CINQUE TERRE

Monterosso al Mare & Vernazza

I remember waking up early on a beautiful morning in La Spezia, Italy. My friend and I had planned to explore the iconic Cinque Terre, a string of five beautiful coastal towns located along the Italian Riviera. While many tourists visit all five towns in one day, we had enough time and decided to split them into a two-day itinerary.

We parked our car close to the La Spezia Centrale train station and hopped onto the train, eager to begin our adventure. As we arrived in Monterosso al Mare, we immediately felt the vibrant energy of the town. We knew we had to try the local food, so we made our way to a beachside restaurant called Il Bocconcino.

As we approached the restaurant, we saw a long line forming, but we didn't let that discourage us. We knew the seafood lunch would be worth the wait, and we were right. After a short wait, we were one of the first ones to be served, and the meal was simply incredible. The flavors of the fresh seafood paired with the salty sea air created a taste that was simply unforgettable.

After lunch, we made our way to the picturesque town of Vernazza. The town was a beautiful labyrinth of narrow streets and colorful buildings. We wandered around, admiring the stunning views of the sea and the quaint houses, and we knew we had to stay until sunset. But, as the evening wore on, we realized that there was no sunset to be seen! We laughed at our mistake and decided to make the most of our time in Vernazza.

As the night descended upon us, we found ourselves lost in the charm of the town. We chatted with the locals, sampled some delicious gelato, and watched the twinkling lights of the fishing boats as they glided along the harbor. It was a magical experience, and we felt grateful to be able to immerse ourselves in the authentic Italian culture.

Our first day in Cinque Terre was unforgettable, and we couldn't wait to explore more of these stunning towns. We made our way back to La Spezia, feeling content and full of excitement for the adventures to come.

Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggiore

I was so excited to continue exploring Cinque Terre that we dedicated two whole days to it. Today was our second day and we hopped on the train to visit Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. However, when we arrived at the train station in Corniglia and saw all the stairs we needed to climb in order to reach the town, I was almost ready to turn back and catch the next train to Manarola. But something inside me said, "You're here, you have to do it," so I mustered up the courage to tackle the stairs.

Once we made it to Corniglia, we realized there wasn't much to do but we wanted to be able to say we had been there. I took some photos, sipped on a coffee, and then we caught the train to Manarola. It was such a charming town, we spent a couple of hours walking around and taking photos. The views were breathtaking and we even got to dip our feet in the water.

By the time we arrived in Riomaggiore, I was completely exhausted from all the walking we had done the past few days. I couldn't muster up the energy to do much more than walk around a bit, snap some photos, and then catch the train back to La Spezia.

That night, we stayed at our beautiful hotel and enjoyed an incredible view of the city. It was the perfect way to end our trip to Cinque Terre, and I couldn't wait to see what other adventures were in store for us on the rest of our journey.

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