To the 5 Boroughs - A Detailed Depiction

The weather report was calling for clouds and rain in Liguria, but having already cancelled two trips based on false atmospheric speculations, we had decided to press on. Charlie and I were the main orchestrators of the voyage, and with 5 other recruits expected to join us, we awoke before sunrise on Sunday morning to travel to Cinque Terra. Around 6:10 AM, a dedicated and tired group of 4 boarded a tram bound for the city of Milan and Stazione Centrale.

I first knew I wanted to go to Cinque Terra when I talked to my cousin Gretchen. Although I've received many destination recommendations from friends, family and other enlightened travelers eager to share their experiences, most of the time this information travels in one ear and out the other, or into some other blank space present between the two. However, when it comes to cousins, I have a good amount of respect for Mrs. Faughnan and (although it's unlikely I've mentioned it before) take her referrals very notably. Essentially, Gretchen knows what's up; and a few years ago, probably at one of the many weddings of the Williams clan, she told me about a beautiful coastal journey she had taken in Italy, where people from all over the world hike hills overlooking the sea, from town to town to town. It sounded incredible, so I knew I had to do it. Friends of mine who have studied abroad only reaffirmed Gretchen's message, and thus, you now know why it was so important for me to head to the 5 boroughs. 

The Trip There

Aside from Charlie and myself, John (New York) and Zack (Ohio) were the only others to wake and join us. None of us really knew each other that well, Charlie and I, being both from Illinois, probably had the most experience with one another and get along well. John is nice, but upon first reception, relatively quiet. I'd only talked to him 2 or 3 times before the trip. Zack is slightly more noticeable, I'd say. He is a sophomore and one of my italian classmates; the first time I saw him he had a tie-dyed Rolling Stones t-shirt on which displays the iconic pop image of a thick set of lips with fully extended tongue (unique attire against the reserved backdrop of an italian city). I'm pretty sure he has this picture tattooed on his body as well. Although I perhaps first perceived him as outlandish, I've come to find he is equally good-natured and fun; however, I should admit that sometimes our senses of humor don't perfectly align which can lead to awkward silence or even more awkward, unlanded jokes. So, this was the entourage I embarked with and I was glad to be with each one. 

It was around 30 minutes to Stazione Centrale, the main train station in Milan. Charlie and I had scoped it out the day before, so were pretty much pros at purchasing tickets, which we quickly accomplished. We had plenty of time before the train arrived, so walked further into the station, found a small bar (don't worry, we weren't doing Jaeger Bombs at 7 AM, the bars here are more like coffee shops / eateries) and got panini (hot sandwiches) for breakfast. We bought the cheap / non-express tickets for 12.45 euro, a 4 1/2 hour journey. 

The train ride was uncomfortable, and we all tried to sleep awkwardly. There wasn't much of a view for the first few hours, so aside from me getting scolded by the ticket taker for having my feet up, not much happened. 

I woke up and I could see the sea in the passing right window. It was pretty beautiful, much bluer than Lake Michigan or most of the bodies of water I've known. To the left were small houses, each with their stucco, Italian roofs (think California or Boulder, Colorado). In Genoa a woman walked onto the train and sat down across from John. It was then that I found out John can speak italian fairly well, as he engaged with the lady in an italian conversation for around 45 minutes. Again, John isn't that immediately outgoing, so the middle-aged passenger asked most of the questions, but John adequately replied. I started to eavesdrop with as much concentration as I could, believing that if I thought about it hard enough, I could perfectly understand the language. I couldn't, but I did catch bits and parts of the conversation. She was from Russia, she thought new experiences were important, La Spezia (our purchased ticket and final destination) was around 1 hour from Cinque Terra... wait, what? "Where we're heading isn't Cinque Terra?" I talked to John and made sure I had heard right; he explained, according to this woman, we were heading too far south of the 5 villages. Son-of-a... 

The reason we were heading to La Spezia was because another Arcobaleno resident said that's where he had headed when he had gone only a week ago. We took his word for it and bought the ticket. However, according to this native, we were going to overshoot our desired location by around 30 - 45 minutes. The woman left, and after some brief anxiety and a few quick phone calls to people we knew already at Cinque Terra, we found out this was only partially true. La Spezia is like 10 to 15 minutes from the southern most town on the strip, and that Rio Maggiore is really where we wanted to go. Fortunately our train passed by each city, so without complication, we got off at Rio Maggiore and had arrived successfully. 

The Villages

Each village of Cinque Terra is at the same time unique, and extremely similar. We were treating this as a day trip, so didn't spend an extraordinary amount of time in each location, but we got the gist of it. The southern most city, Rio Maggiore, is the least touristy, meaning they don't try to charge you just to sit down at a restaurant. From there you work your way north, always walking along the coast, sometimes on cliffs dropping straight into the Ligurian Sea, towards Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and finally Monterosso. Each town is extremely colorful (physically) with houses and buildings painted pink, orange, yellow, green, red and white. They all seem to have a gelateria (ice cream shop), gift shop, art shop, and of course, molti ristoranti (many restaurants). The streets are narrow and hilly, many of which have winding staircases that run between buildings. There were also a lot of cats hanging out I noticed, sleeping in the sun or on warm rocks in what appeared to be feline paradise. The expensive restaurants are perfectly situated to appreciate the watery horizon, and if they are extremely well placed, also have a view along the coast to the next attractive town.

We didn't spend that much time in Rio Maggiore - we walked up into the town a little bit however and saw a brilliant mural. Another thing about the towns and walks in between, there is plenty of art to appreciate, either created within the city, or by the government (it is a national park after all) to showcase italian culture. Very cool. But anyhow, after sitting for 4 hours we were eager to get moving. 

The Hike

I think we all knew that the Cinque Terra hike was going to be difficult, but I don't think any of us really understood the distance and demeanor of the hills. Although some of it was well paved, such as paths that ran under tunnels, the further you got from each town, the less developed the route was. Although always clearly marked, we walked over countless types of footing, including grass, dirt, mud, small stones, rocks, steps, rock steps, and what we began to call "Death Rocks". Death Rocks are uneven "stairs" that have varying widths and lengths, sometime dropping around 2 feet to the next one. When it rained slightly later in the day, slicking the surface of these beasts, I actually feared for our safety. Sometimes the steps can run forever (380 we counted on one staircase), but when you reach the peak it is always rewarding. Emerging from a forest to see the water and the ground you have already covered is a great feeling, mixed with heavy breathing. Aside from murderous stairwells, the path can sometimes get so narrow it is a one way peak. With many tourists going each way, sometimes you need to stop and let other parties walk first, just so that you can cross safely. There were plenty of others out that day, many of which I was astounded could even hike the terrain (some elderly ladies, a woman carrying a baby, a dog), and it seemed like many were American, or at least english speaking. 

The day was also beautiful. I suppose the weather report was accurate, calling for some clouds and rain, but aside from 30 minutes of drizzling rain that we appreciated in our exhaustion, the sun beat down brightly and warmly upon us. Although we were all tired, Zack seemed to have a particularly difficult day being of a bigger build. His calf kept cramping up, so we'd take breaks when needed, but at one point we had a scary experience. Walking along one of the narrow paths, with a devastating drop to the left of us and only a wire fence as a guard, Zack's leg cramped up and his foot slipped over the edge and between the fence. The three of us quickly pulled him properly into the center of the path, but had it not been for that fence, our trip may not have been so fantastic in memory. Like I said, it's a beautiful journey, but not entirely safe.

In the third town, Corniglia, we stopped for lunch. I had some sort of pasta with a green pesto sauce and a Beck's. It was good. In Vernazza, on a recommendation from a friend, we stopped for gelato, which was outstanding, but maybe just because we were tired and hot and ice cream seems to nullify those discomforts. I also bought a celebratory 3 euro bottle of wine in Vernazza for our arrival on the beach of Monterosso (bottle opener? No problem. It's become a custom of mine to bring a bottle opener with me now wherever I go. In Italy, it comes in handy more often than not). Exhausted, and with aching legs, we arrived in Monterosso (the most developed of the 5 towns), took off our shirts and walked into the water. I open the bottle of wine and we celebrated the 6 miles we had walked which, with stops, had taken us around 5 hours (11:30 - 5:00). We hung out at the beach, running into some girls we knew, and looked for somewhere to eat. It was 6:30 by the time we got back into dry clothes, and with our train leaving at 7:15, another round of panini was the best we could do. 

We got onto the train; after hiking and swimming for 7 hours, we were eager to sit. It turned out that the cheap tickets we bought going home were not direct, so in Genoa we had to get off the train and on another. The train we got onto in Genoa seemed way too nice for us (AC, comfortable seats) which it turns out it was - we had gotten onto an expensive train so after traveling on it for an hour, got kicked off. No problem, we found another train to Milan at the next station and got into our dorm rooms around 12:00 AM. Quite a day. 

Now to my father. Dad, thanks for the backpack and camera. I took over 150 pictures yesterday (the best of which I will post) using the wide angle and light adjustment features of the PowerShot. My backpack, though crammed with useful clothes and such, was extremely comfortable to travel with and my back feels great today, perhaps even more aligned. It became a running joke as we walked that my bag can carry and infinite amount of items, as each time someone needed me to carry something, we found plenty of room left in the bag. Just wanted to make sure you know the purchases made on my behalf are being used to their fullest extent. I'm also currently typing this blog using my MacBook. Again, thanks. 

Anyway, it was an incredible trip and if you have the chance and the health I strongly recommend it. The natural beauty is awe-inspiring, the towns are gorgeous without being gaudy, and the final beach is a welcome finish line. The water, the weather, and the day was perfect. 

Next weekend - Venice.