Cinque Terre

I'm finally getting around to organizing the photos from the European Roadtrip and thought I'd share a few of the most poignant. One of my favorite venues was the Cinque Terre or "Five Lands or Towns" of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore of the Italian Riviera. I stayed in nearby Levanto pictured here.

Levanto is a picturesque town on the Northern Italy Mediterranean coastline, I stayed here the last two days of the 14 day Mini Cooper road trip through Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria and Northern Italy. I could have spent the entire time in this region...the following pictures hardly do justice to the wonderful time I had there.

From my base at Levanto I ventured out on the local train that tunnels beneath the steep cliffs that separate the five towns. There are many hiking trails but only locals have limited automobile access to the towns. Touring is by trail, rail, or boat. I chose all three!


From Riomaggiore I "hiked" (walked) the Via di Amore (aka Bunny Trail for trekkers) complete with it's extensive ancient graffiti and breath-taking views of the Mediterranean.


At the ferry stop at Vernazza I noticed a restaraunt high in the rocks that I had seen in brochures and sought it out on my way back to Levanto and was justly rewarded!


The boat ride to the last town Riomaggiore provided wonderful views of the middle three towns and the hiking trails between them at various altitudes and levels of tenacity.


I took the train from Levanto to Monterosso al Mare a sleepy fishing village with a fine harbor. It is from here that the ferry departs for the other five towns.

I was fortunate to stay at a world class youth hostel. Ospitalia Del Mare is a relatively inexpensive, spotlessly clean "hostel" with large airy rooms, huge baths - unusual in Europe, and wonderful people of all ages. The majority of those staying were Northern Europeans or Brits my age or older! It is a two block walk to the beach through a quintessential Italian neighborhood with wonderful tree shaded parks, smells of the sea, and sounds of nearby shops and bistros ... and ... gellato!

A view of the beach at Levanto from the WestI would strongly recommend to anyone planning to visit the Cinque Terre that they stay in Levanto. It is a tranquil oasis from the throngs of tourists that Rick Steve's guide books have wrought on the actual five towns within the National Park.