Our first taste of the Mediterranean coastline! The 5 Terres were absolutely stunning and a big highlight in our trip so far. We stayed in Levanto which is just one train stop over from Monterosso. There is nothing quite like stepping out of the train station to our first town Monterosso - not quite knowing what to expect – and seeing the glistening blue sea bound by the towering cliffs with bright colourful buildings perched within.
Vernazza
Vernazza
Monterosso itself is known for its beaches and we saw the iconic blue/white/orange striped umbrellas lined up on the long stretches of beach. Due to a big flood/landslide incident a few years ago, the only hiking path open between the 5 towns was the Monterosso – Vernazza stretch. We got straight into it the first afternoon and it was pretty challenging, but the scenery was just amazing! Along the walking path were a couple of weird things, including a cat sanctuary which housed the local stray cats and hikers could donate money into the boxes to help feed them. We also saw a clever Italian man set up a lemonade shack within the bushes, hoping to sell some refreshing lemonade to thirsty hikers.
Corniglia
Manarola
The view of Vernazza as we descended along the walking path was beautiful, with its colourful buildings wrapping around a lively looking bay with fishermens’ boats anchored in. We found a really nice swimming spot which was accessed via a cave opening. The water was refreshing especially after our walk and very clean!
Manarola
Corniglia was another pretty town, however it sat quite high on the cliff so the path down to the water was quite steep and not easily accessed. The walk itself from the train station into Corniglia was substantial so we decided to get back onto the train onto Manarola for a swim. Manarola had cliffs in the water where people were jumping off into the water and we settled beside the water, watching the cliff jumpers. We found a great spot beside the water in Riomaggiore, the final town, and dived off the side into the water and relaxed on some steps by the water.
Riomaggiore
