Navigating the Cinque Terre
Vernazza, Cinque Terre
Our first full day in Tuscany came after a very cozy sleep in our AirBnB La Capanna (which means "the hut").
A little bit about the house itself. The owners took a 19th century stone house outside the historic walls of Lucca by about a mile and completely renovated it into the gem that we are residing in for the next several days. They have done wonders with this place. Modern bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, etc while keeping an old rustic charm. No words can do it justice so here are a few photos.
Our rental is located just off a pretty busy street, but within easy 2-3 minute walking is a bar (in Italia a bar is a place you get coffee, a pastry, maybe a simple panini, maybe a bottle of water or Coca Cola, plus other drinks, etc.) where we've been getting our coffee each morning, a pizzeria that makes the best darn pizzas and the staff are incredibly friendly, and a few choices for groceries. So, all that you need to get the day going or have food for dinner or lunch at the rental.
Thursday, June 22 was here and with it our anticipated day to the famed Cinque Terre - 5 small seaside villages just north of the coastal city of La Spezia. I looked into two options for getting there - each with the end result of needing to arrive at the central train station in La Spezia to then hop on the regional train specifically designated for the Cinque Terre. Taking a train from Lucca meant swapping trains at Viareggio (coastal beach town) and then heading to La Spezia. The train did not cover very often and took 90 minutes to reach La Spezia. Drive from Lucca took an hour according to Google maps and the biggest challenge would be to find parking near the La Spezia train station. After looking into it, I opted for the drive to La Spezia. I opted wrong.
The drive to La Spezia took much longer than though due to heavy construction traffic. We got rerouted onto a bunch of local roads just to reach La Spezia. Once there, it took us another 25 minutes to find a parking spot and then another 15 to figure out how to pay for the parking spot. Two different pay kiosks did not work, not did the two apps we were encouraged to download and pay from. Eventually, several blocks away, we found a kiosk that worked, and we were successfully legally parked. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll opt for the train from Lucca.
The hike to the train station was not too bad, but it was already pretty hot, so it was easy to get a bit worn out quicker. We found the Cinque Terre travel bureau office which is where we could purchase or full day train ticket pass allowing us to stop at any of the 5 cities as often as we wanted for the day. Odd though in that the Cinque Terre is immensely popular, especially with Americans and especially in part to Rick Steves (travel guy on TV and books) making the Cinque Terre a "hidden destination" not so hidden anymore. So, you can image our surprise to learn that to purchase our rail passes using the modern, large, computer touchscreen, self-serve ticket kiosk, we were informed that we cannot pay by American credit cards (not Visa, MC, or Amex - no one takes Amex). But we could use Apple Pay. Fine for us, but I imagine there are a lot of retirees that stumble here. If so, they get to go stand in line for the regular TrenItalia ticket line and struggle to ask for the daily rail pass. Confusing. Italian. Va bene.
The southern most city is Riomaggiore and it is about a 5-minute train ride from La Spezia through a very long tunnel through the steep coastal mountains. From there you come to Manarola, then Corniglia, then Vernazza (seemingly the largest of the towns), and finally Monterosso al Mare. Each town is about a 5-minute ride from the other, mostly through tunnels. Corniglia is likely the least visited because the town itself sits about 400 very steep steps above the train line. Riomaggiore and Monterosso both have a lot of restaurants and a few kitschy tourist shops. Vernazza has by far the biggest shopping area with a lot of boutique shops ranging from tourist stuff, food and wine boutiques, more designer clothing stores, and every type of restaurant or gelateria you could ask for. Hence, it was also the busiest of the cities.
We decided to head to the furthest north first and hence took about a 25-minute ride up to Monterosso al Mare. Unfortunately, as we were exiting the train, Alyssa bumped her head on a luggage rack - and if you know Alyssa and her history of concussions, this was a worrisome moment. Slowed by this and the need for the ladies to use the single restroom at the train station, our start to our visit was slow and timid. Eventually Jule sent Maria and I ahead to explore some shops with the idea that she and Alyssa would catch up to us.
Monterosso's train station dumps you almost directly onto the stoney beach which stretches for several blocks in both directions - seems to be the largest beach of the 5 cities. The entire town besides the street that parallels the beach is uphill beyond the train station. We never made it that far. Maria and I wandered the beachside street finding little in terms of shops. There were restaurants of all grades and caliber and a few local hotels occupying older buildings. Maria eventually found her way to a vintage clothing store and was happy. To my surprise, Alyssa and Jule found us there. She had a headache and just wanted to find a place to sit in the shade which was fine with me (it was terribly hot) while Maria wanted to keep shopping.
Alyssa and I found a tiny cafe across from the beach area, grabbed a table in the shade where a slight breeze made it relaxing to be, and ordered some panini and Cokes. She seemed to be doing okay, but usually the concussion symptoms don't show up until day 2. Jule and Maria texted that they had found a different restaurant that served pasta (Maria is in search of the greatest pasta dish ever on this trip) and were planning to hang out there for a bit. Eventually we grouped up again and decided that we should head over to Vernazza to take in the more expansive shopping areas.
Where Montorosso was hustle, Vernazza added the bustle. When you step off the train, the platform overlooks the main pedestrian street through the small town down to the marina/beach (rocks). Along that path are a ton of shops - clothing, food, etc. Maria jetted off into clothing stores while Alyssa and I took a slow walk down to the waterfront area. Next to that is the medieval Chiesa di Santa Marghertia di Antiochia. Walking in there made me feel like the old Templar Knights were going to emerge from the walls clad in their armor and threaten to drag me into some eternal sentry role as if I was in some Indiana Jones movie. So yah, it was pretty neat.
We went back out and walked along the sea wall that creates the small harbor and took some very scenic photos. By then we were thirsty and hot, so what better excuse to find a gelateria and get some gelato. Jule and Maria had the same idea and we met up with them in time to indulge and take a relaxing seat in the shade.
From here, we were unsure what to do next. Alyssa certainly was not feeling great, and the heat and walking were not helping. Maria was really enjoying her time in each city. As we got on the train, we had about 10 minutes before we arrived at Manarola to figure out our next steps. In the end, Jule and Maria decided they wanted to get off the train at Manarola and hike between there and Riomaggiore. Alyssa and I were happy to make our way to Riomaggiore and find a cool place to get a drink and take a rest.
The combined heat and humidity plus the very steep roads in each town made it difficult to do much other than poke around a little bit at a time. Perhaps had Alyssa been feeling better I might have been able to enjoy myself more, but I wasn't really "feeling it" in the Cinque Terre - and was anxious about navigating the traffic in La Spezia and then the unknown time it would take to drive back to Lucca.
Jule and Maria had a bit of a tough time on the hike between Manarola and Riomaggiore - again the heat and humidity did not help but the trail made a 400 foot vertical gain in about 1/2 of a mile with not much for shade. Alyssa and I walked out to the marina which looked a lot like the other marinas in Monterosso and Vernazza and then wound our way partially up the lone street with shops. Here at least there were more "street food" options rather than sit down restaurants and the street was not crowded and had nice cozy benches alongside to sit and enjoy the shade and breeze that was coming in. Quite opposite the trek that Jule and Maria chose.
After about an hour, they made their way into town extremely thirsty and maybe a little more worn out than they thought they would be. We hopped on the next available train to La Spezia and our time in the Cinque Terre came to an end.
I'm not sure how I feel about the famed Cinque Terre. Certainly, my perspective is a bit skewed because I was worried about Alyssa and then Jule and Maria during their long, hot hike. But that aside, I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to return. Maria for sure loved the quaint little towns and whatever their offered. I think Jule and Alyssa did too. The beaches are not really beaches - they are harbors with boulders or in the case of Montorosso very grain sand/pebble beaches. If you are into shopping, there are shops, but sort past the typical touristy shops you don't get much more. Nothing stood out for "regional" items, wines, etc. I kept hearing about the famed Limoncino - the Cinque Terre version of Limoncello - but did not see a single place offering tastes or any for sale. I did see some of the Cinque Terre wines for sale, but again, no way to taste that I saw and drinking wine when I was already a bit dehydrated was not my idea of fun. If I did go back, I'd opt to go in the evenings and just to one or two towns and enjoy the cool breeze off the ocean, enjoy a drink or two at a bar, and then a nice slow time enjoying a dinner overlooking the ocean. But to do that, I'd either have to stay the night, stay in La Spezia (no thanks), or just make it a really LONG afternoon and get back very late to Lucca or wherever else (Lucca is for me the best place to stay in northern Tuscany).
In the end, Alyssa did end up with another mild concussion. The result so far has been her completely missing Florence, only able to spend a few hours meeting my cousin Emanuela Conforti and her husband Edoardo (not to be confused with the other Edoardo that we left behind in Sardinia), and so far, missing out on seeing much of Lucca even if it is a few minutes to the walls. Jule and Maria are doing well and have been shopping and eating and shopping and eating. I'm somewhere in between. Had a long day yesterday seeing Emanuela and Edo and touring all over Ripafratta and Pisa. But I feel bad for Alyssa. It has been a rough trip for her - first having a cold and now this. Not exactly an ideal vacation for her. But she's managed to keep a positive look on things. For me, I am really bummed by this. I won't get many more vacations with her - this was not how I was hoping to spend this one. But there will be another time. This I am sure.
Still catching up on blogging. I've covered Thursday now... Friday was Florence, Saturday Ripafratta and Pisa, and today (Sunday) a low key day in and around Lucca.
Super hot here. And now I see I'll bring the heat back to Sacramento. Yay for me. :-(
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