The Cinque Terre

Peggy Wood is a travel consultant at James TravelPoints and an American Express Italy Expert.

Perched above the dramatic coastline east of Genoa, sit the fabled villages of the Cinque Terre, a fairy tale coast of pastel houses, turquoise water and vineyard cloaked hills. Stretched along the mountainous Ligurian coast the region is a walker’s paradise. Even today the hilly towns are still a little off the beaten track, hardly suitable for the tourist by car. Go by train and then use your feet.Our journey began in Lucca, where we were met by our Backroads representative. We then took a 45 minute bus ride to La Spezia where we hopped on a train for the ride to Riomaggorie, the southernmost town of the five towns that comprise the Cinque Terre.  From this peaceful fishing village, we walked along the famous Via dell’Amore where we got our first views of the spectacular Ligurian coast. After a short visit to Manrola, we embarked on a steady climb through olive groves, fig trees, and wild flowers to the town of Volastra.  Here, high above the sea we lunched on such local specialties as olives, crisp local white wine and foccacia.  Our hike ended in Cornglia where we took the train to Sestri Levante and our hotel for the next two nights, the Grand Hotel dei Castelli. (Total for the day 4.1km) Staying here alone was worth the trip. A Mediterranean haven, surrounded by gardens and parkland, the dei Castelli features a castle like atmosphere, open-air dining, and a natural “swimming pool” in a secluded cove on the Mediterranean.Our second day began with a train shuttle back to Corniglia.  From there we began our walk , to what I felt was the most picturesque of the five towns, Vernazza .  Our route led us across hillsides that have been cultivated for centuries, past terraced vineyards and olive groves, meadows and woodland. At many a turn in the trail, we paused to enjoy breath-taking views of colorful fishing boats bobbing in tiny harbors, beaches backed by spectacular bluffs, and villages that seemed to cascade down steep ravines into the sea.  Once in Vernazza you could stroll by the water and watch the fishermen mending their nets along the sea wall, or visit the fortress over looking the town for more spectacular views. This was also the perfect stop for lunch at one of the local trattorias. We couldn’t get enough of the cepresie, pesto and fresh seafood. After lunch we continued on to Monterosso where we had time to sample the local gelato before taking the train back to the dei Castelli .(total for the day 15.8 km) We left just enough time for a swim in the Mediterranean before dinner.The next morning we ferried to the resort town of Santa Margherita.  After meandering past the towns famed trompe l’oil facades, we hiked up to the trails of Monte di Portofino National Park. After passing by charming hillside villas and gardens we arrived at Portofino. (Total for the day 8.00km) For the next two nights we were treated to an endless array of luxuries and an unrivaled view of Portofino bay, at the elegant hotel Splendido Portofino.

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