We finally made it to Cinque Terra Italy! Third time’s a charm! We had this destination on our “must visit” list from the beginning of our European adventures, and we had it planned and booked twice, but both times it was canceled due to Covid. This time it finally worked out!
At the beginning of summer, Jeff received news that he would be going to Germany at the end of July to complete an inspection for work, which got our travel gears going. Jeff spent the first week and half of his time in Cologne, popping down to Frankfurt and up to Düsseldorf to visit friends and his former Deloitte partners. He enjoyed his time at the breweries sipping Alt Bier and collecting several checkmarks on his coasters.
I arrived at the end of July, a week and a half into his travels. We met up with more friends and enjoyed a stroll around our old hometown, including a walk through the Hofgarten, a stop at our old apartment, a shot of Killepitsch, and drinks by the Rhine. It felt so good to be back! Other than having to go to a hotel at the end of the night instead of our apartment, it felt like we had never left.
We didn’t sleep much on Friday night, waking up at 3am to catch our 7am flight to Italy. We were warned about the long security lines but didn’t fully understand until we arrived at the airport. It was insane to say the least, as the airport was packed! Lines were snaking through every open space, and they just kept growing. Thankfully we made it through security and enjoyed a quiet respite and breakfast in the lounge before catching our flight to Milan.
Once in Milan, we caught the train to Cinque Terra. Cinque Terra consists of five adorable, colorful, little coastal towns sitting on Italy’s Riviera coastline and dipping into the Ligurian Sea. The towns each have their own little harbor, steep terraces, countless vineyards, and views that can’t be beat.
We stayed in Manarola for our first three days, then moved to Vernazza for our last two days. We debated staying in just one town, but we’re glad we mixed it up! Each town had something different to offer, and it was fun to explore each one in the quiet mornings and evenings without the hustle and bustle of day-tourists.
The moment we stepped off the train, we realized that the weather we had packed for was not the weather we were experiencing, thanks to an unexpected heatwave in the area… yay! The locals told us that usually, the weather was in the high 70s or low 80s (what we were expecting), however, it was currently reaching mid to upper 90s plus humidity. Let’s just say it was a very sweaty trip, and we’re glad we packed our swimsuits!
All five Cinque Terra towns are built on the coastal cliffs, which means everywhere you go is a climb up or down, including our first home away from home. Right when we thought the stairs were over, there were more… and then several more as we passed through the entrance to our place, up through a private little atrium, and finally up to our room. The walk was vigorous, but boy was the view with it!
After freshening up and dropping off our bags, we took to the town. We stopped to watch people jumping off the large rocks into the harbor, captured so many photos of the colorful houses, and were introduced to our first delicious taste of the famous fresh lemon Granita, a refreshing fruit slushy-esque treat. We continued up the main street and found a little winery at the top of the town, an area that was much quieter and less touristy than the main drag. We stopped for a shade break, late lunch, and of course taste of the local delicacy. We had mixed reviews on the wine, but the charcuterie board and atmosphere were a definite win!
We dined on homemade pasta for dinner, taking it back to our place to enjoy it and our balcony while watching the sunset.
Sunday began with breakfast by the water. There was a mix-up with our Airbnb the day before, and our host insisted on providing breakfast for us at a local restaurant as an apology (apparently, the cleaning lady mixed up the days, so our room was a bit messy when we first arrived. An unexpected surprise that was thankfully resolved quickly).
We sampled our first exquisite focaccia sandwich at this little cafe (we will dream about Cinque Terre's focaccia forever!), and we enjoyed making our own "fancy" coffee (the waiter brought out the espresso shot and milk/water separately so we could mix our latte and americano). It was a great way to start the morning!
Next up, we caught the ferry to Porto Venere (a town nearby that a couple we met at the wine garden the night before recommended for swimming). We set up our towels on the rocks and then took to the water. There's no gradual wading here, you just have to plunge right in as the water is quite deep, but oh so refreshing!
On our walk back to the ferry, we grabbed some gelato and set off to visit Riomaggiore, our second Cinque Terra town. One of the best parts of the ferry was that we were able to see the villages from the water and catch a glimpse of some crazy houses literally sitting on the edge of the cliff. The picture doesn't do it justice, but you can kind of see the houses!
Riomaggiore is said to be the most “workaday” of the five villages. When we arrived in the late afternoon, the town was bustling with activity but still enjoyable. We stopped at Il Pescato Cucinato for our paper cone of deep-fried, fresh seafood... we sampled everything from fried octopus, squid, and muscles to an assortment of vegetables, cheese, and anchovies (there’s a first for everything!). The anchovies weren’t as bad as we expected as long as we made ourselves forget that they had eyes and tails…
We continued our tour of Riomaggiore, hiking up to St. John the Baptist at the top of the town, then snaked our way through the teeny tiny staircases back down to the train station.
Back in Manarola, we grabbed charcuterie fixings from the tiny grocery store and headed to the vineyards. It was a steep climb up the well-worn stone stairs, but the panoramic views of this little town were incredible! And we had it all to ourselves. We enjoyed our picnic dinner as the sun disappeared, allowing us to enjoy the must-see “Golden Hour”. It was simply stunning!
We had another full day planned for Monday, and it started with a train to Vernazza and more focaccia for breakfast! This time we sampled the pesto focaccia, and it was divine! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
One of the things you must do while visiting Cinque Terra is hike between the villages. Some trails are closed due to mudslides and rock slides, but two are open and worth the trek.
We decided to take the trail from Vernazza to Corniglia first since it was said to provide the most shade during the hike. Thankfully that was true because given the number of stairs we climbed and the already hot temperatures early in the morning, we were once again a sweaty mess. Who knew our Alaskan adventures were going to prepare us for this trip? But the hike was beautiful! The trail hugged the water, and as we passed through numerous olive groves and a few vineyards, we caught glimpses of the coast and the little villages tucked into the cliffs. Along the way, we encountered an accordion player and a little cafe where we stopped for juicy watermelon and a fresh lemon-orange granita.
Corniglia was an adorable little town. It’s the smallest of the five Cinque Terre villages and sits on the hilltop, so it’s harder to get to and quieter than the other towns. Our trail turned into a sidewalk as we entered the town, and once again, we found ourselves snaking through the teeny streets, up and down staircases, and eventually stopping to enjoy a cappuccino with a view.
We popped in and out of a few shops and made our way to the Oratory of Santa Caterina for another glimpse of the coast and views of the Liguarian Sea.
Per Rick Steve’s recommendation, we stopped for lunch at Enoteca il Pirun where we sampled local wine in the most unique and entertaining way. This little wine bar turned restaurant is famous for its old-fashioned, oddly shaped wine decanter. Apparently, the shape of the pitcher is designed to aerate the wine and give the alcohol more kick as you squirt it into your mouth… whether or not that occurs, the experience is one you will never forget!
The waitress brought us the pitcher as well as a handful of napkins and cheered us on as we tested our skills. I don’t think we’ve ever drank a bottle of wine that quickly, but that’s what happens when you’re having fun!
While heading for the train to leave Corniglia, we realized that although our morning hike was a workout, it may have been the more desirable route to get to this little town… because Corniglia sits 100 meters above the sea, the only way to get from the water and train to the town is up 385 stairs… in the sun… it was MUCH easier and slightly cooler to walk down those 300 steps than to walk up them!
Back in Manarola, we decided it would be fun to cool off with another swim, so we put on our suits and headed for the water. There aren’t many beaches in this area, and none in Manarola, so instead of staking out our spot in the sand, we laid our towels on the cement, a different kind of experience. On the way to the water, we stopped by the local tourist shop and bought a floaty tube for our adventure. The water is salty enough that you do float, but you still have to tread to stay up. Knowing we wanted to enjoy our time in the water, I opted to look like a full-blown tourist with a tube. Best €6 I spent all trip!
With tube in hand, we took to the turquoise water, jumping off the dock and popping out refreshed. The water was beautiful and so clear. We could see the rocks below, as well as little fish that we’re guessing were anchovies.
Following the swim, we trekked back to the apartment and freshened up for dinner at Trattoria dal Billy, “Where good lobsters die happy deaths.”
Our meal was wonderful! We sampled the seafood spaghetti and Billy’s special. We don’t consider ourselves “adventurous eaters,” but when you’re in a place like this, you have to sample the local cuisine! Mussels, clams, squid, crawfish, shrimp with antennas, and half a crab with its legs still attached… it was delicious, but you had to work for it! We also treated ourselves to the local wine and tiramisu for dessert! Yum!
We ended the evening back on our patio, watching the village lights glistening in the darkness and listening to the sounds of life with people chattering, plates clinking, and everyone having a good time.
We woke up early on our last day in Manarola for one last chance to stroll through the quiet streets and down to the water. We stopped for breakfast at a different café and then made the trek to our Airbnb one last time to collect our bags and head to the train station.
We arrived in Vernazza and were greeted by our fantastic Airbnb host, who gave us a quick tour of the town as we made our way to the room. Thankfully we only had to climb around 100 stairs to get to this place as compared to our previous bnb which had far more! We were greeted with fantastic views of the city from our room and beautiful views of the sea from the balcony. Everywhere you look, there is a view to soak in!
We set off in search of lunch and enjoyed our snack sitting on the wall next to the harbor. We strolled around the busy town and looked for a place to go swimming and cool off, but decided to wait since we had a real beach day planned the next day, plus we didn’t find any great swimming holes nearby (after our last two, we’re feeling spoiled!). While wandering, we snuck up the side stairs to avoid the main drag that was full of day tourists and popped out at a hidden bar. We stopped for a quiet drink and view of the water while we waited for the town to quiet down (it’s amazing how different and more enjoyable the towns are after 5pm).
This is the contraption they use to carry luggage
and deliveries up the hills!
Next, we walked to the top of the town and began the hike to the sanctuary. We didn’t go all the way as we were already sweating up a storm, but instead, we took in the views we had and then headed back down to find dinner. Along the way, we saw a little wine bar with an inviting patio and decided to pop in. We were greeted by the owners and told the wine was from their vineyard (pointing to the hillside). We sipped on their tasty wine and enjoyed conversing with the owner and another couple also enjoying a quiet evening.
Continuing back down to the town, we stopped for homemade pasta and EstaThè drinks that we saw everywhere (the drinks were fun, but we won’t be drinking them again… one tasted like peach rings and the other like sugary iced tea). We took our dinner down to the water and watched the local kids play soccer on the one patch of sandy beach.
We woke up early on Thursday, ready to enjoy our last day to the fullest. We hiked from Vernazza to Monterosso, following the water as we passed by more vineyards and a few olive groves. This trail was skinnier than the last but had just as many staircases and, luckily, was fairly shaded since we had an early start. One of our favorite parts was following the mini roller coaster rail down to the base of the vineyard, where we saw the train-like device used to collect the grapes. We would love to see that in action, but we’re a few weeks too early. Our other favorite part was passing by another accordion player!
The grape machine!
Our first stop in Monterosso was the beach to reserve our chairs and umbrella. This was one of our best decisions! After dropping off our towels, we took to the town. We started in Centro Storico (old town), weaving our way through the adorable little streets and stopping to admire the zebra-striped church (another Saint John the Baptist). We took the tunnel to Fegina (new town), admiring the little windows with local artwork as we walked, and stopping for a cappuccino and a piece of focaccia at a local café (Have I mentioned how good the focaccia is?? Mmm!).
We continued on bopping around the village, finding the old Nazi bunker, and catching a glimpse of II Gigante hidden in the rock (aka remains of a statue of Neptune holding the waves at bay and a symbol of the town). With another lemon granita in hand, we worked our way back to the beach, ready to jump in the water and cool down. We spent the afternoon playing in the water, floating on the tube, and lounging on the beach, finally taking some time to relax.
Neptune's on the far left... he's missing his arms and
seashell, but he's still working hard!
Around 5pm we figured it was time to head back to Vernazza so we could get ready for dinner (we took the train this time and it was much easier). Once at the apartment, we were greeted by a little surprise… a lizard climbing on the wall and ducking down behind the bed. After a few failed attempts, we finally cornered and caught the little guy and released him outside. He was cute, but we prefer watching the lizards in their natural habitat and not in our room.
After freshening up, we set off for dinner at Belforte. Our BnB host recommended we dine here and even made the reservation for us (he may have pulled a few strings, because we had one of the best tables and views. Grazie Cristian!). Our dinner began with complimentary champagne, followed by calamari, lobster pasta, shrimp and zucchini pasta, and a double dessert of tiramisu (of course) and caramelized strawberries over ice cream (highly recommended by our server) with a side of the famous Italian Limoncello. The dinner lasted 3 hours (much longer than we anticipated), but we enjoyed our time watching the sunset over the water and savoring every bite of our meal.
Saluti!
It was back to Germany on Thursday morning. We started the day with one last Italian cappuccino and croissant by the harbor. We popped into the old stone church and enjoyed one last view of this adorable colorful town, then set off to catch our train to Milan. While in Milan, we had just enough time to grab a pizza from one of our favorite shops that we discovered on our first Italian adventure. Mama Eat was just as tasty as we remembered, and it was fun to revisit and reminisce about a past trip!
We loved our time in Cinque Terra and although it was a hot and sweaty trip, it was so fun to be traveling again!
We spent our last day of the trip strolling through Düsseldorf and filling ourselves with our favorite treats and meals… Döner Kebab, Xoxo bowls, zitronekuchen from our little bakery, and a bier by the Rhine… it was all just as we remembered!
We spent the afternoon at the Kaiserwerth Biergarten (you can’t go to Germany in the summer and not go to a Biergarten!) and finished off the day at our favorite German brewery, dining on traditional German food and watching Düsseldorf’s Fortuna Fußball
team with the locals.
We woke up at 3am again on Saturday morning, ready for our travel day back to the U.S. Little did we know what the day had in store for us… it started with Jeff needing to rebook a flight due to a delay which would cause him to miss his next connection… that was stressful, but luckily, they finally sorted it out, and he was set and on his way from Amsterdam to Seattle. Then, while waiting for my flight from London to Denver, I received news that there were mechanical issues… that’s never something you want to hear… eventually, we got word that they were canceling the flight completely, and we would be spending the night in London. After looking for alternate flights and being told there were no other options, I accepted my fate, headed to the hotel, and then hit the town. I figured I might as well make the most of my 24 hours in London!
I hopped off the tube at Buckingham Palace, my first stop of the day and a must-visit site when you’re in London. I enjoyed a stroll through the park, followed by a walk down to Big Ben. Back in 2019, when Jeff and I visited London, Big Ben was getting a facelift and was hiding behind scaffolding. At the time, we joked that we would need to come back in 2022 once the reno was done so we could see the finished product… who knew that would be a reality?!
After capturing some photos, I caught a double-decker bus (another must, and I had the front row seat!) to the Broadway ticket office in search of tickets for an evening show. I struck out at my first stop but decided to check in at the actual theater to see if luck was on my side. Turns out it was! I was awarded with a fantastic main level, middle of the theater seat for Mama Mia. With the show quickly approaching, I set off on a hunt for a quick dinner and found a delicious meal at Café Rouge. The cozy little bistro was perfect for a meal. I’m not one to enjoy eating at a restaurant alone, but it worked out this time!
Views from the double-decker bus!
Walking up to the theater, I felt a little out of place given I was in leggings and a light pullover (looking a little like I just got done with a jog), but all of my packed luggage and toiletries were with Jeff on their way back to Boise, so I was stuck in my travel clothes and embraced my mess. I sat back, tried to relax, and enjoyed a fabulous production of Mama Mia. The actress who played Donna was absolutely amazing! And the show itself was hilarious and a great escape from such a crazy day.
By the time I was heading back to my hotel, I was feeling pretty good about my day. I caught the hour tube back to the airport and then was told to take a bus to the hotel. However, once I arrived at the hotel, I quickly learned it was the wrong one… who knew there were so many Holiday Inns in one area?! Thankfully the hotel attendant and an Uber driver helped correct my mistake, and eventually, I arrived back at the correct hotel, in my room completely worn out and ready for bed. What a day!
I finally made it back to Boise on Sunday at 10:30pm (thanks to an hour delay at DIA consisting of sitting in the plane at the gate due to a thunderstorm…). I was so happy to get a big hug from Jeff and to crash into my bed for a soundless sleep. Jeff had been in the air during my whole flight debacle on Saturday, and when he turned on his phone after landing, he had ~20 missed messages ranging from stressed-out Amy to a more relaxed Amy flaunting photos of the London sites. Thankfully the rest of his travels were seamless, and he arrived home later than planned but on the right day!
What an adventure! We loved being back in Europe and are so glad we finally made it to Cinque Terra. It took a bit to get there (and home again), but it was worth every ounce of stress! Cinque Terra was just as charming as we imagined and the experience, like all, was incredible!
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