Despite feeling like absolute crap, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was there, as well as relaxing. C.T. was a stark contrast from Nice in that it was unspoiled, and you didn't see a lot of tourists walking around with video cameras or vendors hawking junk.
Cinque Terra (Literally 5 lands), consists of 5 old fishing villages built into the sides of the cliffs on the water. You can walk from village to village on the cliffs above the coast and see spectacular views. Cinque Terra looks like if you went back 50 years in time it would be unchanged. Just check out my pictures to see how beautiful it is, words (especially my words) don't do it much justice.
The thing I really love about Cinque Terra is when you go there you really feel like an explorer and that you are one of the few people who has discovered it. It has the feel of being really unspoiled and wonderful. I don't know if it will have that same feel and be overrun in 5 or 10 years, so I think if you can go, go soon.
I stayed at the 5 Terra Hostel in Manarola a smaller town of the 5, and it was a great hostel. It was set up on the top of the town by the old church and belltower. I thought the belltower was beautiful and charming at first until I discovered that the 7 am bell doesn't ring 7 times, but 20 to wake up fishermen or something I guess.
The view from the Hostel was incredible, and you could see much of Manarola as well as the ocean.
I met some very cool people at the Hostel including 3 girls from Calgary, one of whom I did a lot of hiking and exploring with.
The hostel had a chef who made really good meals and we would usually hang out on the deck all night after we had our meal of pasta and drink wine and talk.
The first day since I was sick I just lounged around down by the rocks by the beach and watched the surf hit the shore and people sun there.
When you are in Cinque Terra you can just look around in amazement constantly. Little grocery stores with fresh fruit, great pizza and foccaciareas, and tasty gelato places. Not a lot of places selling jewelry and other tourist junk, but a lot of stores that cater to the people that live there and basic needs. I felt like Thoreau at Walden. Only kidding. Everything is just quaint and special. The people aren't yet jaded by tourism and are genuinely friendly.
My favorite day there was my second day when I was starting to get better. I went on a hike with one of the girls I met from Calgary, Adrienne. Instead of doing the hikes from town to town we went up the hills far above the towns. The hike was as or more beautiful than any hike I've been on in Yosemite, or Columbia Gorge or Colorado, with olive groves and vineyards and little houses in the hills that farm the land and spectacular views. The difference in this hike was that there were no other people -NONE- that were on the hike that day. I mean, this was one of the most beautiful hikes in the world, and we were the only people on it that day. How cool is that? I have to say it was one of the best days of my life.
I did the hikes later from town to town which were incredibly nice too, but if you get a chance to go to Cinque Terra, do the hiking up in the hills. I think you do the number 6 hike to get to the number 1 trail that goes on the very top of the hills. You can find this on any of the C.T. hiking maps. I also think that going in September would be the best month. I think July and August might be crowded, especially on the narrow paths that connect the towns.
Cinque Terra is one of the real highlights of my trip, and I will definitely be back someday. I met a very nice guy at the hostel, Maximillan, who works for Indetex in Milan and goes to C.T. with his girlfriend on the weekends often to get away from the city. This made me very jealous and ready to move to Milan.