A Cappuccino and a Hike in Cinque Terre

Photo Album. All is right in the world after a cappuccino. We’re on the train headed from Bologna to Venice at the moment. Last night I couldn’t sleep for some reason, so I used the 3-hour train ride from the Cinque Terre to Bologna for some extra winks. I woke up to the sound of an African-Italian woman speaking very quickly and loudly sitting across the aisle from us. I tried to ignore it but she just kept getting louder. I realized finally in my half awake state that she was quite pissed off at her friend with her eyebrows turned in and her words getting even more heated and closer together (all in Italian of course). We decided to move. Good thing we did, as the anger mounted and she stood up and began to hit the lady she was mad at! The whole train car was staring as another Italian lady tried to calm them down. With a final roar, they split up and the mad lady stormed away to the next car. I needed a cappuccino after that. I am certainly awake now.

Yesterday it rained all day in the Cinque Terre. Luckily we took advantage of the day before and hiked from Town #1 Riamaggiore to Town #4 Vernazza. It was quite a memorable day. Allow me tell you why.

Cinque Terre is a group of five old, quaint and colorful small towns hugging the steep cliffs of the Italian Riviera. On September 29, we awoke early and headed down the 350 steps to the village of Riamaggiore. We had been staying in a double room in a hostel located on a hillside above the town and boy, was it a hike everyday! See why we brought backpacks and not roller bags, Mom? A hole in the wall shop served fresh cappuccino so we indulged with a kind exchange of “buon giorno” and a seat overlooking the water along with our new favorite breakfast: yogurt, muesli and fresh fruit. Interestingly, Italians drink and serve all coffee drinks just warm, not hot. They sure go down a lot faster this way. And the food in this region is spectacular. The Cinque Terre is known for their fresh pesto, foccachia bread and fresh anchovies, though I must admit I didn’t try the latter.

The sun was shining and the temperature in the low 70s – just perfect for a daylong hike between the towns. With our new best friend Rick Steve’s Italy 2008 book, we began on Via del l’Amore (Lover’s Lane) that meandered along the dramatic coastline. The Cinque Terre towns were quite isolated until the last century and villagers rarely married anyone outside their towns. Now that the trails are built, it changed the social dynamics between the towns and made life much more fun and interesting for courting couples. Cluttered graffiti lines the tunnels with words and drawings of love. A current craze in Italy is closing a padlock around a railing with your lover at a lovey-dovey spot. There is a cluster of padlocks on a gate at the edge of the tunnel that was entertaining to see.

Manarola (Town #2) is another tiny and picturesque town with pastel buildings stacked up on top of each other above a harbor. We went into the Sciacchetra (a local wine) Museum and a very gay Italian man who clearly had a crush on Andy greeted us. I could tell even before the man squeezed Andy’s bicep and asked, “Do you work out?” (No I am not kidding, he really said that!) We scooted along after that but I was just dying of laughter up the rest of the hill. Next, we cruised along the Manarola Vineyard walk (thanks to our buddy Rick), which followed above the edge of town up close and personal with the Sciacchetra grapes. They must have just harvested, as the vines were empty. By now we were ready to taste this vino. As you can imagine, the views were stunning.

Corniglia (Town #3) is the only town up on a hilltop not actually on the water. An old castle-turned-ristorante sits on the point and affords a commanding view of the intense blue Ligurian Sea. Eager for a taste of wine, we stopped into Enoteca Il Pirun wine bar tastefully decorated with wines in small brick alcoves, Italian reggae music blaring and a warm smile from Mario. We chatted with him and enjoyed a taste of a dry white, a rich red and the sweet yet dry Sciacchetra wine, with Mario pictured on the bottle. It was special to be drinking his particular grapes. I’m not much of a sweet wine drinker, but this wasn’t bad! Curiosity cured.

We bought our favorite picnic snacks: dry salami, pecorino Romano cheese, rustic Italian bread, tomato and fresh veggies and found a spot to relax for a couple of hours on a hilltop overlook in town. It’s amazing how much the crowds clear if you hike just a little higher. The 360-degree scenery was breathtaking of the surrounding green landscape on one side of terraced vineyards and olive groves and the other of the shoreline and infinite azure sea. It was relaxing until a cat began erratically chasing another cat that decided to leap up onto our lunch and spray the remains onto the ground. Luckily we were almost through. I walked down the hill to find a W.C. and peered into a room with a brick archway, an old wine press and oak barrels. An old man was pouring liquid into a large oak barrel that I can only assume is the Sciacchetra wine. It’s so fun to eat and drink the immediately local food & drink in Italy.

The hike from Corniglia to Vernazza (Town #4) was the most difficult yet the most rewarding. The trail hoofed us up into the hills into the olive groves and through the vineyards. From the top we could see views of all five towns, a true highlight. German hikers were the most prevalent on this trail, all outfitted with their trusty aluminum walking sticks. My knee, by the way, fared pretty well throughout all these hills and steps with my knee brace on. That was both surprising and good news for me. After this last 70 minute hike, we were pretty tired yet still climbed the hill on the opposite side of town to see a cemetery and more beautiful views. We ended up with a few snacks and a bottle of cool white wine on the breakwater rocks. We read, relaxed and enjoyed the warm sun. This is going to be the last we feel of natural warmth for a while!

Our legs thanked us when we decided to take the train back. We picked up some spaghetti Bolognese and headed back to our home (up yet another 350 steps). Along the way, we ran into Shirley & Aaron, a nice couple from Portland we met a few days prior and they invited us for a drink later that night. Why not? After dinner, we talked and laughed the night away before headed up (yet another 350 steps). It was a very memorable day.