Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Travel :: Hiking the Cinque Terre

For those of you who haven't been following my blog, we recently vacationed for two and a half weeks in Italy - five days of which were spent in the breathtakingly beautiful Cinque Terre {meaning "Five Towns" in Italian}.  One aspect of the area that makes it so special {besides the fact that it is absolutely stunning} is that there are hiking trails that connect the five little towns to one another.  The trails get progressively more difficult as you go north, with the route from Vernazza to Monterosso being the most challenging.

A few of the trails were closed this year, so we weren't able to do as much hiking as we would like.  However, we did spend the afternoon treking the Monterosso - Vernazza path.  The first part of the hike was really, really hard, as you essentially climb straight to the top of the mountain.  That, coupled with the fact that the trail was absolutely packed with tourists, made it exhausting and a little terrifying.  But we were rewarded for our efforts with the most gorgeous views of the sea, hills, cliffs, and towns.  Plus it always feels like such a great accomplishment knowing that you perseverance won out against that little voice in your head telling you to give up.  

The trail concluded with postcard-perfect views of Vernazza, where we stopped to rest our legs and have some much deserved pasta and wine.  All in all it was a day I will remember for the rest of my life, and just one more experience to cross off the bucket list.

More from our trip here: GenoaLuccaManarolaRiomaggioreFollow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here.


15 comments:

  1. Oh WOW this looks so beautiful :)

    Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten

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  2. that trip looks absolutely incredible. so jealous!


    www.thecasualclassic.com

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  3. These pictures are great. I really need to plan another trip to Italy soon. I haven't visited this area yet.

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  4. Wow, what a trip! My one regret in Italy was not visiting Cinque Terre. So gorgeous!

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  5. This looks SO amazing! My new husband and I plan to spend some time next year in Italy and we are totally going to reference this for ideas. What will the weather be like mid-late spring? Hopefully as perfect as your trip.


    Thanks for sharing!
    Afton
    www.thewellset.com

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  6. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 10, 2013 at 10:13 PM

    it was completely out of this world. i feel so lucky that i was able to experience it!

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  7. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 10, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    thanks so much dana :)

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  8. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 10, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    thank you kayleigh! it really is lovely :)

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  9. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 10, 2013 at 10:15 PM

    that is how i feel about lake como. i have been to italy twice and both times just couldn't quite sqeeze it in. there is never enough time to see it all in one trip, so i guess that just means more reason to go back :)

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  10. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 10, 2013 at 10:17 PM

    hi afton! i think that will be a wonderful time to go, warm weather {but not too hot} and before the summer crowds. i have been quite a few places in italy {cinque terre, tuscany, florence, venice, amalfi coast, rome} so if you need any recommendations please don't hesitate to email me :) mollyms619@gmail.com

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  11. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 10, 2013 at 10:17 PM

    thank you so much!

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  12. Hi Molly
    Great photos. May I ask which village is the first picture come from? I would like to take that same staircase picture and would like if you can tell me where I should be to take that? Also, can we hike down that stairs? Thanks!

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  13. thank you so much nessa! i took the first photo by the train tracks in manarola. we never found a way to access the steps {though we didn't really look too hard} but i think it probably was somewhere near the top of the town, which was perched high above the train station...my only concern would be that perhaps they are private, but definitely give it a shot :) hope you have a wonderful time!

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  14. I am planning a trip to Cinque Terre, and found your blog. Great pics. I can't wait to have the same. :) How did you travel in and out of these cities? Which airport would you fly into? Once in the cities, did you travel by foot (hiking between cities). Thanks!

    Kim
    www.chapmankim.blogspot.com

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  15. Hi Kim! Sorry for the slow response, I just now saw your message for some reason. We flew into Genoa and took a train to the Cinque Terre...it was really simple and a beautiful ride! Once in the Cinque Terre we traveled both by foot and by train. Unfortunately when we were there quite a few trails were closed which forced us to use the train more than we liked, but we made do! Also there are ferries that run from town to town which take a bit longer but are more picturesque. However, since we were there in mid-September the seas were pretty wavy which caused them to cancel the ferry service. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!!

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