(Vernazza, Italy)
“Go Big or Go Home” is a phrase that has come into vogue recently. Perhaps the Zeitgeist was affecting my decision-making, as I decided to tackle the most challenging of the Cinque Terre trails first. I set off from Vernazza for the neghbouring village of Monterosso al Mare, knowing only that it should take about 90 minutes and that it was very difficult. If it was only 90 minutes, how difficult could it be? I often walk for hours when I am traveling.
Answer: Those 90 minutes could be very difficult indeed. While both villages are on the water, there are very large cliffs in between…thus necessitating the “Haute Route”. This means ascending very very steep slopes in a very very short distance. The trail is narrow and rocky with all kinds of dangers. It’s fun but you really have to be on your guard.
As I hiked in 2014 from the entrance of Machu Picchu to the Sun Gate in the very same shoes, I can attest that this was much more challenging (even without the Andean altitude playing a role). The sun also plays a factor: while there was absolutely no danger of rain to make things more slippery, the heat made the endless steep stairs (most of the hilly portions are on uneven stone “stairs”) even more difficult. It reached a high of maybe 16’C today; I cannot imagine how anybody could tackle this hike in the summer when temperatures are regularly in excess of 30’C and the trail would be much more crowded.
And yet…seeing the next Cinque Terre town for the first time is kind of like seeing Machu Picchu for the first time. You’ve worked very hard to get to that point and you are finally rewarded. By the time you can see the next town, you are also (probably) going mostly downhill and the heat doesn’t play as much of a role. Another older catchphrase comes to mind: No pain, no gain!
Monterosso al Mare is larger than Vernazza and there is actually some vehicle traffic. While not quite as “quaint”, it was nice to spend some time here to recover from my hike. I took the opportunity to grab a quick lunch at a “Focacceria”…like a take-out pizza place, but for focaccia. I tried one with olives and cherry tomato slices at Il Massimo della Focaccia. I also stopped by the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of St. John the Baptist), which employs the same black-and-white-striped trim that you’ll see in Florence.
I then made a questionable decision – rather than take the train (as most people would do), I elected to hike back to Vernazza. I thought that it might be easier on the way back. Well, it might be…if the sun had not been directly overhead. I also knew that there were gelaterias in Vernazza; I could reward myself when I returned.
Well, it was probably even worse on the way back because the initial steps were, impossibly, even steeper than those out of Vernazza. The views were still great and it was thrlling to see Vernazza emerge after about an hour. However, I was vulnerable when I finally reached the village. I opted for three different flavours of gelato: pine nut, lemon and “Crema Cinque Terre”. This last flavour had “Sciacchetrà” (a local dessert wine), whole hazelnuts and chocolate. The other flavours were good but this one was spectacular.
You’d think that this would have been enough hiking. But no! Stay tuned for more!