 Days 4, 5 & 6 - all spectacular! Each day offered beautiful trails and stunning panoramic views. They also had a lot of stairs. A. Lot. But by now our legs were used to the ups and downs into and out of the village valleys that make the area so rich and beautiful. Italy is such a beautiful country and as I write this I'm struggling to understand that only a month after our trip parts of the country have been devastated by extreme weather - from heavy rain, to extraordinary heat, to baseball-sized hail, to a tornado in Milan to ravaging wildfires. It's truly shocking. My hope is that when you read this you'll get inspired to go to Italy when you can, to support the local tourism and the economy (hello shoe shopping!) and to hike its incredible mountains. Catch up on part two of my hike along the stunning Cinque Terre and the incredible Ligurian coast. Day 4 - Part I: Hike from Monterosso to Vernazza Home base: Monterosso Just a short taxi ride up the winding roads out of Monterosso to the 11th century Soviore Monastery and we were off. After a bit a road walking we veered onto a narrow trail. I got the impression that this isn't frequented by many hikers - aside from a couple sharing our taxi, we didn't see anyone else on the 7 kms trail. For me, it was the epitome of a gorgeous hiking trail - shaded by tall trees, lined with wild flowers and dancing butterflies, and spectacular panoramic views. And that was just the ascent! The descent takes you down into Vernazza by way of an old church along a stone path. The view of Vernazza from up above is incredible - this is not something you get from the Coastal Path. If you're day-hiking around Cinque Terre - add this trail to your list - a highlight for sure! It took us a few minutes to get our bearings once we walked into town as the streets were full of people milling about (that's when we learned that cruise ships bring boat loads -pardon the pun- of people to the Cinque Terre villages by train from La Spezia, which I admit, takes away from the quaintness of it all). Maybe it was because I was getting hangry, but suddenly being surrounded by hundreds of people compared to the solitude of the trail, I couldn't wait to leave town. But I needed to satiate the hangry beast so we grabbed a beer and focaccia sandwich and caught our breath before tackling part two of the hike. Day 4 - Part II: Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso Breaking our track record of skipping out on part two of the day's hike, we decided to hike the Coastal Trail back to Monterosso - no train or boat this day! This path is part of the official Cinque Terre Park and you need a permit to hike through. In our case, the permit was part of the tour package, but you can also buy it at the booth at the start of the trail (in either direction). Unlike the peaceful tranquility of the upper trail, the Coastal Trail is a thoroughfare of not just hikers but also tourists who mistakenly think it's a simple walk. As a trail, it's quite stunning. It hugs the coast, has just enough ruggedness but then some lovely flat sections when you need a break. But, don't be fooled thinking it's easy. The trail is bookended with stairs, most of which are uneven. No matter which way you go, you have to climb up and down (I overheard a lot of people saying their legs felt like jelly). The trail is also very narrow in sections so with people walking in both directions, you have to stop to let people through. While it is only 3.5 kilometers, it took us 2 hours to get from end to end. My concern is that people read the sign and see a 3.5 kilometers walk along the water and think it will be a nice walk. I'm here to say that it's a hiking trail and that you do in fact need to have proper shoes (the park forbids flip flops for example). It's possible that some cruise ship passengers who think they'll take an hour to walk along the coast get caught by surprise by its difficulty. I saw ladies wearing full length skirts and men in jeans - neither appropriate for the trail. But even as I say all that, the trail is beautiful. It's nestled in the forest along the coastline and whichever direction you walk you get a lovely view of either Vernazza or Monterosso. Do I recommend it? Yes but if you're used to quiet trails, then go with an open mind and a little extra patience. Drinks tip: Reward yourself with an aperitvo (or two) at Enoteca da Eliseo in the heart of Monterosso's old town. It's the kind of place that welcomes you like an old friend and sits you next to strangers for a happy hour(s) of delightful chats.  Day 5: Hike from Corniglia to Rio Maggiore - ferry back to Monterosso. Home base: Monterosso It was just a 10-minute train ride to get to the starting point of today's hike. The train station is not in the town, which is up on a hill, and that meant we didn't get to see the town at all as we headed on the trail immediately. It started with A LOT of stairs. So. Many. Stairs. While we're used to tackling stairs by now, it was hot, sweltering-sticky-humid-sweat-in-uncomfortable-places-hot. Under normal weather conditions (ie: not tropical) the stairs would be cardio busting for sure but the added oppressive heat had me wondering if this hiking thing was a good idea. Probably not the best time to reflect on that as it was either going back down and admit defeat or keep going up. I opted to not give up. Once we got beyond the steep part, the trail became quite pleasant. It meandered through a lovely shaded forest and then terraced vineyards high in the hills with spectacularly panoramic views on our way to Volastra. From Volastra we took the high route but I got the impression that this high section was recently added as the alternative to the lower path that connects Manarola to Riomaggiore. That coast-hugging trail has been closed due to a landslide a few years ago. My guess is that this high path hasn't made most of the tour itineraries as it had been recently mowed (parts of it would've been knee high if it hadn't) and was very quiet (which I love, as you know). At one point we had to pay close attention to the trail instructions in our guide book because there was one spot that the instructions said to 'go right' to go downhill to Riomaggiore. Seemed simple enough, except there was a metal gate, which was connected to an electrical fence. Seemed rather odd. Getting electrocuted was not on the day's agenda. Once we realized that the only way to Riomaggiore was down that trail, we found a dip in the fence to step over it without touching the wire. Mission to avoid the gate (and electrocution) successful. I mentioned it was down to Riomaggiore and, you guessed it, that meant more stairs. But the idea of lunch was highly motivating and it seemed in no time at all we were down the mountain, seated under a canopy of an outdoor terrace eating fresh mozzarella and tomato salad and pesto pasta. Just delightful. While we could have taken the much cheaper train back to Monterosso, we opted to take the ferry again. It was about a 45 minute trip, it stops at all but one Cinque Terre town and gives you amazing perspective on the height of the mountains juxtaposed against the small, quaintness of the villages. To find the ferry, walk through the town towards the water, up the stairs on the left side where you'll find a ticket booth. Dinner tip: On our last night in Monterosso we enjoyed a delish, authentic Ligurian meal at L'Osteria. Highly recommend it. We had the traditional sea bass and vegetable dish - was it as good as the one we made at the Cinque Terre Cooking School the day before? Let's just say it was extraordinary.  Day 6 - Part I: Hike from Riomaggiore to Campiglia Home base: Portovenere We saved the best for last! What a phenomenal day. 17 kms of the most beautiful trail of the whole 6 days - what a treat! Today had forests, panoramic views, vineyards, scrambling, fear-inducing cliff side trails, and chickens (the cutest fattest Italian chickens I've ever seen). We said ciao to Monterosso and hopped on the train to Riomaggiore. What a delight it was to walk through the town before it was awake - the only people milling around were delivery services. You can guess how the day started - up lots of stairs. The stairs lead up to Santuario Della Madonna Di Montenereo, perched high overlooking Riomaggiore to the right and Portovenere in the distance to the left. In front of the Santuario there are also welcome (but rather uncomfortable) benches perfect for a wee break. The trail from there to Campiglia weaves through terraced vineyards, and hobby farms with resident chickens (talk about prime real estate for a hen house!) and by a couple small cafes. And then it seems suddenly you're back in civilization in the small town of Campiglia. We stopped for a cold drink and focaccia and enjoyed a crisp cool breeze from the terrace of the cafe - the first cool breeze we'd felt in so long I can't actually remember when it was! Day 6 - Part II: Hike from Campiglia to Portovenere The guide book said that if you suffer from fear of heights you may want to avoid this section and take an alternate route. Well I do, but that wasn't going to stop me. You're supposed to face your fears, right? And I'm so glad I did! Our last section of trail was very rewarding. For quite a while we meandered through a lovely forest section. We were seeing more and more people too as we got closer to Portovenere. And the guide book was right. The section that runs along the cliff side they were referring to required some scrambling. I admit I held my breath while doing it as there was no railing between the trail and the cliff. It's not a terribly long section and the reward is one of the best views of the whole trip. Our shaking legs were rewarded with some road walking after that cliff side bit. Then a bit more forest trail and then suddenly we emerged onto a clearing and straight ahead was Portovenere's Church of Saint Peter and then around the corner was the harbor. What a stunning view and a lovely place to finish the day. Also knowing that a cold shower was imminent made it ever more sweet.  Portovenere isn't one of the Cinque Terre villages and the train doesn't go there. It also has one of the area's only 5-star hotels so it has a slightly different vibe then the other places along the coast. The harbor is also chock-a-block full of very impressive yachts (I was told Jeff Besos' enormous yacht was there the day before we arrived - those kind of large yachts). It's a lovely town to stroll around, to sit on the terrace of an outdoor bar and have an aperitivo, and to get those social media worthy photos. It was the perfect place to end our hiking adventure. Be sure to stroll up to the 12th century Church of Saint Peter (Chiesa di San Peitro) where you might even get to watch a wedding through a window in the back (like we did). Snap a photo by the arches overlooking Lord Byron's Grotto and you'll fit right in with all the influencers trying to get the perfect shot. Dinner tip: Seafood lovers! We had the most delightful dinner at Porto 82 Risto Pescheria - a restaurant tucked away from the main strip along the water (not a photo on the menu) and busy with locals. If you walk by and there aren't any tables left outside - just ask and they'll bring one from inside. You won't find it on social media or even a website - but you can find it at Via Giovanni Capellini, 82
And that's on wrap on our hiking tour of Cinque Terre and the Liguria Coast. Highly recommend it. Also highly recommend doing the hike in the Spring or Fall when the weather is kinder and more hiker-friendly. Next stop was Florence where we braved the crowds and found some delightful hidden gems and ate some incredible food. ICYMI - Part I, click here Curious about this self-guided hike and others, check out Monkeys & Mountains.
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