Cinque Terra

Italy's Gift

Cinque Terra is the name given to five towns built into cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean on the central Italian coast. Not far from Genoa, this area has become very popular with American college students in recent years. These students are bright, and they know a fun, relatively inexpensive place when they see it! 

Unlike its more affluent neighbor to the north, Portofino, Cinque Terra caters to mainstream tourists who didn’t arrive in Italy in private planes and yachts! What makes this area unique is the hiking trail that links the five towns. You can drive to the outskirts of the villages, but most people travel by train, foot, or boat. The towns are scenic and, not surprisingly, offer numerous places to eat fresh seafood, drink espresso, and shop.

An excellent place to stay in the area is the Hotel Porto Rocco in Monterossa al Mare. Set high on a hill, the hotel offers beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding areas. The bar and dining room have outdoor areas, and after a day of hiking, they provide a relaxing setting for weary guests. Many of the rooms overlook the sea and have outdoor patios.

I was there years ago following a hiking trip in Northern Italy. Three friends from Boston joined my wife, Vicki, and me for several days of hiking and dining in the hill town area. We all stayed at the Porto Rocco, and our days quickly established a predictable rhythm. 

Breakfast at the hotel was a treat. Long tables were filled with multiple selections of bread, cold cuts, cheese, and fruit. Yogurt and scrambled eggs were washed down with cappuccino or espresso. Before the meal, all of us walked down the hill and swam a hundred yards out to the rock jetty and back. The water was warm and refreshing at 7:00 in the morning. 

Following breakfast, we began our daily hike. The towns are about an hour or an hour and a half by foot from each other. The trails, which traverse the sides of steep hills, are intriguing. Many tourists underestimate their degree of difficulty. The route which winds in and out of private properties is challenging. Often it is steep and at times exposed. At one place, we helped a woman over part of the trail with a steep drop-off. She had frozen into a deeply anxious state. Many people hiked the trail in flip-flops, but they didn’t look like they were having fun. 

It is essential to hike early, as the sun can be intense later in the day. Typically, we stopped at the first town, Vernazio, for sightseeing and espresso. We would then head off to the next village for fried calamari, tomato salad, and pasta lunch. Following a stroll through the modest town, where residents hung laundry between the buildings to dry, we would go to the railroad station and catch a train back to Monterossa al Mare. 

An afternoon swim washed away the heat of the day and led to cocktail hour on the patio. This rite of passage to dinner was a fun time. Remo, the bartender, resonated with our group, and each night he poured more scotch into our glasses. The talk was lively as we walked down the hill to eat at one of the many restaurants in town. The evening bocce ball game was on our right while the sea spread out to our left. Life was good, as I absorbed Italian energy as my ancestors had many years before me.

The next day we headed north to -Portofino. The hike was lengthy and steep in the beginning—my eight-day trek around MT. Rosa in Switzerland and Italy held me in good stead as I walked uphill with reasonable ease. Lunch that day was enjoyable. The restaurant was empty, and we laughed and joked with our Italian hosts over calamari and pasta.

Days in the Cinque Terra passed all too quickly. Our friends took a train to Florence one day, and Vicki and I hiked again and enjoyed Italian village life. The local people were amicable, and the brilliant Mediterranean sun matched the warmth of their smiles and greetings. All too quickly, this part of our journey was over. We rode with our friend Dennis as far as Genoa, where he changed trains for Berlin. Vicki and I moved on to Rome for the last leg of our trip.