Frank De Saedeleer - Cinque Terre

Published by Frank De Saedeleer at Smashwords

Copyright 2015 - www.coastalwalking.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoymentonly. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.If you would like to share this book with another person, pleasepurchase an additional copy for each recipient. If youre readingthis book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for youruse only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer andpurchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work ofthis author.

Content

Preface

Welcome to ourCinque Terre e-book. It is a practical addition to our website ,which should make it even easier to prepare for your trip. Duringyour stay, the book will certainly come in handy.

The book containsthe basic information you will also find on the website, but thereis a lot of additional information.

• All kinds of cardswith which you can start walking as soon as you get there.

• Practical tips forusing public transport

• Some parking tips,that will pay back the price of this book.

• Tips forrestaurants (we did not try them all ourselves - selection based onTripAdvisor)

Timetables,opening times and prices do change once in a while. Any correctionscan be sent to me by e-mail (frank@coastalwalking.com). If thereare important messages in the course of the year, we will publishthem as soon as possible on the homepage of our website. So be sureto check our website before your departure.

You still have aquestion after reading this book ?

Feel free tocontact me by e-mail. Usually, the answer will follow within thenext 24 hours.

I wish you "buonviaggio".

Frank

Cinque Terre - Five villages

Cinque Terre is located in thenorthwest of Italy. It is a part of Liguria, one of the 20 regionsthat make up Italy. Liguria is one the smallest regions and coversthe Mediterrenean Coast from France in the west, to Tuscany in theEast.

Liguria has 4provinces : Imperia, Savona, Genoa and La Spezia

20 regions in Italy

4 provinces inLiguria

Cinque Terreis a small coastal area of hardly 10 miles long, located in theprovince of La Spezia. Five villages make up Cinque Terre :Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza en Monterosso.

5 villages in theprovince of La Spezia

In this "CinqueTerre", Portovenere, Levanto and La Spezia are included in thechapter of the 5 villages, as they are used by many visitors as astarting point to explore Cinque Terre.

The fives towns(Terre actually means Castles) have preserved their authentic,almost medieval character, due to their seclusion. Until the middleof the 19th century, the towns could hardly be reached. The townswere only connected amongst each other by a hiking trail. It wasntuntil the railroad from Pisa to Genoa was built, that they wereopened to the world.

Each of the fivevillages of the Cinque Terre has its individual characteristics.Some are pasted on the flanks of the hills (Riomaggiore, Manarola,Vernazza), one is located on a cliff high above the sea (Corniglia)and one even tries to present itself as a seaside resort with asandy beach (Monterosso).

The five villagesare car-free. During the day there is a great rush of tourists whostroll along the many shops, where local merchants try to maketheir day. In the evening, when the day trippers have left again,peace descends on the villages which show then their true face.

In high season itmay be too busy in the villages. We can only advise you to getthere early in the morning or late in the evening, when the bigtourist crowds are gone. You may have to change your daily routine,but it is definitely worthwhile.

Our tips inthe 5 villages

1. Rent a room inManarola and have breakfast in the bakery / bar close to the smallharbor. When you finish, go up to the cemetery to see the sunriseover Manarola. By 10, you will see the first hurdle of touristsarrive in the village : time for a walk to Groppo or Volastra up inthe hills.

2. In Vernazza stop awhile at the bottom of the stairs that go up to the station. Try toimagine that the whole street here turns into a swirling mass ofwater. The big poster on the right shows this really happened hereon October 25, 2011. You can feel only respect for a community thathas been so badly affected and still manages to get back ontop!
   To see where the water came from, go to the Castel Doria. From thetop of the tower you have a magnificent view on the valley behindVernazza. If the weather gods strike here, all the water flows inonly one direction

3. In Riomaggiore youcan rent kayaks in the small harbor. If the weather is fine, besure to take your bathing suit with you and 'sail out' to view theVia dell'Amore and Riomaggiore from the sea.

4. Visit the churchesin Monterosso. The ones in the old town center are quite special.Go also up on the hill to the Chiesa di San Francesco and even alittle higher to the cemetery, from where you have a great view onMonterosso and Punta Mesco.

5. In Corniglia,enter the town center and be sure to continue on the narrow 'mainstreet' till you reach the Terrazza di Santa Maria at the very end.Enjoy the panoramic view of the coast from south to north. Sunsetis the ideal moment to be there !

Riomaggiore is thefirst of the five villages, coming from La Spezia. It has about2000 inhabitants, which makes it, together with Monterosso, thebiggest village of the Cinque Terre. The first references to thevillage date back to the twelfth century.

Riomaggiore isspread over two valleys. At sea level, the two parts of the villageare connected to each other through a tunnel (approx. 200 meterslong). Higher up, there is also a road. The houses have the typicalLigurian colors (red, pink, ocher) and lean against the slope.

If you arrive bytrain (1), you're in the smallest part of Riomaggiore. In front ofthe station, to the left, is a restaurant. You have threeoptions:

• On the left, youcan take the stairs leading to the Via dell'Amore. Although thistrail is currently closed, you should still take a look. Seize theoccasion to have a glass of wine on the terrace of A Pi di M(2).