October 1 – Cinque Terre

This is our one day to finally experience the acclaimed Cinque Terre.  Our first stop was Monterosso, the northern most town of the five and the “beach town”.  The terrain is relatively flat and a beach spans close to the entire length of the town.  This would be a great place to spend a day relaxing.  But since we were there to see the towns we meandered for an hour or so and were a bit unimpressed so we caught the train to the next stop…

Monterosso beach - we weren't expecting this from the Cinque Terre!

…which was Riomaggiore.  Riomaggiore was nice, but also not impressive.  It had the same feel as Monterosso, but with no beach and no great view from below of the Mediterranean.  

The space-like tunnel leading into town

Piazza in Riomaggiore

The miniscule harbor

After a confusing and roundabout train ride(s) we arrived in Vernazza.  This was definitely worth the stop and the extra effort it took to get here.  This town is a photographers dream.  From the train the road funnels you down to the protected waterfront in the middle of beautiful buildings, terraced cliffs and rock strata.

It’s like Vernazza was built for photographers.  Perhaps by Walt Disney.

 This is the Church E-ride.

After thinking carefully about it, we decided not to try to catch this train, but rather one with passenger seating and one that actually stopped.