Hiking from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza in Cinque Terre

We save one of our favorite hikes for the last full day of our stay in Monterosso al Mare:  Monterosso to Vernazza, the next town south in Cinque Terre.  When we are able to plan our vacation to arrive in Monterosso early in the afternoon, we are known to do this hike on our arrival day.  But, travelling from the US, we often arrive too late in the day, after a 4-5 hour train ride from Rome or Milan.  It does take a while to get to Cinque Terre, but it is definitely worth it!

But, back to our hike to Vernazza:  this 1.5 hour hike is a perfect introduction (or, in this case, conclusion) to a stay in Cinque Terre, connecting two fabulous (and unique) towns with a trail up into the hills that follows the ridge overlooking the sea and is very popular and heavily travelled.  We prefer to hike it in the early morning or late afternoon when there are fewer people on the path and we can enjoy the views and the hike with some solitude.

We start by passing the Monterosso public beach and heading up into the hills.

Passing the beach

Around the corner and starting up

We continue up the path, climbing to the top of the ridge that we will follow around the hills and along the sea to Vernazza.

Continuing up

Leaving Monterosso behind us

Looking the other way (south) down the coast

Since our last hike on this trail, some enterprising people have built Ristoro da Maria, a fruit juice and smoothy stop along the trail.  We don't stop, but do admire the enterprise (espeially since all the fruit and equipment have to be carried in on the trail).

Juice station along the trail

We continue along the path, climbing a little more, but principally following  the ridge until we round a corner and leave views of Monterosso behind us and expose views of Vernazza ahead.

Continuing along the trail

Monterosso is farther away

Continuing along the ridge

Vernazza appearing in the distance

Continuing

Approaching Vernazza

We descend into Vernazza and walk through the village to the harbor, anticipating lunch overlooking the harbor and the main square, Piazza Guglielmo Marconi.  We settle in, order some wine and choose a white base pizza:  Acciugata (cherry tomatoes, anchovies, buratta, oregano).

Harbor and piazza

Monterosso across the water

Pizza Acciugata

This has been another great morning hike in Cinque Terre, followed by a delightful lunch.  Now, it's time to catch the train back to Monterosso and plan our dinner as we are about to leave this magical place tomorrow and return home.

Hiking Corniglia to Manarola, with Lunch in Riomaggiore

We plan a few local hikes between the Cinque Terre towns, starting with an old favorite:  Corniglia to Manarola.  Corniglia is the central and third village of the five Cinque Terre towns and is the only one not located directly on the water, but instead perched on a 100-meter rocky promontory, surrounded by steep, terraced vineyards.

We take the short train ride from Monterosso al Mare to Corniglia (2 stops, 8 minutes) and walk along the tracks, across from the sea, to the stairs leading up to the village (382 steps).

Arriving from the train station

A short alleyway brings us to the begining of the trail and up we head.

Trail description

Heading up

Looking back at Corniglia

Up the coast toward Monterosso

Down the coast toward Manarola (our destination)

Continuing up

Soon we reach the top and follow the trail along the ridge overlooking the sea.

Views of the sea from the ridge

As we round a corner, we enter vineyards and travel through the spring grapes just appearing on the vines.

Crossing fields of young grapes

Manarola getting closer; Corniglia, farther

Many (about 1,200) steps lead down to Manarola from Volastra on the other side of the path through the vineyards and we descend into the village, where we catch the first train to Riomaggiore, the next stop south.

Descending to Manarola, with great views

Entering Manarola

On our walk through Manarola to the train station, we poke our heads into a small church, Chiesa di San Lorenzo, and admire the beautiful interior.

Chiesa di San Lorenzo

Passing through Manarola

We leave the train station in Riomaggiore, head through the tunnel from the station to the other side of town, and take the stairs under the tracks to the harbor, focusing on lunch in a small cafe overlooking the harbor:  sandwich with mortadella and buratta and pizza with tomato and pesto.

Riomaggiore harbor

Lunch

Another great day in paradise!