The Cinque Terre is five seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline, made up of Vernazza, Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. After spending a few wonderful days in Florence, I woke up really early to catch the 6:00 am. train to La Spezia. In the distance I could see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and at Carrera, laying beside the train tracks, were large grey white slabs of marble, identical to what I have in my master suite. At La Spezia I transferred to the local Cinque Terre train that runs between these villages.  

I was lucky to have perfect weather, seeing Vernazza, the little crowning jewel on the Ligurian Coast, named one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Sad though to say, it had been destroyed by heavy rains that flooded the middle of town a few years prior, with mudslides pouring cars and trucks down the main street Via Roma, rushing into the ocean, so devastating! Prior to my visit, having had seen this total destruction on videos, as it was happening, brought tears to my eyes! A big heartbreaker, but the Army had been called in to rescue people and restore the area. As I arrived, Vernazza had recovered and I embraced it with a happiness of seeing it restored and enjoying its’ full beauty. As I walked down the curvy street with restaurants and shops on either side, it took me to the colorful pastel buildings on the promenade on to the small harbor with huge rocks, the breakwater. On the right at Piazza Marconi was the Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia. In the summer, the beach becomes a soccer field, where teams fielded by local bars and restaurants provide late-night entertainment. In the dark, locals fish off the promontory, using glowing bobs that shine in the waves. One can catch the boat to Monterosso from here or rent kayaks, dinghys and motorboats.

Up on the right sits the Belforte Medieval Castle with a bar hanging on the edge of the castle. As I climbed to the top, I experienced a most beautiful view. Later, after having lunch and naturally a gelato, I walked uphill to the Tower of Dorian Castle, overlooking Vernazza that was built in the 15th Century to protect the village from pirates. Up on the hill sits the town’s cemetery with the best view of all.  Special attractions in the Cinque Terre are the hiking trails that were once washed out due to that terrible deluge of rain. One can now hike all along the Italian Coast walking from one of the five villages to the other with spectacular views.

Leaving Vernazza my most favorite, I climbed on board the train to Monterosso, touring the Old and the New Town that are connected by a pedestrian tunnel in the hillside and from the train station it is only a 10-minute scenic stroll to Piazza Garibaldi. I went exploring up on its’ hills that are covered with lemon trees, olive groves, vineyards and breath-taking views. It is the largest of the five Cinque Terre villages with two beaches, waterfront restaurants and cafes and a tree-lined pedestrian promenade along the shore. Monterosso is a resort town with cars, hotels, rentable umbrellas and a thriving night scene.The town’s cathedral is dedicated to St. John’s The Baptist, San Giovanni Battista and is a beautiful church with a Gothic portal and has an intricate marble rose window. Its’ bell tower was actually a medieval watch tower remade into a belfry.

I happened perchance to walk into one of the hotels and to my surprise, there on the counter at the front desk sat a large magazine-booklet from the exclusive Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Coast, California. It’s only a fifty minute drive south of Manhattan Beach and where I have visited and dined several times, plus it is just across the street from where I exchange my timeshare at the Marriott Newport Coast Villas! Needless to say, I was astonished, that, here I am in Monterosso, Italy and there, in this small hotel for guests to see, was this beautiful familiar magazine that I have several of. What a coincidence! It turns out the owner of the hotel happens to be a very good friend of Guiseppe, the Manager of the Pelican Hill Resort, who I’ve met.

Later I hopped onto another train to Riomaggiore, a small picturesque village built on the hillside with fantastic sea views and the most southern village of the Cinque Terre, only minutes from La Spezia. I walked past the colorful murals glorifying the nameless workers who constructed the nearly 300 million cubic feet of dry stone walls without cement. This gives the region its’ characteristic “ muri a seco ‘’ terracing for vineyards and olive groove. Walking through the tunnel to the rocks at the marina with the harbor and the boat dock, I continued along a 200-yard trail to the beach. I then ventured way up the curvy hill Via Colombo, Riomaggiore’s main street. It’s aligned with small shops including a bakery, a couple of grocery shops, a self-service laundry and homemade gelato next to Bar Centrale with stony houses with colorful facades and slate roofs. Darkness arrived so I was back on the train to spend four more days exploring Florence.  It was such a beautiful ending to an adventurous day of sightseeing and truly a must see!