Cinque Terre - Sep. 18. Debbie’s Excellent Adventure (Chris’s Adventure)

Our hotel, the Park Argento is situated in Levanto just north of Cinque Terre.  Our goal on this day ….to visit the three southernmost villages, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.  

A quick train ride landed us in Corniglia, the middle of the five villages.  Getting from the train station to the village involves either a 400 step climb or a ride in a shuttle.  I’m happy to report that the shuttle bus was the winning contestant.

The village is tiny but very charming.  It has a soccer field (parking lot) perched on the edge of a cliff. Probably intended for tourists.  We wandered the narrow walkways, admired the drying laundry of the locals, and stuck our nose in the doors of two very old churches.

From Corniglia, the next village of Manarola can be reached in one of two ways.  You can hop back on the train and ride for about four minutes, or you get there by hiking up and over a mountain for 2 1/2 hours or so.  This time the path of least resistance was not chosen.  We chose the hike, which soon revealed which of us runs about 10k a day and which one does not.  Debbie handled the ordeal like a trooper.  I on the other hand, did not.  I wheezed and whimpered and whined and had to eventually peel off my shirt because it was soaked right through.  At the halfway point, a little place called Volastra, I tried to convince Debbie to leave me there to explore my new idea for a business venture…. a t-shirt and deodorant emporium. She convinced me that there was no place but down to go from there, so I soldiered on.  I have to admit that the views on the hike were spectacular, and my memories of them will long outlast the agony of the climb.  Part of the second leg of the journey involved a level hike through terraced vineyards, which was really cool.

The trek took us from Corniglia’s elevation of 330 ft to Volastra’s elevation of 1300 ft, and back down to Manarola at sea level.  Manarola itself proved to be a very picturesque place, with instagrammers primping themselves at every vantage point.  We spent quite a while there and indulged in a local tradition, a seafood cone.  Hmmm.  Might be a better idea for a business venture than a deodorant emporium.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures from our adventure.
Next stop (by train) …. Riomaggiore!

 
     Arrival to the beautiful village of Corniglia  population 200


 
    The start of the hike leaving Corniglia, fresh as a daisy!

views of Corniglia from the mountain top!

The path to Manarola 

Coastal vista of Cinque Terre

There are 7000 km of rock walls that terrace the mountains of Cinque Terre with vineyards everywhere. Those walls make this a UNESCO world heritage site 

Debbie loved the day 

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coming down into Volastra, we are almost there...

what goes up must come down!


the end is in site



descending into Manarola

Victorious

Welcome to Manarola

 
Celebrating with a seafood cone and a beer (or two...)

 
A perfect day



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