Cinque Terre: A Magical Place by the Sea

Roadtripping in Italy is like any other country, except that cars fly by faster and cruise along at vastly different speeds. What was a fun surprise were the convenient rest areas / gas stations called Autogrills. Every so often, there was an Autogrill stretching across the highway. If you stop at one, it’s easy to morph into being a kid in a candy store. Bakery items, snacks, baguette lunches and of course, toys line the shelves. It’s undoubtedly convenient – a one stop shop for everything you need on the road- and it was a much needed way to quickly stretch our legs while trekking from Naples to Cinque Terre over the course of a day.

As we raced to get to Cinque Terre before dark, we had little time to stop along the way. Still, we drove through the center of Orvieto and could have easily got stuck in the extremely narrow streets before stopping for a quick wine tasting at Pallazone outside of town.

Once we made it to La Spezia, it was a beautiful drive, winding along the cliffs, leading to Cinque Terre and then a steep decline down to the parking area above Vernazza. We pulled into the parking lot just as the sun was starting to set. The convenient shuttle took us to the top of town, in time to walk down the cobblestone street to find our Airbnb, with stairs tucked behind a storefront.

It was a hefty climb with our luggage to the apartment (and I mean seriously steep to the point that I started to wonder what I had done booking the place and whether the luggage was going to go tumbling down the stairs behind me.) When in Europe, right! However, as we reached the top huffing and puffing, I sighed with a sense of relief, because it was well worth the view. As we stepped out onto the balcony, a musician played in the street below and the sound echoed off the buildings. It felt like we were watching a scene unfold in an Italian rivera film from the 1950s as the sun set below the rooftops.

Cinque Terre, the five towns along the Italian seaside, feels unreal, like stepping onto a built movie set. People arrive by train every day pouring into the streets, but at night, the hustle and bustle fades away, and peace and quiet falls over the town. If you visit Cinque Terre, I highly recommend staying for a few days in one of the towns instead of taking the train in during the day (counter to what most people do). The area is definitely a bit touristy with hoards of tourists during the day, even in the off season, but the calm after everyone leaves is what made it worth visiting and of course, the stunning beauty of the area was a highlight as well.

Spending my birthday exploring the towns with my little bambino was the best day I could have asked for. We rode the train and explored Riomaggiore and Monterroso. Riomaggiore was a fun place to start with a long tunnel leading from the train station into town on one side, and stairs leading the entrance to the Via dell’ Amore on the other side. While you can walk on most sections of the trail leading between the five towns with the general pass (which you can purchase online or at one of the train stations), you have to buy a separate ticket to enter the section between Riomaggiore and the next town over, Manarola. The ticket can be purchased outside the train station, but expect a long line.

Since we had a four year old in tow, we knew he would only last so long, especially walking, so we did our best to make the most of the time. We walked around the town for a bit, snapping a few pictures, and then hopped on the train to Monterroso. Monterroso is the most developed of the five towns, and has beaches in the front of town and the train station. There are many shops and restaurants to choose from, and a playground right near the beach, which of course, Atlas loved.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and at the playground and then retreated back to Vernazza (which is arguably the best of the five towns to stay in.) Back in Vernazza, I hiked up the trail to search for a view, and then we finished the night at a restaurant by the sea to celebrate the day.

Our Italian adventure was far from over though. The next day, we headed to the northern part of Tuscany to spend a week, winding along the scenic drive as we left the magic by the sea behind.