Tag Archives: Vernazza

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From Vernazza to Sestriere

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(Sestriere, Italy)

My last dinner in Vernazza was an adventure.  I went to a local restaurant called Antica Osteria il Baretto that specialized in traditional cuisine.  However, the traditional specialties here are seafood (particularly acciughe, or anchovies) and pesto.  Those of you who know me will appreciate that a garlic-laden sauce such as pesto is not something I typically enjoy.   While I will eat shrimp, fish and chips, and perhaps lobster or crab, I really don’t eat much seafood at all.

View of Vernazza, near the start of the trail to Corniglia
View of Vernazza, near the start of the trail to Corniglia

However, I was determined to eat local and decided to order a fritto mista (mixed fry) of local seafood.  This consisted of deep fried squid,  anchovies, and some kind of miniature octopus.  The sum total of my previous experience with those foods was having a couple of pieces of calamari on one occasion.  Before I could reconsider my choice, the plate was on my table.  Armed only with a large wedge of lemon, I dived in.

My bold adventure in Cinque Terre cuisine: fritto mista
My bold adventure in Cinque Terre cuisine: fritto mista

I felt like “Mikey” from those old TV commercials for Life Cereal.  As it turned out, the anchovies were not the harsh and salty ones to which North Americans have become accustomed.  They were actually quite mild and went well with the lemon.  I completely cleaned the plate, save for a couple of anchovy tails and a lemon rind.

Being somewhat proud of my achievement, I decided to try the Sciacchetrà dessert wine that had tasted so good in my gelato a couple of days before.  It was served with some biscotti (for dipping!) and was an absolutely delicious way to end my adventurous meal.  If you enjoy white port, you will almost certainly enjoy Sciacchetrà.

Grape harvesting "monorail" on the terraces high above Vernazza
Grape harvesting “monorail” on the terraces high above Vernazza

Evenings are quiet in the Cinque Terre, in the off-season at least, as relatively few tourists actually stay in the towns.  In order to capture the tranquility of this time of year, I took some photographs from the harbour as the sun went down:  there is one at the top of this post.

The next morning, I went to the local bakery and loaded up on pastries and focaccia.  It was going to be a long journey from Vernazza to Sestriere:  I would change trains in both La Spezia and Torino before transferring to a bus in Oulx.

Another view of the Cinque Terre coast, from the hiking trail between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza
Another view of the Cinque Terre coast, from the hiking trail between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza

I was expecting some drama on this odyssey, as my train into the Cinque Terre had been more than 2 hours late.  However, the train journeys ended up being uneventful and on time.  There was some mild excitement in Oulx as the bus ticket had to be bought from a coffee shop and there was no information on which bus was actually going to Sestriere…but it all worked out in the end and I enjoyed being the only passenger.

This is the first picture I took in Sestriere: it is from the balcony of my hotel room
This is the first picture I took in Sestriere: it is from the balcony of my hotel room

In Sestriere, I am staying in the Palace Residence 2:  I liken it to going on a week-long cruise on a very large ship.  There is entertainment every night, a bunch of social activity organizers, reserved tables for meals…the only thing differentiating it from a cruise is the fact that I will be skiing during the day instead of taking shore excursions.

This is also the point where I met up with my ski posse for the next week.  We’re all very happy to be skiing again in Italy and are all looking forward to some extensive slope time over the next six days.  Let’s hope the weather cooperates!

Posts from the road

Hike from Vernazza to Corniglia

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(Vernazza, Italy)

On the same day that I punished myself by walking from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare…and back again…I decided to make the trek from Vernazza to Corniglia. In retrospect, the logic is not clear. However, the best I can do is say that if Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare was the most difficult section, I probably thought the next most difficult section would seem like a piece of cake.

Wrong. The sun was still very warm overhead and the first segment out of Vernazza ended up being nasty. It might have been slightly more gradual, but I’m sure that it went higher up. To summarize: it was a hot, endless climb that made me think a reward of gelato was not going to cut it this time.

Cactus extravaganza between Vernazza and Corniglia
Cactus extravaganza between Vernazza and Corniglia

To be fair, I didn’t make it easy on myself.  As with the day’s previous hikes, I ended up doing the trail faster than the “standard time”.  However, I also thought that if I stopped for too long, my legs would stiffen up and I wouldn’t be able to get moving again.  I decided to press on…forgetting that this would merely delay the stiffening to another time.

Clementine tree (left) and my first lemon tree (right), just outside Corniglia
Clementine tree (left) and my first lemon tree (right), just outside Corniglia

The terrain was definitely different from the Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare section.  I was treated to an impressive display of cactus, followed by a variety of citrus trees.  I’ve never seen lemon trees before:  I certainly made up for it on this segment!  I commemorated the occasion by taking a photograph of a lemon tree and a clementine tree standing beside each other.

Approaching the village of Corniglia, just beyond the lemon trees
Approaching the village of Corniglia, just beyond the lemon trees

Although it was little more than an hour after departure that I reached Corniglia, it seemed like much more.  I wasn’t expecting much:  my guidebook drew an analogy betweeb Cinque Terre and the Beatles…and suggested that “Corniglia is Ringo”.  However, I thought it was a charming little place with crazily winding and narrow streets and an abundance of gelato.

It was hard to decide on a reward but I ultimately remembered my fascination with the lemon trees.  When I saw one of the gelaterias also offering a “granita of local lemons”, I was sold.  The granita was like a slushee but with a proper fresh lemon flavour.  It was delicious and I was seriously tempted to buy another one.

My local lemon granita and the place it came from (Corniglia, Italy)
My local lemon granita and the place it came from (Corniglia, Italy)

I also needed to get back to Vernazza for dinner…but there was no way I was going to walk back.  That’s just crazy talk!  While Corniglia has a train station, it is located below the village.  How much below?  Well, Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre town that is not located right on the water.  So there are *365* stair steps leading down to the train station…plus an inclined street or two.  At least I had the sense to take the train from Corniglia rather than to Corniglia…I would have had to climb those 365 steps before even starting my hike.  I passed some very sad looking people on the way down.

How cozy is Corniglia? This, looking straight ahead, is the main street!
How cozy is Corniglia? This, looking straight ahead, is the main street!

As a base for the Cinque Terre, Corniglia loses points for its poor transit connections (although you can take an inexpensive  shuttle bus from the main square to the train station).   But it is still appealing, especially if you really want to get away from it all.

Looking away from downtown Corniglia to the suburbs
Looking away from downtown Corniglia to the suburbs

After all of that walking, a dinner treat was in order.  I went to Trattoria da Sandro and had a vegetable-filled ravioli in a walnut sauce.  I had never had walnut sauce before, let alone on pasta, but it was very good.  Given the calories burned during the day, having apple cake for dessert just seemed like the right thing to do.

Coming soon:  the ultimate vertigo experience!

Posts from the road

Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare

(Vernazza, Italy)

“Go Big or Go Home” is a phrase that has come into vogue recently. Perhaps the Zeitgeist was affecting my decision-making, as I decided to tackle the most challenging of the Cinque Terre trails first. I set off from Vernazza for the neghbouring village of Monterosso al Mare, knowing only that it should take about 90 minutes and that it was very difficult. If it was only 90 minutes, how difficult could it be?  I often walk for hours when I am traveling.

First glimpse of Monterosso al Mare from the coastal trail
First glimpse of Monterosso al Mare from the coastal trail

Answer:  Those 90 minutes could be very difficult indeed.  While both villages are on the water, there are very large cliffs in between…thus necessitating the “Haute Route”.   This means ascending very very steep slopes in a very very short distance.  The trail is narrow and rocky with all kinds of dangers.  It’s fun but you really have to be on your guard.

I crossed this ancient stone bridge shortly before arriving in Monterosso al Mare
I crossed this ancient stone bridge shortly before arriving in Monterosso al Mare

As I hiked in 2014 from the entrance of Machu Picchu to the Sun Gate in the very same shoes, I can attest that this was much more challenging (even without the Andean altitude playing a role).   The sun also plays a factor:  while there was absolutely no danger of rain to make things more slippery, the heat made the endless steep stairs (most of the hilly portions are on uneven stone “stairs”) even more difficult.  It reached a high of maybe 16’C today; I cannot imagine how anybody could tackle this hike in the summer when temperatures are regularly in excess of 30’C and the trail would be much more crowded.

This is one of the easiest parts of the trail!
This is one of the easiest parts of the trail!

And yet…seeing the next Cinque Terre town for the first time is kind of like seeing Machu Picchu for the first time.  You’ve worked very hard to get to that point and you are finally rewarded.  By the time you can see the next town, you are also (probably) going mostly downhill and the heat doesn’t play as much of a role.   Another older catchphrase comes to mind:  No pain, no gain!

The inland part of Monterosso al Mare
The inland part of Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso al Mare is larger than Vernazza and there is actually some vehicle traffic.  While not quite as “quaint”, it was nice to spend some time here to recover from my hike.  I took the opportunity to grab a quick lunch at a “Focacceria”…like a take-out pizza place, but for focaccia.  I tried one with olives and cherry tomato slices at Il Massimo della Focaccia.   I also stopped by the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of St. John the Baptist), which employs the same black-and-white-striped trim that you’ll see in Florence.

One of the beaches at Monterosso al Mare
One of the beaches at Monterosso al Mare

I then made a questionable decision – rather than take the train (as most people would do), I elected to hike back to Vernazza.  I thought that it might be easier on the way back.  Well, it might be…if the sun had not been directly overhead.  I also knew that there were gelaterias in Vernazza; I could reward myself when I returned.

Inside the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Inside the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

Well, it was probably even worse on the way back because the initial steps were, impossibly, even steeper than those out of Vernazza.  The views were still great and it was thrlling to see Vernazza emerge after about an hour.  However, I was vulnerable when I finally reached the village.  I opted for three different flavours of gelato: pine nut, lemon and “Crema Cinque Terre”.  This last flavour had “Sciacchetrà” (a local dessert wine), whole hazelnuts and chocolate.  The other flavours were good but this one was spectacular.

You’d think that this would have been enough hiking.  But no!  Stay tuned for more!

Posts from the road

Arrival in the Cinque Terre of Italy!

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(Vernazza, Italy)

It wasn’t easy…but I am finally in Italy’s renowned Cinque Terre region!

Allow me to explain.  I first had to take a train  from Kingston to Dorval, Quebec.  From there, a shuttle bus to Montreal’s international airport.  I then flew from Montreal to Paris:  this was the easy part, as the favourable winds made it only a 6 hour flight.  However, as it was an overnight flight, this also left very little time for sleeping.  After going through customs and security (again) in Paris, I waited for my next flight from Paris to Genoa, Italy.  This was a smaller plane so I had to walk out onto the tarmac to board the plane…with nasty winds and rain swirling around.

Vernazza, as viewed from the beginning of the trail to Corniglia (you can see Monterosso al Mare in the background)
Vernazza, as viewed from the beginning of the trail to Corniglia (you can see Monterosso al Mare in the background)

The flight to Genoa was fine (early again!) and then I caught a shuttle bus from the airport to the train station.  There, I caught a train for Levanto.  It was about 20 minutes late, but I had a buffer before catching my final “local” train to Vernazza (located only 8 minutes away from Levanto by train).  I boarded the train and waited.  And waited.   The train never left and we were eventually told to go to a different platform.  But there was no staff to say which one and…well, it was a fiasco.  To make a very long story short, I arrived in Vernazza 2 1/2 hours after my scheduled time.  Quite a delay for an 8 minute train ride!  Having not really slept on the overnight flight, I was rather ill-tempered by this point and decided it would not be a good time to write my blog.  I’m writing this blog the next day, after a long and satisfying day of hiking (details coming soon).

Vernazza's "business district" in the evening
Vernazza’s “business district” in the evening

And what about this Cinque Terre place?  Picture an ancient Italian village full of colourful houses stacked almost one on top of another, located on the Mediterranean coast, surrounded by cliffs, off-limits to cars, free of retail/hotel/restaurant chains, free of hotels generally, served only by rail (and boats during the summer), blessed with amazing hiking, and proud of its food specialties.  That’s Vernazza…and, that also describes (more or less) every one of the 5 Cinque Terre villages.  The others are Monterosso al Mare, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore…and they are all linked by coastal hiking trails!

I am willing to bet that this is the only "Stalin Gelateria" in the world (Vernazza, Italy)
This is probably the only “Stalin Gelateria” in the world (Vernazza, Italy)

I’m fortunate to be visiting Cinque Terre during the off-season.  Everybody who is here now really *wants* to be here…which means that they are here to hike the trails.  There are beaches but it is too cold for them right now.   Well, maybe not for Canadians!

Vernazza's harbour in the evening
Vernazza’s harbour in the evening

My next couple of posts will cover my hiking adventures.   Today’s post just has some pictures from Vernazza: this is a village of about 500 people (more live here in the summer) and it will be my home for three nights.  As there are no hotels, accommodation here is essentially just in camere (“rooms”) rented out by local residents.  It’s similar to a B&B, without the breakfast.  I’m very happy with my room and location.

My "home" on the right: Camere Fontanavecchhia
My “home” on the right: Camere Fontanavecchhia

My first meal in Vernazza was pizza.  I enjoyed it but it’s not a specialty of this particular province (Liguria).  Tonight’s meal will hopefully be  a little more regional.

Stay tuned for the next few weeks – I am going to be sharing a lot from my first European trip since late 2014!