Last week, we decided to take advantage of the sunny summer weather and head to the beach. Originally, we were planning on going to Viareggio, a beach about an hour outside of Florence. Then, Albert suggested that we make the most of our beach day and head to Cinque Terre instead. I can’t say no to a day of hiking and beautiful scenery, so Cinque Terre it was!
Cinque Terre is located about two and a half hours northwest of Florence on the Italian Riviera coastline. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site for twenty years and it is not hard to see why! Cinque Terre consists of five villages connected by train, each with a slightly different charm than the other but they all have a few things in common – colorful houses, dramatic coastlines, tons of seafood, and beautiful views! Okay, and a ton of tourists during the high season.
Just a glimpse of Cinque Terre!
We took a train around 8 am and got to Cinque Terre around 10:30 am. We didn’t do much research on which hiking trail we wanted to do and planned on playing the whole day by ear. We hiked in Riomaggiore last time we went to Cinque Terre, so we decided to get off the train at Corniglia this time. Corniglia is the only village not located right next to the sea which makes it a little more difficult to get there from the train. Once we got off the train, we had to take a million stairs to get up to the city (okay maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit..382 steps). We walked around a little, and headed up a trail that looked promising. Where were we headed? We had no idea but that was okay!
You see those houses all the way at the top? That’s where the 382 steps led to once we got off the train at Corniglia!
Flowers along the path as we climbed up into the city
The first forty five minutes or so of our hike were straight uphill- it was super hot and we were exhausted! Eventually the hill flattened out, making it much easier. However, much of the trail was still very narrow with rocky terrain. It was mostly in the shade, and sometimes dipping in and out of the forest. We could see vineyards in the distance, making the dramatic coastline even more beautiful. We kept encountering a group of older women on our hike who kept catching up to us every time we stopped to take a break. Guess we aren’t as young as we thought.
Up, up, and away!
Looking down on the village below!
Jumping for joy!
Flowers and vineyards
Green and blue!
Thank you self-timer!
Each glimpse of the village and sea down below was better than the other. The upper hikes in Cinque Terre are so peaceful – there is so much time when you are alone with the beautiful view below. We took so many photos – we couldn’t get enough of the beautiful scenery! We kept feeling like we were getting closer and closer to our destination with each overlook. At some points, we were surrounded by the vineyards on the hill, literally walking through them at certain spots!
The next village down below
Vineyards to the left and to the right!
The train station below!
We started seeing more people on the hike and figured we were almost to the village of Manarola. At this point we were ready for the beach! After walking a little longer, we were finally off the trail and sat down for a snack before we headed down to the beach. We didn’t realize it at the time, but we arrived in Volastra, a very small village located between Corniglia and Manarola. The joke was on us – we still had some time till we were down to Manarola. The path to Manarola was downhill on stairs, which you would think would be easier than the beggining of the hike but it was just as hard. Going downhill was killer on our knees and it felt like it was never going to end. Turns out this section of the trail has about 1,200 steps! After going down all the steps, we followed some small signs and indicators leading us to Manarola on mostly flat land. This time we could really see the village getting closer, so we knew we were almost there.
We thought the hike was over but we still had half of it left!
Definitely not the stairway to heaven
Getting closer!
You can see how clear the water is!
Are we there yet?!
After going downhill a bit more, we finally reached Manarola! Our legs were shaking so much from all the stairs we went down. It took us about two and a half hours to get from Corniglia to Manarola. We decided to walk around and find something to eat. We got pizza and ate it while people watching. Albert even got some fried fish while we were there.
The colorful village of Manarola!
Afterwards, we headed to Monterosso, the last village of Cinque Terre. At this point, it was the middle of the day and it was still pretty hot. We decided to get a much deserved drink in the shade after our long hike before laying in the sun. We sat for a while, looking out over the beach. Then, we headed to a free section of the beach. As does most of Italy, Cinque Terre has areas of the beach that you must pay to access, and then there are also areas that are free to access. We stayed at the beach for a while, laying out and enjoying the sun. Albert swam in the water and I stuck my feet in. The water was still so cold but the sea was so calm and flat.
Sunburns and drinks!
The beach at Monterosso!
Happy to be on flat land!
The flowers climbed all the way up the building!
Afterwards, of course we had to stop for some gelato! We headed to the train station and saw that we had some time before our train came, so we sat by the water a little longer. Once we were on the train, it took a little over two hours to get back to Florence. All in all, it was a great beach day!