Lost Together: Cinque Terre, Italy

We spent 2 nights in the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre is the name given to 5 small villages along the western coast. The impression we got from the guide books was that it was a small, unspoiled region where you can get a taste of what old Italy is like. Maybe it was that way 20 or 30 years ago, but now it's overflowing with tourists. Even though we were there on Wed and Thu night in late September the crowds were still crazy. It was difficult to spot any locals and all you could hear as you walked down the streets was English and German.

Well even though Cinque Terre is now the furthest thing away from a secret Italian retreat, it didn't take away from the beauty and charm. We arrived around 6pm with no room booked. That wasn't a problem at all. Within 20 minutes of arriving we already found a woman that rents out 3 of the rooms in an apartment. We got a good deal and the room was great.

We stayed in the southern-most town, Riomaggiore The village is on a very steep edge of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. It is the largest of the villages, so we thought it would be the best to find a room in. Here's view that greeted us when we stepped off the train:

The first night we walked around the town (LOTS of stairs!) and stopped to admire the stars. We hadn't seen them since we were in Switzerland.

The second day was very busy. We got up early and hopped on the train to Monterosso. It is the final village. There are some great hiking trails connecting the villages, so we took the 9km "easy" hike along the coast. It was one of the hardest hikes we have done in a long time! Hiking in the alps was easier, but then again it wasn't +35 out!

We got some fantastic shots of each village as we approached on the hiking trail.

The final stretch of the hike, connecting Manorola to Riomaggiore, is called Via Dell' Amore. People place locks along the trail to signify the bond of their love. Luckily we just so happened to have a spare lock in our day bag!