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We drove there from Venice in a few hours after we got off the cruise ship. We stayed for 3 nights (Sat, Sun, Mon) and had two full days. We arrived Saturday afternoon, stopped at the local grocery on the way into town. We were told that the best market was on the drive into Monterosso from Levanto, north of town. So we stocked up for the three days. The shopping carts are locked outside the store. You put one Euro in the slot to unlock it. You get your Euro back when you relock it.
We set out to find our VRBO rental. There are no addresses, so the
directions we were given had to be precise. We had no problems. Our for
next three nights is called 'The Old Lady' because it is the oldest home
on the new side of Monterosso.
Bruce and I set out to cook a nice pasta meal while the ladies reaquainted
with their Facebook friends. There was no free internet on the ship.
They allow no driving between the villages, but a very efficient train runs through tunnels along the coast. There is also a water taxi that runs between the villages.
Because the hiking trail was closed to the furthest village south (Riomaggiore), on Sunday morning we decided to immediately take the boat to that village, explore, then take the train back to Monterosso Al Mare. We then walked to Vernazza, the next closest village to the south.
On Monday, we took the train to Vernazza and walked the gruelling 'upper' trail to Corniglia, then to Manarolo. However, the pictures that we took of the villages are presented in order from north to south as shown in the following map. The total hiking distance (between Monterosso and Riomaggiore) is about 8 miles.
Check out the pictures. Click the speaker to play music.
Learn more about the Cinque Terre
