the five lands

Let's go for a walk, shall we...

We begin at 7:15 am in the Santa Maria Novella train station. It is chilly, rainy but you and I, we're confident it will get better. Once the group is together we set off, by train, on the three hour ride to Cinque Terre.

Let's sleep and make the ride go fast but just as we drift off fully we arrive at Riomaggiore, the first town. It is still cold, the wind bites us through but we grit our teeth and stand through it. The hike will warm us. Follow our guide as we embark on the firt leg, the "Via dell'Amore". Look for the many locks clasped among other, creative, ties on the sides of the path. They are symbols: when a couple attatches their lock along this path and tosses the key into the sea below, it means their love will endure forever.

This path is straight, easy, so go ahead and fix your eyes on the scenery. Here is the first glimpse of Meditteranean, grey under the leaden sky. When you look down you can see the large boulders that jumble on the sea's edge. But the path is not confined to the visual-- listen to the muted, humble roar of the waves crashing onto the rocks. This will be the background music for most of the hike.

Here. Let's take a break and a few pictures on this bench, carved to show two lovers kissing. And note the likeness in green of the Beatles, crossing Abbey Road, and the song lyrics below. Its too far to read them and we have to take a photo so we can't get up but seeing it is enough: from here it is too far to notice the lewd graffiti.

Still cold? Yes, but we can see the blue sky and its prayed for companion, the sun, struggling to poke through over our destination, Manarola. And now we're here. Look at the streets. Instead of cars their boats are parked along the street. There are no cars in Manarola.

But let's move quickly through the town, we have a schedule to keep. We go up to a lookout to gaze back at the bright little town. But let's go through here, to the cemetary, there's a better view and its less crowded.

The group's moving off so let's go down, past Manarola, and to the start of the path to Corniglia. Don't get too excited, Corniglia is where we'll have lunch but we have to get there first.While the group pauses I play on the playground... But we soon move on.

Look! The sky is clearing and its getting warmer. The cool breeze feels good as the path gets harder.

Its the sea that catches your attention here. Its not satisfied with one or even two shades of blue. Its many under the now shining sun. Don't forget to breathe in the sea air-- its free of pollutants and is salted by the Meditteranean.

Careful, the rocks that form the path are slippery at times, worn smooth by feet and time. Its hard not to take the small paths that jaunt happily away, down to the sea or up in the hillside but we have a train to catch at the end of all this. Make a promise to yourself to come back.

Let's take a breather before climbing the 385 steps to Corniglia. Out of breath? Then don't look out over the sea or you'll lose what little you have left. As we go up and up and up we see the coastline and the sea. The sea, under the sun, is smooth and glistens like paint on the verge of drying. But what painter has these astonishing hues of blue on his palette? The steep coastline undulates above the sea, steep and green. It's lined by the many walls built by the locals to create terraces for their vines and fields. Put together, they're longer than the "China Wall" our guide tells us.

Now that we're at the top the sea is hidden so let's walk into the town. We have an hour and a half to find a good lunch. Cinque Terre is known for its pesto and white wine: these can be found anywhere here. But let's not be satisfied with the first places we see, out in the center, where the tourists immediately settle. Let's move our weary feet onward and upward and be rewarded with pesto nirvana in the form of a small upstairs trattoria away from the beaten path. Tagliatelle con pomodoro e pesto. Let's take a moment to savor... and then we must go. Go easy on the wine! There's more hiking to do!

The next path is the hardest of those we will hike today but there's not time to let our stomachs settle. Say goodbye to the sea as we'll be walking among the trees. Run your hands along the wall lining the path and feel the silky greenery. Your hands, like mine, will smell like earth.

Climbing isn't too bad. Its warm and the path is rough in places where the rocks don't lie smoothly. Sometimes the steps are too high or long for comfort but they're negotiable. Here there isn't much view to focus on so eyes on your feet. Keep breathing in that pure, clean air. Fill your lungs and steady on.

The path rewards us with a look back over the coast at what we've been.

The sea, as vast as ever, can't decide what blue it wants to be. If you look, you can see a line where it changes from green-hued and light to a deep, dark blue that shimmers just as much. Every color here is stronger: the sea, the sky, the brown and multi-greened hills and the myriad of hues found in the astonishing variety of flowers along the path.

A few more twisted ankles, aching knees, and ups and downs of the path and we're there, at Vernazza. The town is picturesque. So much of this walk is made for postcards-- as it nestles between two rises in the coast and flows out onto the sea on a jut of rock, this town is no exception. The surf is louder now but we can't listen: let's move away from the sea and into town.

We go down stairs into the narrow, hallway sized streets of Vernazza. These towns are built on multiple levels so we climb many stairs to get to the main part of town. At the bottom we find the main piazza and its miniature beach: behind the small slice of Meditteranean slopes a cliff and it echoes back the bells of the unique church.

Let's explore more of Cinque Terre's tastes. We get gelato, three flavors, and are pleased. The tiramasu is okay but tastes too much like rum but the straciatella (chocolate chip) and kit kat flavors are amazing, smooth, creamy and cold enough to counteract the heat. Its perfect after the hot, thirsty hike. Let's shop too, see what this little town has to offer and make friends with a cat. There isn't time to see very much before we're back at the main piazza, staring at the waves, waiting to leave.

The hike between Vernazza and the last town, Monterosso is far more challenging than the last one, so challenging that our tour does not take us on it. So let's go wait for the train; its only a five minute ride to Monterosso.

Away from the stop we are immediately greeted by the music of the waves on the beach. Here, we are close to the water; the blue is right in front of our faces, tempting, a siren's song: come in, come in. Let's deny the watery call and walk down the street. Dinner isn't for a while and we need food for the train ride home. So we buy focaccia, a specialty of the town. Pomodoro e formaggio, a brilliant combination. Its crunchy and full of flavor. The cheese is light and the best part and the focaccia stays good even after it cools.

Prepare yourself for a farewell now. Our time in Cinque Terre is up. But we can try some limoncino, the northern version of limoncello, and have a goodbye gelato. The hike was long, I say we earned a second scoop of creamy goodness. Chocolate and pistachio, one of my fallbacks, is my choice. Don't be too sad, I know I've planned on returning, so let's make a date of it. Get on the train with me and try to sleep. I know I'm tired but I don't care. The day was gorgeous, the five lands astonishingly, breathtakingly, wondrously beautiful and the physical exertion made me feel alive in the sea air.

Our little journey is over and I hope you enjoyed walking with me through Cinque Terre (the five lands) and one of the most beautiful places on Earth.