Italy's Cinque Terre ... First Stop Monterosso

When one conjures up thoughts of the Riviera, most often pictures of bikini-clad beautiful people sunbathing along the pebble beaches of the glitzy resort towns of France come to mind.

Old Part of Monterosso al Mare

In Italy, however, the Italian Riviera towns of the Cinque Terre are anything but glitzy. 

The Cinque Terre, which means "five lands," is a series of five small villages that cling to a remote stretch of the Italian coastline. Each town is a picturesque pastel scene of buildings that appear to be chiseled right from the rocks from which they hang. The towns are so enchanting that they seem to be pulled right out of a watercolor.

The similarities are many, but each town along this stretch of the Italian Riviera has its own unique flavor and charm.

We stayed high in the hills overlooking the northernmost town of Monterosso al Mare. Guidebooks refer to Monterosso as being the most touristy of the five villages because it is the only one with a real beach. However, in shoulder season, we did not find this to be the case.

Sun Setting in the New Part of Town

Linked by a tunnel, Monterosso is divided into two sections, the old and less old. The quaint old part of town is located behind the harbor and through the tunnel, and the newer resort area stretches along the umbrella-lined beach. Because of the beach, there are more hotels and restaurants in Monterosso than the other Cinque Terre towns.

After settling into our hotel we headed off for a walk. It grew dark as we explored the two sections of town and we decided to stop for a bite to eat.

Preferring waterfront dining, we settled on a little place perched right above the sand and sea. This place definitely had an identity crisis … part gelateria, part bar and part restaurant … we weren’t sure what to expect. Its location screamed tourist trap with bad food, but sitting on the water with waves crashing beneath us was just too good to resist, we were, after all, in the Italian Riviera, and we wanted to see that beautiful sea.

Nuovo Eden Hanging Over the Beach

We ordered a seafood salad and trofie al pesto, a typical Ligurian specialty (we were in the region called Liguria) consisting of a small corkscrew-like hand-made pasta tossed with the freshly-made pesto that this area is famous for.

We thoroughly enjoyed both, along with a nice bottle of wine, and that amazing view of the water and lights of the other four towns sparkling in the distance. But now we must pay for this fine repast, by hiking, what at times seemed like Mt. Everest, up the hill back to our hotel. Once back we collapsed in the lounge chairs on our private little patio and enjoyed a nightcap while listening to the waves crashing far below.

Charming Buildings Along the Shore

Refreshed from a good night’s sleep and hot morning shower, the clang of dishes and smells of breakfast lured us up to the hotel’s main terrace. A large buffet of breads, ham, cheese, cereal, eggs … just about anything one would want … was laid out for all. Any kind of coffee was delivered to your table, and that view was just glorious.

I would have been perfectly happy to sip coffee all day just staring down that hill, but we had more towns to conquer.

Originally, the five villages of the Cinque Terre were only accessible by sea and by mule paths. The old mule paths link the towns together and are now popular hiking trails maintained and run by the national park system.

A few years ago the area had a devastating flood that severely damaged the two most northern towns, Monterosso and nearby Vernazza. The trails were all closed, but are now open on and off depending on weather and conditions.

Splashing Waves Along the Rugged Coast

Trains also link the towns as do ferries in calm weather. A six-hour train pass allows visitors to hop on and off the train at will along the stretch of the five towns. The towns are spaced at about five minute intervals from one to the next. The ferries don’t run as often, but the ferry ticket also provides a hop on and off feature, docking in all the towns except for the middle town of Corniglia, which has no port.

With the sea too rough for the ferries, we boarded a train for the neighboring town of Vernazza.

Vernazza seems to be everyone’s favorite town, unfortunately it was devastated in the flood, but has sprung back nicely. Was it our favorite? It was charming but perhaps a little too crowded for our tastes.