Given all the stairs I’d been up and down on this trip, I thought I’d be prepared for what the Cinque Terre would throw at us. The five hilltop towns gave it away that stairs would be involved somewhere (since a helicopter drop was out of my price range).
But the manager of our apartment did not even attempt to hide his smile when he took me on the wild goose chase through the back lanes of Riomaggiore to find our accommodation. I followed valiantly behind him, up and down countless stairs, smiling meekly (and for mercy) at the old ladies standing in their door frames to ogle yet another breathless tourist.
Like all exercise, it’s how you feel afterwards that’s important. And opening the balcony doors to view the stunning ocean made all the sweating and straining with luggage worth it. The glass of wine helped too.
The Cinque Terre is a national park and a marine protected area. The five towns – Riomaggiore; Manarola; Corniglia; Vernazza; and Monterosso – are linked by hiking trails, a regional train line, and a ferry service. Buying a three-day ticket is the most cost effective way to see all five towns, just like we have.
I’ve never been to Tasmania, Mum and Dad tell me that hiking between the 5 towns in the Cinque Terre is very much like the walks you can do there. They tell me that the scenery, the terrain, and the level of difficulty is much like what you’d encounter at Wineglass Bay and Cradle Mountain (Dove Lake, particularly).
From the relative stability of our balcony, I look out at the locals and their chunky calves. They have been climbing these hilly towns all their lives, most probably. All I have to do is give this place a go, and try not to have a cardiac arrest halfway along the hike and need one of them to come and fetch me.
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