Italy | Cinque Terre & the Ligurian Coast — August, 2013

We headed off early the next morning, catching a train north from Florence to Cinque Terre. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and national park, Cinque Terre is made up of five villages scattered along the rugged Italian coastline, where steep cliffs meet the Mediterranean Sea.

Ryan, who I had been travelling with since Florence, and I decided to base ourselves in Riomaggiore, the first of the five villages when travelling from south to north, along with another traveller, Nick, whom we had met in Florence. With no accommodation booked, we decided to see what we could find. Almost immediately after stepping off the train, we discovered a hostel just metres from the station. After a quick walk through the town, we returned, dropped our bags, and worked out a plan for the afternoon.

We asked about the famous coastal walking paths that link the villages, but found that the first two sections, from Riomaggiore to Manarola and from Manarola to Corniglia, were closed at the time. The remaining trails, however, were open. After a quick swim, we caught the train to Corniglia and stopped for lunch, settling on seafood spaghetti in the village above the sea. Refuelled, we began the walk towards Monterosso, passing through Vernazza along the way. The views were incredible, with Corniglia visible behind us on its rocky outcrop as we climbed higher along the cliffside paths.

Hot, tired, and thirsty, we descended into Vernazza, a village that felt almost unreal in its setting. After a break, we discovered a small opening through the rock that led down to a beach, where we swam in the clear aqua waters of the Mediterranean. Feeling refreshed, we caught the train onward to Monterosso. There, we wandered the streets, enjoyed more incredible seafood, and later that night took the train back to Riomaggiore, arriving around 11pm. We spent a little more time walking through the town before finally calling it a night in the early hours.

The following morning, after breakfast and saying goodbye to Nick, Ryan and I took one last walk through Riomaggiore. Not long after, we boarded the train once again, heading south towards Naples, with a short stop planned along the way in Lucca.