Lynne's Travels : Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre meaning "Five Earths", is a coastal area in northwest Italy, comprising of five villages - Vernazza, Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore - dating back to at least the 11th century. Monterosso and Vernazza were the first villages and the others evolved later. The coastline, five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Over the centuries, people have built terraces for their homes on the rugged, steep cliffs that overlook the sea; and paths, trains and boats connect these villages, but cars cannot reach them from the outside. In the 16th century the inhabitants had to reinforce existing forts and build new towers to defend their area from attacks by the Turks. Cinque Terre experienced economic decline from the 17th century, recovering when an arsenal was built in La Spezia, a short distance down the coast, and it gained a railway link to Genoa. This railway led to migration away from the area and a decline in its traditional industries; until tourism began in the 1970s, when tourists started coming to see the fisherman's painted cottages.

I had decided a day trip (albeit a long one from Florence) was going to be the best way for me to see this very special area. My first stop was at Manarola - the second village along the coast of the Cinque Terre – separated from the first village of Riomaggiore, by a tunnel. The coach could only go so far down the steep road, so I had to walk the rest of the way – although that wasn’t far.

Manarola is built on a high rock 70 metres above sea level and is one of the most charming and romantic villages. At the bottom of the main street is a tiny harbour with a boat ramp, picturesque multicoloured houses facing the sea, and several restaurants. Every time the sea is rough, boats are pulled up onto the main road. The village is all ups and downs, with steep narrow alleys leading to the sea.

There is a delightful footpath around the bay, called Via dell’Amore (Lovers’ Lane), with fabulous views of the coastline. On top of the headland of Manarola, is the Gothic styled Church of San Lorenzo built in 1338 and its bell tower which, years ago was somewhere to watch for potential pirate raids and ring out to the villagers below.

The tour didn’t allow very long here, which although there wasn’t much to see, it would have been good to explore at a more leisurely pace. From here we walked through a tunnel to catch the train to the next village.

It was only one stop to the next village – Vernazza; described as the most beautiful of all Cinque Terre’s villages; even considering in 2011, it suffered a devastating flood, damaging much of the village and killing 9 people. Vernazza is described as the crowning jewel among Cinque Terre and has been named as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Its steep streets are traffic free, with pastel coloured homes several storeys high, the epitome of a picture postcard.

The main cobbled street (Via Roma) is lined with little cafes, and colourful shops; and side streets lead on to narrow lanes, with sea views at every turn. The shops here were selling lovely clothing, lace and ornaments as well as souvenirs – and there were some traditional Gelato shops. When in Italy – you just have to – don’t you!

At the bottom of the main street is a beach and a small harbour, this is the only secure landing point on the Cinque Terre coast. This bay is surrounded by such colour, with the houses, magnificent architecture and the azure blue Mediterranean ocean. It is a delightful area to sit and relax, watching the ocean, children playing and enjoying restful time in the quaintest surroundings. With an ice-cream in hand, it couldn’t be more perfect. Vernazza is mentioned in documents as early as 1080, and has been used as a military base, working to defend the coast from Saracen pirate raids, which often devastated the nearby towns.

The St Marguerite church built in a Roman style in about the 11th century overlooks the harbour and has a beautiful octagonal cream coloured tower. The square boxed shape Doria Castle was also built in the 11th century for the protection of the village and surveillance of the entire coast; the terrace and the tower are open to public. The watch Tower is such a well-known symbol of Vernazza and can be seen on most photos of the village.

After some delightful time soaking up the sun and the wonderful atmosphere of this picturesque place, it was back on the train heading to the next village.

Monterosso is the biggest and the oldest of the Cinque Terre’s villages (more like a town really) - divided into 2 parts, the old and the new village, but is described as the least charming of the Cinque Terre villages. It has the biggest beach (Fegina) of the entire coast and is more of a resort, providing lively tourist activities and evening entertainment; and the lovely long pebble beach (if you like that sort of beach) that gets very crowded during the summertime.

The older village can be accessed through a tunnel that runs beneath the San Cristoforo promontory.

The old village is so different to the new Monterosso; with narrow streets, colourful buildings, quaint shops and traditional places to eat. And when in Italy you really do get the best pasta dishes! We were given more time here, so I was able to have a relaxed lunch; before doing a little exploring.

There are so many interesting buildings to admire in the old part of the village. The Gothic Church of St. John the Baptist with its narrow stripes was built in the 13th century, and close by is the Baroque Chapel of Mortis et Orationis (meaning for "Death and Prayer"). This building is very similar in style but with thicker stripes – and I did manage a quick look inside this one.

On San Cristoforo hill, that separates the 2 parts of Monterosso, you can see The Church of San Francesco and the Cappuccini Monastery, that was built in the early 17th century. In the past, Monterosso was guarded by 13 towers, but only 3 are left today - one of them is the Aurora Tower. Next to it, there used to be a castle, and the Monastery of San Antonio al Mesco - but neither have survived and the tower is currently a private house.

After a delightful few hours at this resort, it was time to move on again. The next part of my day was a restful trip on the ferry that runs a regular service along the coastline, seeing more colourful villages perched high up on the rocks and cliffs - one of the most fascinating landscapes in the Mediterranean.

After about an hour, the boat rounded a rocky headland, and I could see an impressive building perched high on top of it - that looked like a large sinister looking black castle fortified with towers and high walls. This wasn’t a castle but the beautiful 12th century Gothic Church of San Pietro.

We continued into the huge bay known as the Gulf of Poets with a fabulous view all around; passing the "Palazzata"- the name given to the sea front, which is lined with old houses. A few minutes later the boat pulled in at Porto Venere, a medieval fishing village just south of the Cinque Terre, and part of the Italian Riviera.

The only way to reach here from the Cinque Terre is by boat, or from La Spezia by boat or by bus. The charming village of Porto Venere is itself another UNESCO World Heritage site and I didn’t find it quite so busy here – perhaps because it was more spacious that the villages of Cinque Terre.

Its picturesque harbour is lined with brightly coloured houses, while narrow medieval streets lead up the hill - from the ancient city gate to the castle.

If you head through this 12th century Town Gate with its Tower, you are entering the historical centre of the city; and its main street Via Capellini, is lined with interesting shops and restaurants. One shop even had a curtain outside that was made from elongated pasta!

This area with its old buildings and narrow streets takes you back a thousand years. I headed up this main street, there is only one going upwards – you can’t get lost.

At the top, at the tip of the promontory is the picturesque church of San Pietro that I had spotted earlier. There is also Doria Castle standing on top of the rock, which was first built in 1161, but it was significantly reconstructed in 1458.

It belonged to the Doria family who played a very important part in the life of Gulf of Genoa. Now it is one of the main landmarks in Porto Venere, and open to visitors, from where you can have spectacular panoramic views over the town, San Pietro church and out over the ocean.

Between San Pietro church and Doria Castle are the ruins of two cylindrical structures which used to be mills and guard towers - to give the population an advance warning if enemies were attacking. The views up here are so impressive - it is possible to visit the three nearby islands - Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, which are just off the mainland by boat.

You can also see Byron's Cave, La Grotta di Byron, a rocky area leading to the sea, where the poet Byron used to swim. There is a great view of the castle here too.

Heading back down towards the harbour, I thought I would go a different way, and how different it was. A labyrinth of narrow paths, stairways connecting the different levels, quaint colourful houses with window boxes – and no-one about. I came across the 12th century Church of San Lorenzo where every year people celebrate the Miracle of the White Madonna, the patron saint of Porto Venere.