With the realization that our five month long semester will be over before we know it, my fellow Cornellians and I have been traveling throughout Italy to get the most out of our time in this ancient land. Italy is one of the most beautiful countries ranging from the Tuscan country side, jagged mountains in the North, and gorgeous seaside towns and cities.
On my most recent trip, I decided to revisit Cinque Terre with four friends. Five hours Northwest on the regional train line are five small villages that rest delicately on coastline of the mediterranean sea: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. Not only are the towns beautiful in and of themselves, but a five hour hike from Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare gives the visitor a beautiful experience of the rugged countryside, as well as a well deserved arrival at each of the towns.
We started our hike in Riomaggiore at Via dell’Amore, or the path of love. At the gated entry, small, keyed locks hang from a decorative metal heart, symbolizing the unbreakable love between couples who have passed this way before. Along the path, love notes, names, and drawings line a stone portico, distant views of the other four small towns are visible from certain vantage points, and the clear, glimmering ocean sparkles to the horizon.
As the hike continues, it becomes more difficult after Corniglia leaving the paved walkways and scaling steep slopes winding in and out of vineyards and forests. Other hikers from all over the world speak different languages, but have the common goal to explore the five lands.
While every village is beautiful and quaint, they are also have their own personalities and feelings. Small enough to explore before moving on the next, you have to see all of them to find your favorite. My favorite is Vernazza. Although it is more touristy than the last time I visited, it is the most beautiful of the five with a large piazza filled with restaurants shops and a church that looks out to the water. While we sat in the piazza finishing lunch, cheers and whistles rose from the crowd to celebrate the union between a bride and groom who emerged from the church doors into the bright piazza.
It seems easy to fall in love in Cinque Terre, mostly likely because is it so easy to fall in love with Cinque Terre. But what makes Cinque Terre unique, the setting, size, and virginity to tourism, is also changing it. Cinque Terre has now been discovered and turned into a sought after destination for tourists wishing to have their own magical experience in this once untouched land. While my second visit was just as wonderful as my first four years ago, I hope that Cinque Terre will be able to hold onto that which makes it so special to each and everyone of us so that we may be able to experience it in its true form, five, small, beautiful towns that no one else knows about but us.
