Paths of petals: Monterosso's infiorata

Last Sunday, as we explored Monterosso after travelling along the Cinque Terre from Riomaggiore, we stumbled across a beautiful piece of flower art. I really do mean stumbled across - I very nearly trod on it. This mosaic of petals was on the footpath.



The flowers continued along the streets of Monterosso. All we managed to find out was that it was to commemorate something and there would be a procession later. We thought the woman said people would walk through the flowers at 6pm, but that time came and went with no procession.



A few days later I remembered to find out what the whole flowers on the ground thing was all about. And thanks to Google, I can let you know.

It was to celebrate Corpus Domini, a Catholic holiday held nine weeks after Easter. I did read more on Corpus Domini, but failed to understand it well enough to pass on a decent explanation. Anyway...as part of the celebrations towns all over Italy hold an infiorata - a flower art festival - and fill the streets with petal tapestries. This is what we had found in Monterosso.







 



 

 

 

 





 

 

 





 

 

 





 

Walking the Cinque Terre

In its entirety, the walk connecting the five Cinque Terre villages would be spectacular. 12km of rugged cliffs along the coast, olive groves, over-burdened lemon trees, grape vines and beautiful Italian summer weather. It wouldn't be an easy walk, but it would be special.

Unfortunately, the trail between Manarola and Corniglia, and Corniglia and Venazza is closed because of separate landslides. There is another option between Manarola and Corniglia, but it's challenging. So our experience was limited to the Lover's Lane walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola and the last 4km between Venazza and Monterosso. The area is now a national park so there are associated entry fees. We paid eight euro for a two-day pass.



The first part of the walk, as I touched on here, is easy going. It's paved, flat and hugs the coast. It is a shame that so many couples felt the need to tell the world of their love by writing it on the walls and even on plants along the trail. The tradition of leaving a lock around gates or the railing has continued here. Although the most dramatic display of this I've seen is still Ponts des Arts in Paris.

From Manarola, the only way to visit Corniglia, other than taking the higher trail, is to catch the train. Because Corniglia is at the top of the hill, it isn't serviced by the ferry that runs between the other villages. Once off the train, it's 380 steps to the village. This seems the smallest of the villages, but that's going by my own impressions. It's a nice view of the surrounding mountains though.



Down the steps and back on the train to Venazza. This was one for two villages hugely affected by landslides last October. People lost their houses, businesses - everything. They are still recovering. We saw a little bit of the rebuilding efforts, but closer to the water everything looks as I imagine it should. We have some lunch and find that the start of the trail is straight across from where we've been sitting.



The trail is marked by white and red stripes. The marking is present along most of the trail. To get out of Venazza we must go up. And up. There's warnings about having appropriate footwear and a specific mention not to wear high heels. I can only imagine what they've seen. We pass one woman in cork slip-ons and I wonder how long she'll last.

The trail is fairly rocky. You have to keep an eye on your footing. Leaving the village we are surrounded by olive trees and grape vines. We see one house split in half: the interior exposed to the walkers. Evidence of the devastation of the landslide. As we near the top of the trail it opens up to reveal a great view of the coast and both Venazza and Monterosso. It also gets a little close to the edge in some places. I'm fine with it, but mum was staying close to the hill-side.

What goes up, must come down, and it isn't long before that's us. The downhill is a bit tricky - the track is more worn on this side. We also start to meet more people. I dread what this would be like in peak season. Not far from Monterosso we meet one of Italy's most enterprising fellows - a man selling fresh squeezed lemonade from a little hut on the side of the trail. Two euro well spent. It takes us a bit over two hours. We took it easy, took lots of photos and enjoyed the walk, happily giving way to more energetic walkers.



Monterosso disappears from our view for the last part of the trail and we don't see it again until we are there. The beach chairs and umbrellas are out in all their colour - although there's still a lot of empty space. A gelato and a look around, then it's back on the train to Riomaggiore.

Village life in the Cinque Terre

 

[caption id="attachment_2046" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="The ladies on the left were in this spot everynight."][/caption]

The population of Riomaggiore is about 1700, but that will swell in coming weeks. The Cinque Terre is one of Italy's top destinations. Visiting such a place has its pros and cons. Sometime's it's not great to visit a place everyone else is also visiting. Any more into peak season and this place, and the surrounding villages, would be packed. And there's only so long I'm willing to wait in line for a gelato. But tourist havens have their perks: our every need is catered to. While there is some agricultural industries in the area - olives, wine, fruit - this area relies heavily on tourism. Particularly now. Last October, landslides shattered Venazza and Monterosso. Four people were killed and clean-up efforts are on-going. After taking a hit like that, this area, more than ever, needs all the tourist dollars it can get.

On Saturday morning we venture down the hill into the village. Such is life on the road, we needed to do some washing. The hotel offers it, but will deliver the clothes back two days after pick up and I'm out of undies! But Riomaggiore has a laundromat, which we find on the main street. In most places, getting my clothes clean can be a task and usually involves me standing over a sink so this is a nice change.

We kill the wash cycle time by visiting every shop on the main street. Last night when we walked through it was just the cafes and restaurants that were open. Now there are small grocers, souvenir shops, clothing shops, a pharmacy and lots and lots of hotels. Oh I'd hate to be here when all of them are full, which happens for much of the high season. I don't know where all the people go.

The street is so narrow that if two cars approach, one is forced to tuck itself anywhere it can to let the other pass. This doesn't happen often as the main street is usually blocked to traffic, but early morning deliveries require vans, and it's a tight squeeze. My favourite locals are the ladies that gather on a bench in the lower part of town. They were there every night. Just sitting. Talking. Watching.

Later, after stocking up on salad items and bread for lunch (six euro including a bunch of fruit) and hanging our clothes to dry around the hotel room, we relax for a few hours. I try to avoid the sun in its hottest hours. When it cools off we head back down that hill. There is a trail that links the five Cinque Terre villages together and the first section is only 1km to Manarola. It's nicknames Lovers' Lane and we meet enough of them on the stroll. It's the only section of the route that's paved all the way. It's nearly completely flat and hugs the coastline so it's a gorgeous walk.





[caption id="attachment_2042" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I thought it was a bit chilly for a swim but apparently not."][/caption]

If you had shown me photos of these villages a few days ago, I would have struggled to pick one from the other, but after just a short while in Manarola the little quirks begin to stand out. Where as the centre of Riomaggiore is further from the Coast and separated by the train line, Manarola has better access. The walk down to the water is lined with boats. We have dinner here before walking back along the Coast and back up that hill.

An introduction to Italy's Cinque Terre

Gorgeous. Stunning. Spectacular. Unique. With a decent thesaurus you'll find 15 like words to describe the Italy's postcard: The Cinque Terre. Five little villages clinging to the coast of the Italian Riviera. Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso are so similar, yet so different. Each a wonderful town to explore, full of their own characteristics and quirks.

My home for three nights is the southern village of Riomaggiore. Looking at the town from the right angle highlights its resemblance to a stack of Lego. The buildings seem to be built on top of each other. It's a nice image, but one hell of a landscape to tow your luggage up. And naturally, our hotel is right at the top.

I spent an uneventful night in Milan before meeting my parents in Genoa. They've been in Africa for the past two months and when they mentioned they were heading to Italy, I may or may not have invited myself along. I arrived in Genoa first and killed time by finishing my book. By the time M&D arrived, I'd managed to either lose the book or someone helped themselves to it when I wasn't looking. The latter would be ironic because it was a book on global organised crime. At least I'd finished it.

It took only a few hours to reach the Cinque Terre. The last part of the journey was mostly in the dark: the nature of the terrain means the train really only emerged when it came to a station. Then it was back into the tunnels. Once we were off the train, it was time to find the hotel. It was a more than decent hike up the steep streets of Riomaggiore to our hotel; lugging our bags up the hill, only to backtrack on another street to reach the one above it and turn to an old Italian woman for directions who continued to talk to me in Italian well after it was clear I didn't understand a word. Her knowledge of the street names was about as good as my Italian, but another local got us on the right track. The town isn't big, but with those hills you don't want to go anywhere you don't have to.



For dinner we visited one of the many restaurants in the lower part of town. The local speciality is seafood, no surprise given the Coastal location. After our meal, which for me was large prawns in a delicious tomato and basil sauce - I saw this on quite a few menus - we explored the waterfront and the local gelato offerings.

Teacup visits the Cinque Terre

 

[caption id="attachment_2006" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Riomaggiore"][/caption]

In a couple of weeks, the Cinque Terre will be a mad house. But for now, these five little villages on Italy's coast are somewhat accessible - without the craziness of peak season. With my teacup in tow, I explored Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.

[caption id="attachment_2007" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Manorala"][/caption]

Riomaggiore was my home for three days. It turned out to be my favourite of the five villages. There is a path through the Cinque Terre National Park that links all five, but because of landslides in recent years, not all of it is open. Manorala is a short, 10-minute stroll along Lover's Lane, the path that connects it to Riomaggiore.

[caption id="attachment_2008" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Corniglia"][/caption]

The Cinque Terre trail would usually give tourists a beautiful, if a bit rugged, trek along the coastline. But that's not possible at the moment, nor will it be anytime soon. There is a second track between Manarola and Corniglia, but it goes way up the mountains and is quite challenging. There is no track between Corniglia and Vernazza. So it was with a combination of walking, trains and hiking that I made it to Monterosso.

[caption id="attachment_2009" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Vernazza"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2010" align="aligncenter" width="584" caption="Monterosso"][/caption]