The 5 Lands of Jaw-Dropping Beauty

The next day was the hike. Based on advice I had received from many who had already conquered the 5 towns, I decided to take a 10 minute train from Riomaggiore to Monterosso, where my hike was to begin. I arrived in Monterosso shortly after 11am to a beautifully sunny scene of beachgoers, shoppers and restaurant dwellers. As happy as the eaters seemed to be, I found myself mildly disinterested and unaffected; I was deadset on getting started on the alone time I had with the mountainous region.

The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza is undeniably the steepest and longest. This is why I was told to start with it. I began the trek with a 2 liter bottle of water and a backpack full of things I quickly wish I had left behind. With the sea on my right, I marched upward towards the long, sloping hills. I quickly found myself sweating profusely and taking a number of breaks. This was a mild, insignificant annoyance to the stunning beauty I would see over the next hour and a half. Beyond the absolutely gorgeous views of the seaside cliffs and the amazing waters that lay beneath them, were the stunning settings along the hiking paths themselves. The themes of the hike changed, without warning, from typical dirt trails, to sweet-smelling flower gardens, to olive vineyards to dark, lush, rain forest-like brush.



I'm not sure if it was the pristine landscape or the beautifully peaceful sea, but about halfway through the hike from Monterosso to Vernezza I became re-energized. My tiredness and uncomfortably became unimportant as I found myself on a mission to conquer the 5 Lands in style. I took my iPod out of my bag, sat down for a few minutes to create an epic playlist and began marching forward. I was still sweating bullets from the heat and the trying landscape, but I was undoubtedly enjoying myself. I took the whole scene in and began to appreciate every single view waiting for me around every corner.



It was around this time I decided my newfound optimism was deserving of food. I soon was deep in thought over what food would quench my appetite. I mulled over the options that lay and by the time I finally laid my eyes on Vernazza, it was decided that pesto focaccia was in order.


Note: Cinque Terre is just west of Genoa, the home of pesto. For any of you out there who knows me, you KNOW how much I love pesto. And for those of you out there who do not know me, I LOVE pesto.

As it turned out, this little system I had going of hiking, music and deciding what to eat became the theme for the day. During each of the 4 hikes, I listened to a different playlist and thought (long and hard, of course) about what to eat next. During the first half of my Vernazza to Corniglia hike, I decided gelato would be my next pit stop. During the second half of the hike, I decided chocolate, blueberry and pineapple were the most appropriate Corniglia flavors. From Corngilia to Manarola, I came to the conclusion pesto bruschetta was in my future.

The hike to Vernazza proved to be the most arduous of the day. The hike to Corniglia was just as long, but not as steep, and quite frankly, the last two hikes were a little underwhelming. They were both RIGHT along the water, so they yielded breathtaking views and sounds of the Mediterranean, but they were anything but trying. Looking back, I found the hike anticlimactic; I would have liked to start from Riomaggiore and work towards Monterosso so I could start with the pretty, flat terrain and work my way towards the Beast that is Monterosso. With that being said, it was really nice to end my day strolling through Via Dell'Amore, which when translated, means "Lover's Walk". I'm comfortable enough with my sexuality to tell you that Via Dell'Amore was really adorable.



I arrived back in Riomaggiore at 6pm, 5 hours after having begun my hike. I felt tired, yet my fatigue was overshadowed by my excitement and sense of accomplishment from having conquered Cinque Terre. I was feeling good and good with myself, so I decided to take a long, hot shower and then treat myself to a really nice dinner. I went to the restaurant recommended to me by my hostel and ordered a glass of white wine (a Cinque Terre specialty), stuffed anchovies (Yes, they were a Cinque Terre specialty. No, I never eat anchovies.) and homemade pasta with (you guessed it) pesto. After dinner, I realized it had been more than 4 hours since I last had gelato, so I quickly made my way to a new gelateria across the way.




I finished my chocolate, coffee and mint cone as I walked in the door of my room. I plopped myself onto my bed and was immediately overcome by a drunken feeling. I thought for a second, and realized I wasn't drunk; a combination of the hike, deliciously rich food and sweet dessert had put my into a euphoric food coma. The next thing I knew, it was 7:30am and I was still wearing my clothing from the night before.