was a great day for me! That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner near the castle with the most perfect view.  Our table was situated on the edge of a cliff where we could look straight down at the ocean and gaze out to the waterfront of the town.  It was beyond romantic, a place I wouldn’t mind being proposed to!  Lorenzo and I made a deal, he’ll propose to me every 10 years and we’ll renew our vows… yey!  Why not?  Proposals and weddings are fun!

The last leg of our Cinque Terre adventure was hiking from Vernazza to Monterrosso.  If you were to hike the opposite way, you’d consider committing suicide.  The stairs are absolutely insane, and I really don’t recommend it unless you are in incredible shape.  Even Lorenzo and I were thankful that we were going the way we were – it was just challenging enough and just as picturesque!  But we did hike it as fast as possible (about 1.5 hours) because it was so hot and uncomfortable.  All we could think of was jumping into the blue ocean we kept staring at throughout the hike.  And eventually we did make it to that ocean and enjoyed the best swim ever.  Later on, we took a train back to Genoa and collected our luggage to check in to our next hotel.  To our surprise, they upgraded us to a ridiculously spacious Suite with a large bedroom and living room… what a way to end a perfect day!

Those few days in Italy were just the beginning!  Our visit to this amazing country continues onto Pisa, Elba Island, Milan and Venice... read about it in my next blog :)

PHOTOS OF ITALY: PART 1