The Cinque Terre



17th-23rd August, 2012

Looking down to Corniglia

Over the course of five or so days in this beautiful part of the Italian Riviera we managed to see all five villages which make up the Cinque Terre as well as a couple of the sanctuaries tucked up in the hills.








Looking along part of the Via del'Amore

Swim stop

The short walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola along the cliffside ‘Via Del’Amore’, was our easy introduction into walking the region. Although, doing it in the hot sun necessitated the dip in the lagoon like waters after wandering the village.

 We thought we should explore the surrounding national park a little so we trekked up many steps and along windy terraces to complete a number of walks to sanctuaries; religious retreats, high up above the villages.  Each sanctuary walk was generally a hefty 2.5-3km solid, up hill trek.

 

We couldn’t stay in the Cinque Terre and not attempt the Sentiero Azzurro-the walk which links all five villages.  The fact that a landslide had wiped out a big chunk of path between Manarola and Corniglia wasn’t a deterrent-we just took the 2 hour detour up into the hinterland!  With just a few quick stops we managed to complete the walk in just less than 6 hours.

Pausing to enjoy the view and catch our breath-we were almost at our destination!

 

For a few more photos of this beautiful part of Italy, click here