Exploring Riomaggiore

It's been several years since we last wandered around Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre and we take the train four stops from Monterosso to reintroduce ourselves to the city.  We've passed through Riomaggiore  many times on the beginning of hikes to Portovenere and occasionally stopped at the harbor for lunch, but today we wander more thoroughly through the streets.  We start at the train station and follow a path around the cliff (a journey that we normally take by way of a tunnel through the hill) to upper Riomaggiore.

Path around the hill

At the end of the path, we take the steps up into the city streets and head back to the sea for more great views of the sea and coast.

Up into the village

Returning to views of the sea

We turn around and head into the village and continue to wander up, overlooking the houses, the hills, and the sea, soon reaching an a large paved square with the church of San Giovanni Battista, built in 1340 and renovated in 1870.

Up the village streets

San Giovanni Battista

From the church, we descend into the city and find our way to the port, full of restaurants, boats, and tourists.

Back into the city streets

Looking back at the church

And, the other way out to sea

Reaching a main street

Passing under the train tracks to the harbor

At the harbor, we stop for a slice of pesto bruschetta and a glass of wine at a table with a view.

Lunch

After lunch, we walk out into the harbor and take a few more pictures up the coast with views of the four other Cinque Terre villages, Monterosso al Mare (our base) the farthest away.

Looking up the coast

It's been a great day to return to and revisit Riomaggiore (and a tasty lunch).

Hiking Over to and Through Framura

We continue exploring north of Cinque Terre and head to Bonassola and up from Bonassola to the next town of Framura, hiking through the old railroad tunnels along the sea.  Framura consists of five villages (Anzo, Ravecca, Setta, Costa, and Castagnola) located on a winding road up the hill from the train station and is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

It's another stormy day as we pass the Monterosso beaches with their umbrellas furled on our way to the train station for the short trip to Levanto.  We then walk from the Levanto train station to the beach in Levanto (umbrellas similarly furled), over the hills to Bonassola, and through the tunnels to Framura.

Monterosso beaches

Levanto beaches

Surfers in Levanto

We head up and over the hill from Levanto, continuing on to Bonassola.

Leaving Levanto

Approaching Bonassola

Views from breaks in the railroad tunnel

We catch the local Framura bus from the train station up the hill to Setta, the middle of the five towns, and follow the path (and for a while, the road, where the path is being refurbished) back down the hill toward lunch by the train station and the sea.  The five villages of Framura are located one above the other on the hill, from sea level to 300 meters (984 feet) above the sea.

The five villages of Framura

Views from Setta (middle village)

Following the path down

We arrive back at the train station and walk under the tracks to the little restaurant between the tracks and the sea where we share bruschetta (with tomatoes and tomatoes/anchovies) and glasses of wine.

Lunch by the train station

Returning to Monterosso, the sea is still agitated, making great waves (and very little swimming today).

Rough seas today

It's been another great day of exploration further afield from our base in Cinque Terre.