Kilometres walked : Wednesday – 3km, Thursday – 20 km.

Floors Climbed : 188

Thursday 4th May, 2023.

With the alarm sounding at 4am we were up and at it super early. Determined to beat the crowds today we caught the 5.20am train to Corniglia so we could complete the rest of the trail from Corniglia, passing through Vernazza and finishing up at Monterosso all before 9am. And what bliss it was. Passing only 6 other people on the way to our first stop Vernazza we thoroughly enjoyed not having to stop and let people pass every 5 metres. We knew this place could get busy but gee we still weren’t really prepared for how many would be here all doing the same thing as us. And I’ll say it again, who can blame them. It truly is an experience to walk the trails of the Cinque Terre. And we are quite proud of ourselves form completing the trail all the while getting over head colds.

Watching the pinks start to colour the sky we soaked up the natural splendour and hiked our way to Vernazza. Whilst it didn’t stand out in the distance as the others have it was still lovely to see and to pass through before everyone was awake. Testing the thigh muscles once again we pushed on through to Monterosso before the track become to busy. Thankfully we only passed 26 people on the second leg of the hike. And how excited and grateful we were that we set off early. It was pure bliss to watch the sunrise and enjoy the track void of crowds and before it became to hot as well.

Talk about saving the best for last. Arriving at our final destination we immediately fell in love with Montorosso. The crystal clear azure blue water was beckoning us. Having not been in the ocean for a couple of months now we were itching to jump in regardless of how cool it may be. Wandering in to town we were also excited to see a local market setting up and at how pretty the old buildings were with their frescos. Whilst Montorosso isn’t high on the hill with amazing views like Manarola it oozed typical Italian style with all the fabulous colours, pretty flowers cascading everywhere, pots of herbs and a few cheeky cats prowling around.

Exploring all the narrow streets and gazing in wonder at the beautifully painted houses everywhere we finally had our swim in the Ligurian Sea. And yes it wash fresh but exciting and liberating. The pebble beach whilst very different did actually feel quite nice underfoot and the water was crystal clear allowing us to see all the fish.

And after a very long and tiring but fabulous day we opted to catch the boat back to Manarola which gave us a fantastic view of the coastline and of the track that we had just hiked on. Feeling quite proud of ourselves once more we kicked back with a couple of cold beers on the terrace and watched the sun go down.

The Cinque Terre and especially Manarola has been a fantastic experience. To see how these villages were built into the cliffs hundreds of years ago and the gardens terraced up the hillside is just incredible. It’s been a privilege to walk the trails and stay in this beautiful place.