The Colours of the Cinque Terre

A postcard picture perfect destination in Liguria, Italy

By Rod Loboz

March 3^rd, 2024

A lot of people outside Italy don't recognize the name Cinque Terre but would recognize a photo of this region if they saw one. In fact, when you google Italy there are many pictures of the Cinque Terre on the first page. The name refers to five villages in Liguria sitting on a rugged coastline of north-west Italy and they're kind of like Azenhas do Mar on LSD: an explosion of colours outlooking the sea.

I had been wanting to photograph this area for a long time. I flew to Milan and took a train to La Spezia, the provincial capital and second largest city of Liguria after Genoa. From there I took another train to Riomaggiore, one of the five villages, which would be my base to explore the Cinque Terre.

Monterosso al mare

The train station of Riomaggiore is caught between two cliffs, the tracks at each end disappearing into the darkness of one of that many tunnels that shoot through the bellies of mountains here. The day has just broke and the hillsides are enveloped in blue shadows. The metallic voice coming out of the speakers on the platforms giving instructions in Italian makes me think of totalitarian regimes and George Orwell's 1984. I catch a train to Monterosso.

The exit of the Monterosso leads onto a long promenade along the bay with the only extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre. I have breakfast in a local café where I'm the only foreigner. Back at the train station, at the tourist info kiosk, they tell me the trails are closed. The walking trail has been closed for years due to floods and landslides and the hiking trails were closed due to to heavy rain in the previous days. I had come specifically to hike the trails so before resigning myself to move between the five villages either by train or boat, I set about to find an unwatched mountain trail.

On the edge of town I find a sign indicating the next village. It's still very early and I decide it's worth a shot even if I have to double back at some point and use the train instead. The stone steps go up a steep hillside and soon Monterosso is well down below. It's a steep climb and after a while I'm walking a winding path of dirt and steps between narrow terraced plots of land along the coastline. I find other tourists on the trails.

vernazza

The trail flattens out and it becomes a pleasant hike along coastal hills. Now and again a boat zips through the sea. The sun is out and it starts getting hot. Soon I find myself on a trail above Vernazza for a classic postcard view of the Cinque Terre. It is the only natural port of the five villages and a quay has been constructed at the entrance of the tiny bay. There is a tiny castle on top of a cliff overlooking the sea.

The town is very beautiful with colorful houses in pastel, yellow, magenta, pink and orange tones. It's already bustling with tourists who arrive from the train station or from the ferries. I walk around for a bit, go down to small beach for some photos and soon thereafter make my way to the opposite edge of town to find the trails again.

corniglia

The first part outside of Vernazza is a hard climb up the steps carved on the hillside. I see a man operating a sort of motorized wheelbarrow with tracks instead of wheels which allows him to carry supplies up the steps to a terraced restaurant just outside the village. The path soon flattens out and it's an easy walk along the coast. Far ahead I can see the promontory atop of which Corniglia lies - it's the only village out of the five that is not adjacent to the sea. There a lot more tourists on the trail in this section.

The trail ends on a road that leads down to the village and I see another interesting device to carry supplies up and down the steep terrain - a small cart that's fitted onto a monorail going down the hill. I walk around the town and take a rest to grab a bite and buy more water. It takes me a bit of time to find the right trail again. I follow tourists outside of town and down a winding road to the sea only to find it leads to the train station and the coastal trail is gated shut. I walk back up and finally find my way.

manarola

There are a lot of tourists coming down the steps into Corniglia from the hilltop. I come across some Americans I met on the trail earlier that morning on the trail out of Monterosso. They got on the train at Vernazza and were taking the easier hike down into Corniglia. I ask them if Manarola is still a long way off and they tell me they have been climbing down for more than 40 minutes. I'm in for a treat. It's very hot now and trail 586 out of Corniglia is really steep. I stop frequently to catch my breath and almost drink all of my water before reaching the top of the steps. It's probably one of the hardest the climbs I've done aside from the jungle trek I did in Colombia to go to the Lost City.

Finally I reach the top of that climb and the trail becomes very pleasant with glimpses of Corniglia down below. The trail crosses terraced vineyards and private villas in the middle of nowhere with terraced lawns looking out onto the sea. Dark clouds gather above the grey water and a storm seems to be forming. The trail ends in the small village of Volastra and a steps lead down the hillside in the direction of Manorola, which lies on a narrow valley, surrounded by vineyards.

riomaggiore

It starts raining hard when I reach Manarola and I find shelter under the awning of a shop. It's probably around 5 or 6 p.m. and I'm only one village away from completing the hike. I search for Via dell'Amore, a one kilometer pedestrian path that links Manarola with Riomaggiore, but its gate is closed shut. I ask around for the way of the mountain trail but everyone says it's closed. I'm sure there must be a way to walk to Riomaggiore, but at this point I've got about 25 kms on my legs and I don't feel like walking up out of the valley and not find my way. I take a train back to Riomaggiore.

Riomaggiore is the smallest village of the five but it's quite beautiful. There are plenty of narrow alleys and passes with steps going up and down the hillsides and while the sun is setting I watch a thunderstorm on the horizon crashing down on the sea.