Cinque Terre, Italy 2016

I can't remember when I first saw my first photo of Italy's picturesque Cinque Terre region, but it was only sometime in the last 3 years. From the moment I saw the photo, I knew it was a place I wanted to see. Now that I have seen it, it is a place that I'll never forget. Even our first view of it in the evening light was so pretty; and then the view of the beach the next day in the sunshine was spectacular.

Beach view

Photo courtesy www.cinqueterre.eu.com

Cinque Terre (translates to 'five lands') is an area that is made up of five unique fishing villages that lie on the Italian Riviera overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The region became a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997. "Monterosso, the oldest, was founded in AD 643, when beleaguered hill dwellers moved down to the coast to escape from invading barbarians. Riomaggiore came next, purportedly established in the 8th century by Greek settlers fleeing persecution in Byzantium. The others are Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola...In October 2011 flash floods along the Ligurian coast wreaked havoc in Venazza and Monterosso, burying historic streets and houses under metres of mud and killing half-a-dozen people." http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/cinque-terre/introduction#ixzz49gVjDeIw.

My sister texted me a photo yesterday of an article from the latest Australian Women's Weekly advertising Cinque Terre as a tourist destination. Judging by the crowds we saw during the day (thankfully most of them seemed to be on day tours, so the evenings were much quieter) the word has certainly got around...I wouldn't suggest for anyone to visit the area in high season (July, August) as it would be wall to wall people - the trains and cafes were busy enough as it was!

Lemons!

The 5 villages are connected by trains, and there is also a famous walking track between each village. The mountainsides are cultivated with vineyards and olive groves (see terraced hillsides in both photos above), and it seems that each yard has its own lemon tree. The area is renowned for olive oil and pesto sauce (basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pine nuts and pecorino cheese).

First day - Riomaggiore

We stayed 5 nights in Monterosso, and our hotel was right in the middle of the main street - such a fantastic location. We caught the train (15 mins) to the furtherest village of Riomaggiore and had lunch there one day. Another day we visited Venazza and then caught the train to have lunch in Manarola - our cameras thought they had died and gone to heaven. We also hoped to visit the 5th village of Corniglia, but were thwarted by a train strike! Thankfully the trains resumed at 6pm the evening before we were due to depart by train for Turin and Milan to catch our plane to Copenhagen.

Jen in Riomaggiore

To really enjoy the laid-back vibe of the area, a 5 day visit is about right - we had lunch and dinner in a different restaurant for each meal, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying another two meals of mussels in different presentations. For those with less time to spare, you can take a day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre (departs 7am - returns 8pm) for $AUD145 which includes a 3 course seafood lunch. The tour visits 4 of the 5 villages.

Historic church in Monterosso

The damage done by the mud slide in 2011 was catastrophic and can be googled and watched on video. It would have been so scary to have witnessed such an event. The photos on display in the church in Monterosso show the effect of the mudslide in the church. Might be worth clicking on the photo below to see the detail better.