Thursday, April 13, 2017

Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre, literally translates to 5 lands, is a UNESCO world heritage.

What drew me to Cinque Terre was this breathtaking photo of Manarola. Colourful houses at a cliff by the sea. How beautiful is that!

Image result for cinque terre

Cinque Terre consists of 5 towns. I visited all 5 towns with the Cinque Terre card. In Mar 2017, the 2 day Cinque Terre card cost 23 Eur and allowed unlimited travel on trains and buses, Wifi access, use of public toilets, hiking on path 2 in Cinque Terre for 2 days. Without the card, each train ride between the towns in Cinque Terre cost 4 Eur. The frequency of the train ride is approximately once every hour. The train schedule is available online, however, there is a variation of ~10min of the actual timing from the online schedule.

Is the Cinque Terre card worth the money?
Yes, if you intend to visit all 5 towns. Otherwise, you could get the individual train tickets. Wifi access provided by the Cinque Terre card was limited, public toilets were closed and some of the trails on path 2 were closed.

Image result for map of blue trail in cinque terre

Here is my take on the 5 towns.

Riomaggiore
Houses are pretty run down from the outside.




Corniglia
Most physically challenging and inaccessible due to the climb up to the town center. To reach the town center from the train station, it is recommended to take the Cinque Terre bus.




Vernazza
Most elderly friendly. Mostly flat ground and town center can be easily reached from the train station.

Monterosso
Largest and most children friendly. Have a beach and playground.



Manarola
Most scenic.


I stay at B&B Baranin at Manarola for 2 nights. It is located on a cliff. I remembered panting while rolling my luggage up the slope and carrying them up the stairs. In retrospect, perhaps, I would stay in the town center of Manarola, instead of up on a cliff. Breakfast offered by B&B Baranin was good though; the freshly-made croissants made my day.

I hiked around Manarola but not from one town to the next. Good walking shoes are strongly recommended.

I had dinner at Trattoria Dal Billy, which was a short walk away from B&B Baranin. Food was yummy and reasonable priced. In fact, it was so good that I had dinner there for 2 consecutive days! You should also try Sciacchetra, a sweet dessert wine which will be served after meal. 


Lobster pasta at Billy


Sciacchetra at Billy

Now, you must be thinking, if one has the time to visit only one town in Cinque Terre, what would it be?

If you have no problems climbing stairs and slopes, I would strongly recommend Manarola. I would recommend staying there for at least 1 one day, to catch the day and the sunset view and have dinner at Billy.

If you have difficulty with stairs and slopes, I would suggest Vernazza as the terrain is the most gentle. It is also beautiful.

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