A Climb to La Madonna de Montenero

As I mentioned earlier, there are many hiking routes between the Cinque Terre Villages, ranging in difficulty and length. If you go to the visitor's center near the train station, you can get a handy guide that outlines the numerous paths that you can take. One of the most recommended trails starts behind Riomaggiore and snakes its way up the hill to the sanctuary of Madonna de Montenero. The best part of this view is that you can see all the five villages of Cinque Terre.

We decided to do this hike on our first day, immediately after reaching Cinque Terre. The way up is an easy to moderate hike of about an hour. We started at the base of Riomaggiore, after stopping by a local grocer to grab sandwiches made of fresh baguette, prosciutto, and slices of cheese. Then, we walked up the main street until we reached the path from which the hike really begins. If you are at all confused about the way, just ask a local! From my experience, they were all friendly and knowledgeable.

The road turns into a tranquil trail that weaves between gardens and terraces with olive and grape vines.

The higher up we went, the denser the trees and brush, though there were still little farmhouses dotting the trail here and there. As we ascended, the other villages started coming into view in the hazy afternoon sunlight.

Finally we arrived at our destination, a peaceful sanctuary at the top of the mountain.

From this point, we could see all along the coastline, and we spent some time trying to spot and identify the other four villages.

It was such a beautiful place to see the sunset. We spent a while here before heading down, because we did not want to be making our way down the unlit paths after dark. I definitely recommend going on this hike. It's not too difficult, and the views are simply gorgeous.

Riomaggiore, the Queen of Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a chain of five coastal villages along the Italian Riviera. These beautiful gems, dotting terraced hillsides and rugged hills, are popular for hiking and vacationing. The entire area is designated as a UNESCO world heritage.

The villages are well preserved to reflect the traditional way of life. They each have only a few thousand residents, and are connected to each other by a coastal train route. Each village has a distinct character and unique layout.

Cinque Terre has many different hiking trails that link the different towns, both along the coast and in the mountains. They are at all levels of difficulty, and contain short hikes as well as day-long hikes. Sometimes the trails are closed off, so it is good to check with the local tourist information center.

We stayed in Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five villages, next to the larger town of La Spezia. It was built in the thirteenth century.

Riomaggiore has one long main street called Via Colombo, with many alleys branching off to homes and wine terraces in the hillsides. It starts near the harbor and meanders up into the hills beyond. There are a few inns and shops owned by locals, though everything closed early in the evening. Like most traditional towns, internet access is limited and the streets are not conducive to anything but pedestrian traffic, but I think most people come here to retreat from the chaos of modern life.  

Each of the towns is stunning, with vivid and colorful buildings, surrounded by green mountains in the background and brilliant blue seas at the coast. I am especially partial to the village of Riomaggiore, perhaps because we stayed here for three nights. It's a good size - there are a few restaurants and two small grocers. The harbor at the bottom of the village is gorgeous both in the daytime and sunset.

We were lucky to be here in the off season, so there were only a few other tourists in the town, lending a peaceful and tranquil air to village life.

One early evening, after a day of hiking, we decided to go down to the wharf to enjoy the sunset. The sun rays striking the buildings at dusk is a really marvelous sight.

There was another visitor who bravely ventured out onto the rocks with a big camera and tripod to get some good shoots of the setting sun.

Right before the sun sank beneath the horizon, it gave off deep red and golden rays that burned the sky. Though it was rather chilly, we were content to sit on the stone steps of the wharf to watch this stunning display of nature.

Over our three days in Cinque Terre, we visited each of the five towns and tried out a few of the recommended hiking trails, so I'll be writing about those next!