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W E L C O M E T O
T O R T I L L A B A Y . C O M
T
H E W E B S I T E O F
A L B E R T O
V A Z Q U E Z A N D C R A I G
A Y L I F F E
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T H E C
I N Q U E T E R R E |
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On the
Beach, Riomaggiore 2006 |
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Alberto
Catching the Train in RioMaggiore 2006 |
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-continued-
Here is a video
that we made about our time in the Cinque Terre.
Just watch it, it
will send you running to made reservations for
next summer's adventure in Italy.
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click to play
C i n q u e T e r r
e , I t a l y
M a y , 2 0 0 6
Music: A Su Merced by
Liliana Felipe; Silver Inches by Enya; On My Way Home by
Enya
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Town #1 Riomaggiore
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Town No.1
Riomaggiore, Italy 2006
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N O R T H E R N
I T A L Y B L O G
T H E
C I N Q U E T E R R E
Monterosso del Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore
Thank you
Rick Steves for
your guide book, The Rick Steve's Guide to Italy. Otherwise we would have missed one of the best parts of
our month in Italy. We cannot tell you enough, how much we loved this
part of Italy. Five little coastal towns called the Cinque Terre
(Chin'-kway Terray) nestled a few kilometers apart on the coast of
Liguria between Portofino and Genoa. These little communities were
isolated from the rest of Italy until the mid-sixties, when a train
track was laid by blasting tunnels into the hillsides of these towns,
connecting each to the other and to the world at large. Today, it a
national park and marine preserve.
Walking trails,
called the Via dell'Amore, the best known part
of this area, connect each town. The hills are covered with vineyards
and olive groves. It was May, so all the wildflowers were in bloom.
We stayed 8 days in a
little apartment in Riomaggiore, right with the working class Italians
and their drying laundry, all around us. We shopped in the local markets
and drank the local wine. the fish we ate was only a few hours out of
the water. The basil pesto (pesto was invented in Liguria) was the best
we could ever hope to have. Our apartment was probably built in the 14th
century. The bedroom ceiling was supported by a large tree trunk wedged
in from wall to wall.
All the towns are built
straight up the sides of steep ravines, and are a rabbit warren of
labyrinthine passageways covered in ancient worn stone steps and
pavement. We had a view of the rocky coast and ocean, and the air was
warm, sweet and fresh. La dolce far niente.....
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Room with a View,
Riomaggiore 2006 |
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The kitchen window Riomaggiore 2006 |
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O U R
F L A T I N R I O M A G
G I O R E
Travelers to Europe should consider
other alternatives besides hotels.
Hotels insulate you
from the culture and the people. In Italy, renting a
flat with a kitchen turned out to be one of the best
parts of our 3 months in Europe....
Check out this video and see what we mean!
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click to play
O u r R e n t e d F l a t
i n R i o M a g g i o r e , I t a l y
M a y , 2 0 0 6
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Ligurian Sea 2006
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-CONTINUED-
Manarola
is probably the oldest of the five towns from
around 1160. Every one of the five towns speaks
a slightly different dialect from the others,
and all the locals can tell the difference and
thus what town you are from.
Manarola's
primary industries have traditionally been
fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called
Sciacchetrà,
is especially renowned; references from
Roman
writings mention the high quality of the wine
produced in the region.
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Manarola |
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Manarola
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Town # 2 Manarola
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-continued-
Vernazza
is truly beautiful, quiet, and probably
the most authentic fishing village in
the Cinque Terre. The village had a
complex defense system built by the
Genoese to protect Vernazza from the
Saracens. Making the most of the natural
inlet of the gulf lead to the
construction of the port for the
galleys. This natural port was the only
one in the Cinque Terre to be useful in
the battle against the people of Pisa.
The numerous fortifications, erected
before the eleventh century, were
repeatedly enlarged in the following
ages. Of these today, a few interesting
ruins remain: the Castle of the Doria,
the watch-towers, the Torrione and parts
of wall barriers.
The inlet
and port is a beautiful place to relax
and spend a few hours. The blue water
was so clear we could see the anchovies
and tiny jellyfish quite clearly from
the edge of the stone jetties.
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Vernazza 2006
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Town # 3 Vernazza
In this photo you can see the remains of the watch towers
of the Castle of Doria.
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Vernazza
Alberto in the port area of Vernazza
2006
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-continued-
Before we
reached Corniglia, we stopped in an
olive grove for an impromptu picnic of
wine and foccacia with antipasto. The
air was sweet and filled with the rich
aromas of May flowers and blossoms from
the olive trees. The view was
spectacular.
Corniglia
dates to the Roman Age and is named for
the family that owned it, Gens Cornelia.
This is the only one of the five towns
not nestled in an arroyo, but is instead
on a high promontory about 100 meters
about the ocean. It's surrounded on
three sides by vineyards and a steep
cliff to the ocean on the fourth side.
It is spectacularly beautiful, but the
only access from the south is up the
Lardarina, a long brick flight of
steps composed of 33 flights of stairs
with 377 steps. That is why we started
our hike from the north at Monterosso
and after grabbing a melon gelato,
happily walked down the steps on the
side. Corniglia was mentioned in The
Decameron by Boccaccio.
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on
the Via dell'Amore approaching Corniglia 2006
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Town #4 Corniglia
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Lunch in an
Olive Grove, Corniglia 2006
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The
Lardarina,
33 flights of stairs to the train station below,
Corniglia 2006
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M O N T E R O S
S O D E L M A R E |
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-continued-
Monterosso al Mare is divided into two
distinct parts: the old town and the new
town. The two areas are divided by a
single tunnel that caters to pedestrians
and the very few cars in the town. The
beach at Monterosso runs along most of
the coast line and is well used by
tourists and locals. The beach is the
only extensive sand beach in the Cinque
Terre and in the summer months is
overrun by tourists.
We often took the short train train into
this town from Riomaggiore to take
advantage of the great Thursday market
and the local fish and bread shops.
While we were there we experienced the
Lemon Festival. It was a true small town
event with a town band in the main
square and the entire town was gaily
decorated with yellow streamers and
piles of lemons and lemon themed gifts
everywhere. This town is famous for the
lemon groves that cover the hillsides
and for lemoncello, a delicious lemon
liqueur drunk ice cold.
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Lovers
on the shore of Monterosso del Mare 2006
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Town #5
Monterosso al
Mare
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Monterosso al
Mare
Shop in
Monterosso del Mare 2006 |
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T H E
V I A D E L L ' A M O R E |
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-continued-
Historically, many of
the villages on the
Mediterranean were
walled to protect
against attacks from the
sea. This area of the
coast was often attacked
by Muslim pirates and
Vikings. Viking
influence can still be
seen in the occasional
fair-skinned, red-headed
children of the native
villagers in the region.
Originally, the village
was only accessible by
sea or by mule paths
that connected the
villages of the Cinque
Terre as well as to Via
Roma, the main road that
connected all of Italy
to Rome. These mule
paths have been
maintained and used over
the centuries and are now
called The Via
dell'Amore, provide
hikers with a more
intimate view of the
sea-swept Cinque Terre.
The area was recently
designated as part of
the national park system
and is considered a
protected area, to limit
development and increase
tourism. The hiking trails
have been taken over by
the national park system
and there is now a fee
to hike on all portions
of the trail.
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On the
Via dell'Amore 2006 |
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on
the Via dell'Amore 2006
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On the
Via dell'Amore 2006
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On the Via
dell'Amore
Hillsides covered with vineyards,
Cinque Terre 2006 |
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Steep and sometimes precarious
the Via dell'Amore, completely constructed
by the local residents is a remarkable feat of
engineering. |
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Time to stop for a glass of wine
and enjoy the view on the Via dell'Amore 2006. |
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Spectacular and
abundant May wildflowers on the Via del'Amore
2006 |
     
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