Hiking Italy’s Cinque Terre, Part One: Monterosso to Vernazza

When Michael and I planned our recent trip to Italy, I had one non-negotiable request: “We have to stay in one of the Cinque Terre towns.”

“What’s that?” Michael asked, puzzled.

Words couldn’t capture the beauty, so I showed him photos online instead.

“Wow, okay, let’s go,” he said, instantly captivated.

The secret of Cinque Terre has been out for years now. These five picturesque towns along the Italian Riviera often host more tourists than locals. Despite having only one night on our itinerary to explore these charming spots, we made the most of it, soaking in the rugged coastline, the deep azure waters, and the brilliant sunshine.

Cinque Terre’s towns are interconnected by sentieri (hiking trails), a waterbus, and a train route, making it easy to explore them all regardless of where we stayed. Each town boasts its unique charm, but we chose Manarola. Instead of cars, boats line the streets of this quaint village. Manarola offered a perfect blend of amenities—a small market, a few delightful restaurants—and a peaceful atmosphere.

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The best way to explore this destination is on foot, and thankfully there are multiple hikes ready for the adventurous among us. Today I thought it would be fun to recount our experiences hiking between two of the picturesque Italian towns, Monterosso and Vernazza.

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HIKING FROM MONTEROSSO TO VERNAZZA

It was only after checking into our Airbnb that we realized we hadn’t packed hiking clothes. Still, we managed to assemble reasonably appropriate attire from our carry-on bags (for me that meant leggings from Girlfriend Collective, an Airism tank from Uniqlo, and a pair of white leather Converse sneakers). Ready for adventure, we set out on an ambitious hike from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza (3.5 km) and then from Vernazza to Corniglia (4 km).

However, when we went to purchase our Cinque Terre Card (note: you must show the card upon request while hiking certain trails; we purchased the two-day option with unlimited local train rides for €29, now €34-59 each), we were advised to stick to just one trail for the rest of the evening to avoid being out after nightfall.

We were also informed that several trails along the Sentiero Azzurro, the coastal Blue Trail, were closed (map of closures as of summer 2017; update for 2022: here is the most up-to-date information). Quickly adjusting our plans, we hopped on the next train toward Monterosso, the northernmost town.

Once we exited the train in Monterosso, we saw signs pointing toward Vernazza and followed them from one to the next (some were very official looking, others were laminated signs swaying in the wind from tree branches). We figured we should eat a small snack before heading out, so we grabbed a focaccia from a stand to munch on and bought a large bottle of water.

Eventually, we reached the head of the trail, which started with what seemed like an eternal amount of stairs. We climbed, climbed, and climbed. The trail would even out a little, and then you would turn a corner only to be greeted by more stairs.

We climbed some more until we heard a voice coming from the bushes on our left, “Limonata, limoncello, due Euro.” Although we still had plenty of water left, and alcohol is probably a bad idea when you’re in the midst of physical activity, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to buy something from a man hiding in the bushes. We paid our €4 for one of each item, downed them, declined to buy a large bottle, and set back on the trail, each step now a little easier.

As it was later in the afternoon, the trail wasn’t terribly crowded, the weather was cooling down, and everyone we passed was in great spirits. We encountered a French family in full joie de vivre mode, teasing and laughing together. We passed each other several times on the trail, even though we were heading in the same direction.

We took their photo; they took ours. Later we saw them again, climbing on shoulders to reach cherries in the trees (which you’re probably not supposed to do, but…) and they gave us some, still warm from the day’s sunshine. The mood on the trail was light, warm, relaxed, and fun, and we felt like we could walk forever.

We saw a compound of small (like, really small) homes which we discovered were for cats in the area. There were bags of food and a setup for water along with instructions, but the cats were nowhere to be found at that hour.

We kept walking. There are signs posted along the trail with reference numbers in case of emergency; since they were increasing in number we had no idea of how far we still had to go. Although we could see Vernazza across the water, the distance couldn’t be relied on due to the winding of the coastline.

Finally, we reached it. The view was exactly how I’d read in Geraldine DeRuiter’s book All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft, though thankfully we weren’t sick along the hike! Vernazza was down below, pretty, petite, and shimmering down in the Ligurian Sea below.

We snapped a few photos, though we had to wait for another couple to finish first. We walked the last bit toward the town and rewarded ourselves with a granita before heading back to Manarola for the evening. The trains between towns run less frequently late in the evening (and restaurants close early-ish) so we set our own curfews to head back and get a well-deserved shower before dinner.

The next morning, we headed out for the second part of our journey, which you can read about right here: Hiking the Cinque Terre Part Two: Vernazza to Corniglia.

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Have you ever visited the Cinque Terre or any other Italian coastal towns? Which was your favorite (we are dying to go back and would love the excuse to do so!)?