Day 3 - Hiking in Cinque Terre
We then headed off for a short 1km hike along the Via dell’Amore, which runs between Manarola and Riomaggiore. Like lots of things we are finding out, the hike isn't just a simple hike. You need a trail pass, which Randy had bought online. He had also seen online that tourists can only travel one direction, from Riomaggiore to Manarola, and you had to choose a specific time to hike. Not sure why, but rules are rules. However, we found out last night from our Vrbo owner that since we are staying the night in town, the rules don't apply to us. We can go either direction and at anytime. Feels a little bit like winning the lottery.
So we headed out about 10AM to hike from Manarola to Riomaggiore. Against the grain so to speak. The path runs right along the sea with great views of the coastline.
We were also treated to a helicopter bringing cement to some sort of sea wall construction project. The helicopter flew in every couple of minutes and unloaded a container of cement. The unload just took a few seconds from a ground crew as he hovered overhead.
Riomaggiore is a bit bigger town than Manarola. Two main streets instead of one. But similarly perched on the picturesque cliffside. Brightly colored houses, shops, restaurants, and......gelato. We just wound ourselves through town and ended up at a hilltop cafe for some lunch. Near the cafe was the town’s castle. No Randy trip is complete without some sort of castle visit. The castle doesn't have much history. It was built in the late 15th century, as defense for the town, nothing of much note happened at the castle and its inner area was filled in with dirt during Napoleon’s reign in Italy.
The castle
We then took what is called the Beccaraq trail back to Manarosa. This trail runs up and over the hill that separates the two towns. So a real hike. It is supposed to take about an hour to hike. That doesn't take into account stopping to take pictures and our ages. So about 2 hours later we reached Manarola very tired, but with lots of great pictures.
We sat at a cafe at the end of the hike and enjoyed some snacks and just relaxed and watched all the "tourists" walk by. Most everyone who visits Manarola are day trippers, in and out in a day. We felt privileged to be overnighters, just waiting for the interlopers to leave so we can have “our” town back.
Dinner was at a local restaurant where our host, Gianluca, made reservations for us. He has been a great host. The Vrbo is quite nice and he is helpful with hints and tips on good food and things to do.
Food at Billy’s was great...
Chocolate mousse with fruit and shortbread
and pannacotta with pistachio
Here are a few more shots from the walk home from dinner.
Tomorrow we head to the farthest north of the 5 Cinque Terre towns, Monterosso and Vernazza.
Seems like everthing is hangig on a cliff!!!
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