It was my last week as an au pair, a
time when I was feeling increasingly irritated by children and more than ready
to move on to the next part of my life, and then the family told me they were
going away for a few days. Ah sweet freedom! I was left with their beautiful
house all to myself, the entire contents of the fridge, the balcony and sea
view, the pool, and the keys to come and go as I please. Suddenly the
possibilities opening up to me seemed vast and exciting, but it wasn't hard to
decide the destination of my next trip: the Cinque Terre.
My initial plan was to visit only two
of the terre; Vernazza and Monterosso. I was hoping the weather would be nice
and I could spend the day lounging on the beach (because I haven't spent enough
time on the beach in the last month) in between bits of exploring. But instead
I woke up to a cloudy sky and strong winds - most probably karma for how happy
I was to be left alone. So, I made a quick decision to instead visit all five
of the lands and to hike my journey. Armed with walking boots and camera, I
set off on my way.
As two hours went by and the train
became increasingly filled with diverse languages and accents, I arrived in
Riomaggiore, the furthest east of the Five Lands. Without much idea of where to go/what to do here, I got off the train and obediently followed the crowd in the
hope they would take me to where I should be. A group of American tourists who seemed to be from the Deep South led me to the Marina, I inwardly thanked them as I marvelled at the beauty before
me... Ah Bella Italia - she never fails to astound me. Just as I think I have
seen her most beautiful lands and seas, there appears somewhere else to rival
that splendor. Perhaps the result of the weather as well as the relative emptiness,
the village has an irresistible eery feel about it. The sea is rough and the
little boats in the bay struggle to hold on to the cobbly bank. The tall
coloured buildings are dull and lacking the vibrancy of Camogli or Portofino,
yet the peeling paint and imperfections only add to Riomaggiore's mysterious
allure. I didn't know what to expect from the Cinque Terre, but my first taste of
their charm in Riomaggiore surprises me, and so I am excited
about what I will see next.
The next village, Manarola, is very
similar to Riomaggiore, also placed on the sea. I walk up high above the
marina and watch the waves crashing against the rocks, I eat focaccia al pesto
and wander in and out of the few little shops.
Corniglia is in fact the only terre not on the sea. Instead it is
tucked into the hillside and surrounded by vineyards producing the famous wines
of the Cinque Terre. In the piazza the scents of delicious Italian food fill
the air, and the little caruggi (typically
Ligurian cobbled streets) weave around it like a maze.
The hike to Vernazza, the next terre,
takes me past more vineyards, under olive grounds and reveals spectacular views
of Corniglia and Manarola. And then as Vernazza comes into view you are astounded once more. From above the village is beautiful, a cluster of
buildings nestled between land and sea. From within, the beauty is diminished somewhat by packs of tourists lingering in the streets. (Sometimes it's easy to forget
that I am in fact one of those tourists, spoiling the Italian authenticity with
my English accent and twenty-first century gadgets.) I am disappointed to be
underwhelmed by Vernazza, after expecting it to be the most beautiful of the
lands. I find it too difficult to see beyond the crowds and into the soul of
the village, instead I see only an ever-commercialised tourist destination.
Maybe the sun was the missing ingredient to my liking of this town...
My journey ends in Monterosso al
Mare. I quickly realise that this village is made for the sun, and with the
lack of it I spend little time there. The beach is a long, pebbly stretch lined
with empty bars and even emptier sunbeds. The little town centre is pleasant
enough, but there is nothing to draw me in, nothing I haven't seen before in
Liguria. Before I disregard Monterosso entirely, I did have an excellent ice
cream and hope to return one day when the sun is shining.
My lasting memory of the Cinque Terre
will always lie with the eery marina of Riomaggiore and the surrounding
vineyards of Corniglia, and then the crashing waves and highly-defined grey
clouds which altered my visit there and distorted my opinion of the terre. I wander how different my trip would have been in the light of the sun.
