I woke up comfortably in my queen-size bed, warm as a toaster oven (quite warm, from what I've heard) and feeling great. I cleaned the place up for my hostess so that I wouldn't face the famous "wrath de Italiano" and left the key where she had asked me too, then gave my bed a final goodbye as I started my day off around 9 in the morning.
The sun was already shining down on the little town of Manarola as I walked through the streets to find the little restaurant called "La Aristide" which Nicoletta, my hostess, had given me a 10% off coupon for. I found the small cafe by the lower end of town, which dips down towards the ocean.
I ordered my usual from the waitress, who spoke perhaps the best English in town - a croissant and a coffee, though this time the coffee was an American coffee.
It was a good start to an already great morning.
I went from there to the train station, where I was informed that while the walking paths between the five towns were closed, the train was still running between four of them (Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore were all open, while Vernazza was closed). Manarola was the city I had stayed in the night before and Riomaggiore was the first city I saw, so I decided to go and see Corniglia and Monterosso today, before I had to leave for my six o'clock train to Rome.
The train was set to leave in twenty-five minutes, so I had time to kill and I remembered that I had not visited the church in Manarola.
Each of the towns, built in medieval times, seem to revolve around the location of their church, which rings every thirty minutes so that the whole city can hear it. I remember on the first day hearing the Riomaggiore church ring the whole refrain and verses to a famous song, which I cannot remember right now, but it was a worship song.
Anyway, I ran up the steep incline of the town's main (and only) road, to find the chapel and take some pictures, reverently of course:
I realized that I was running late for the train, so I ran all the way down the hill-town to the train station, catching it just in time for my next great adventure - Corniglia!
Corniglia is the only one of the towns to be located far above its train station, looming over the rest of the towns like a shepherd patiently watching over his flock. There are two ways to go up - one is to take the giant staircase at the far end of the train station, which consists of 382 (I think) steps, while the other is to go the longer, less direct way, a winding road that steadily, painfully, makes it way up the mountain. I chose the latter way and was rewarded with great views to go along with my sore ankles.
By the time I had reached the top, I saw the sign for the steps and decided that on my way down I would take them (I didn't know before how to get to them).
Now that I was at the top, there were two things I wanted to do - find a great view and find a way to drink a glass of wine while taking in such view. In fact, Cinque Terre is known for having some of the best wine in Italy - in ancient Roman times, barrels marked "from Cinque Terre" (in Italian) were sold at some of the highest prices - and of those five towns, Corniglia's is supposed to be the best.
I looked around but could not find any restaurants with a view in the main square. Taking a turn around the corner, I came across the best view I had seen in my trip so far - a beautiful panoramic glance of the city on the left, the ocean in the middle, the valley below and then the mountains on the right.
Turning to my right, I noticed a restaurant that stood at the top of a ledge, with a patio that hung out and looked over the street but, more importantly, also had a great view of the valley. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have my glass of wine there.
I knocked on the door hesitantly, then walked on in, seeing that it was open. A man, probably in his early fifties, was sweeping the floor with his wife doing some other work next to him. Both looked surprised to see me.
"Bon giorno!" I said, trying to smile as wide as I could. "Parle English?"
The old man smiled, and said in pretty good English, "Yes, I speak it."
I asked him if they were open and he informed me that they were closed for the next week for Christmas. I frowned and told him that it was okay. He suggested some other restaurants but I shook my head, then asked him if any other restaurants had a view like his. He answered truthfully, "No, none like mine."
I frowned and nodded sadly, "I understand. I just wanted to have a quick glass of wine while looking out over the valley. You have a very beautiful city."
He nodded and I smiled, then gave him a wave. "Caio," I said as I began to step out of the door. I had my back turned when I heard him call me back from behind.
"You just want a glass of wine?"
I smiled, "Yes, if that is okay."
"What kind?"
"Any kind!"
"White? No, I will get you Cinque Terre wine."
He went to his tap and filled me up a glass. Actually, it was a pretty big glass and I was pleasantly surprised. I gave him three Euros for the glass, then asked him if it would be okay if I stood on the terrace outside (they had put away the chairs while the restaurant was closed. He said I could.
Outside, it was starting to get warm and I had begun to sweat on my way up the tough climb. I lay my bag to the side of the terrace and stepped out to take a look. It was perfect.
After a good twenty minutes of drinking wine and just thinking, I returned the glass and thanked the owner before setting back on the trail. I returned to the center square and saw the tip of the church, so I went and took pictures there and then searched around until I found the highest point available in that part of the city, so that I could take some pictures and hang off a few ledges ;)
Finally, I had to say goodbye to the beautiful city and I began the descent down to the train station, this time taking the staircase I had missed before.
Towards the end of the staircase, I saw a beautiful view and a comfortable perch on the rocky wall, so I lifted myself up and laid down against my backpack. I checked the time and knew that I had another twenty minutes before another train arrived, so I took the time to enjoy the beautiful view and close my eyes.
When the train arrived at the next and final city that I would see, Monterosso, I did not know what to expect. I had read that it was more of a tourist/urban town than the other five and that notion was proven correct when I heard the first car horn within Cinque Terre. And then the second, and then the third. It is the only one of the towns with a sand beach, which is part of the attraction. Also, it is closer to sea level and when I was there, had the warmest temperature of them all.
It also had a lot of construction going on, which made it uglier. I wasn't impressed, I'll admit. However, I did go on the beach and get my first taste of the Mediterranean Sea (literally, I took a bit and licked my lips with it). I then climbed the rocky outcrop coming out of the sea.
I took a walk around but was very disappointed. I went to a grocery store and bought my favorite long-lasting meal, a 1.5 ounce of coke (small enough to carry in my bag, big enough to last a full day at least) and a small loaf of bread (unsliced, the natural way). I still haven't finished the bread, even though I did have a small picnic on the beach. Poor Italians - probably were dying inside as they watched the American boy take swigs from the 1.5 liter Coke bottle.
I was thinking about just heading back, but there was a road that led somewhere in the city and I had not gone up that road yet. It looked like a normal concrete road that might not have been special, but my curiosity, which has led me to some of my best discoveries during this trip, was kicking again and it said to give it a try.
I started walking up the road and it turned out to be a road that goes up the mountain to the houses that are outside of the city, looking down on the city from above. Nowhere in my guidebook was it mentioned, so I was super excited when I found one of the best views and another great place to have a picnic, after walking up the road for a good twenty-five minutes!
That unexpected side trip became one of my favorite views of the whole trip, which goes to show you that sometimes seeing the beauty in a place is just about finding the right angle to see it from!
I took the train ride back to La Specia, content with my trip to Cinque Terre. I am now convinced that when I look back on this trip, my time here in "the Five Lands" will be part of my fondest memories. Who knows - maybe I'll move there someday!
Anyway, I boarded my train to Rome and sat with three Italians, a mother and a daughter and then a young businessman who knew some English. We talked in a strange mix of English and Italian and I asked many questions, including the difference between "Bon Giorno" and "Caio", which are both used for greetings.
He told me that "Bon Giorno" is like "Hello" (more formal) while "Caio" is like "Hi" (less formal, for friends).
We had a very good conversation on the five hour train ride, with the Italian mom interjecting and her daughter, Isabella, joining in too from time to time, discussing the Italian economy, favorite Italian dishes and the beauty of Cinque Terre with as many hand gestures as possible :)
But now it is late, I made it to Rome okay and I am exhausted. Tomorrow is my tour of the Vatican, as long as I can print out the ticket I bought online and make it there on time. Here's to good luck and good journeys.
Oh, and Merry Christmas everybody!
Nick
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