Cinqueterre
Cinqueterre was a very fun trip. I didn’t see all five of the towns but my experiences in the two that I saw was enough. We got there late on a Friday night by train, and then went to our Air BNB which was in Levanto. WE had a nice apartment with 5 beds, very traditional italian with nice artwork painted on the ceilings. I liked it a lot, and there was also a nice rooftop we were able to hangout on for a while.
Once we got there at about 12 we tried to find food and the only place that was really open was a small bar, but the food was decent nonetheless. They had cheap wine which also always helps. My friend Ben had a glass in his hand and it wildly shattered at the stem. After that place we went back to our BNB, used our rooftop and went to bed.
We had a bit of a late start the next day recovering from the night before, but we headed to Monterosso to start. We started by walking through the town towards the water and got some nice pictures there. We thought that may have been all it had to offer but walked the opposite direction through a tunnel and were led to the rest of it which was much larger. It was beautiful seeing all the different colored buildings packed so closely together, hovering over the clear blue water, watching the waves crash into the beach and cliffs.
We kept walking through and up a hill where we saw a nice looking hotel looking over the water that we wanted to get lunch at. On the way up we saw a hiking trail that said it led to Vernazza and decided we would try that after we ate.
Little did we know that hiking trail was a near death trap… Okay well not really but for one of the girls tobe wearing sandals and the rest of us wearing Air Force ones, we could have been a bit better prepared to say the least. Not to mention the constant drizzle of rain, that didn’t make hiking up and down the mountains any easier. I also forgot contacts so having to break every few minutes and wipe off my glasses from getting too foggy got pretty annoying.
With all of these shitty things happening I still must say it was a really great adventure. Definitely one of the craziest hikes i’ve ever taken, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I think it was nearly 10 miles and took a couple hours but the views we got overlooking the towns were magnificent, so beautiful. Being able to stop and take it all in was some of the best parts too. And finally reaching Vernazza, the destination, was very satisfying as we came down the mountain to a great lookout onto the bay. And, although we were the only ones, and it was cold and raining, rewarding ourselves with a swim in the bay was well worth it, even though none of the restaurants would let our soaking asses in to eat. Also, little tip, pack a towel if you plan on swimming. Also, the little gift shops in Vernazza don’t have beach towels! Learned that the hard way.
After having a tough time finding somewhere to eat we decided to head back to the Airbnb, but on the train ride home, we for some reason thought we wouldn’t have to pay for train tickets, that was not the case. The conductor came to us right after we got on. My friend sitting across the aisle from me had bought a ticket, but I hadn’t. I’m not sure what happened but he didn’t hesitate to check me, he went right to the rest of the group and fined them, 55 euros then and now or he was going to call the cops. Don’t ask me how I didn’t get caught, it was pure luck. One other kid actually bought a ticket but was given one for the next day and also got fined. It was pure luck simple as that. “It is time for you to pay for your actions” that’s what the conductor said. “I catch many people just like you every day”. Buddy thought he was really hot shit. I would’ve had to give him conductor of the month, fucking loser.
Anyways, after that we made it back to the BNB and found a small place down the street for dinner. I had a calzone that was alright. Next time I get one I’m gonna have to ask them to leave the ham out. I miss a good meatball calzone from Franco Gianni’s. But all in all, Cinqueterre was probably the most beautiful place I have traveled to so far. Well worth it.
Barstool St. John's 