Monterosso Al Mare, Italy
It was a long trip on the trains from Mantova to Monterosso, one of the villages of Cinque Terra. We had to change trains at Verona, Milan and La Spezia before we eventually arrived at our hotel at Monterosso at about 1800.
We spent 3 nights at the Villa Adriana in Monterosso, the most northern of the 5 villages that perch on the cliffs overlooking the sea and are known as Cinque Terra.
The weather was hot and sunny and we had a swim each afternoon to cool down.
We had a 2 day train pass that allows you to travel from village to village. We had hoped to do some walking along the trails beside the water but the shortest from Riomaggiore to Manarola was closed. With temperatures in the 30s we decided the train was a good option. Our first full day, Sunday, we visited Riomaggiore and Manarola.
They were packed with locals and tourists swimming, jumping off cliffs, eating, drinking and shopping. The streets were narrow and no cars are allowed in the town centres.
We enjoyed dinner overlooking the water in the cooler evening temperatures. Monday was less crowded and we visited Corniglia and Vernazza. Unlike the other villages, Corniglia is perched on a cliff and does not have direct access to the water. It was 342 steps to the top!
Vernazza has a picturesque little Harbour that is much photographed. We climbed to the top of Doria Castle which turned out to be a lookout for pirates but had a great view.
Warren took one of the bikes from the villa for a ride after our swim but couldn’t get far with the hills as it was a single speed bike. We enjoyed our best spaghetti so far – a huge dish of mussels, prawns and clams in a delicious sauce.