A Rambling Writer Rerun: Italy, part 18: Hiking Cinque Terre’s Sentiero Azzurro
Your retro Virtual Italy Vacation continues as Thor and I hike the rugged coastal trail between Cinque Terre villages clinging to the cliffs.
NOTE: For a virtual vacation and time-travel, join Thor and me in 2008. Italy! Starting with highlight photos posted here on Saturday, June 15, I’ll continue this rerun series every week, with occasional interruptions for other Geezer Adventures. Join us in Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, and Milan. Buon viaggio!
The Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path) along the rugged coast, linking the isolated five villages of the Cinque Terre, dates from the 12th to 13th centuries in the early Republic of Genoa. It was originally a mule track, the only link between the villages. Thor and I were lucky to hike sections of it on our 2008 trip, as a catastrophic storm and rains in 2011 severely damaged the route and two villages, and some sections of the trail remain closed today. Today we’ll relive our hike from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza.
After hopping the small coastal train from Riomaggiore to the northenmost village of Monterosso al Mare, we set out on the first leg of the Sentiero under overcast skies that quickly turned into a broiling hot day. Railings on the right in the above photo mark the start of the trail.
The trail immediately started climbing through agricultural terraces with grapes and olive and lemon trees. Many terraces were fallow.
I’m posting my complete blog entries on my own author website at www.sarastamey.com, where you can finish this episode and enjoy all the accompanying photos. Please continue reading by clicking on the link below, then you can return here (use “go back” arrow above) to comment, ask questions, or join a conversation. We love your responses!
https://sarastamey.com/the-rambling-writers-italy-part-18-hiking-cinque-terres-sentiero-azzurro/
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection — a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara is at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
4 thoughts on “A Rambling Writer Rerun: Italy, part 18: Hiking Cinque Terre’s Sentiero Azzurro”
I think I’d rather do that hike on mule back!
Yes, it was a workout! But so beautiful.
What a beautiful exotic place that was with the buildings sprouting out of the hillside. I’m sorry the fields are fallow and the old lifestyle is being abandoned.
Yes, it’s great to review those memories. Bittersweet to see the changes in the world — though it’s good to know that they still grow lemons and other fruits.