A few years ago we took a road trip to one of our favorite Italian destinations, Cinque Terre (sometimes spelled as one word). It is an absolutely gorgeous strip of steep rugged cliffs in northwest Italy (just below Genoa) with five seaside villages that cling to those cliffs. Most all tourists arrive in one or all of the villages by train, while some get off at one village and hike between the other villages. A little word of warning that the Cinque Terre National Park authority has introduced a hefty fine for tourists caught hiking in flip-flops or sandals (between €50 and €2,500 ($2,806).
Driving the Cinque Terre by car is not for the faint of heart. However, you we be afforded some of the most spectacular views imaginable (such as the photo above which I captured of Riomaggiore). To get to each village, you must drop down off the clifftop main road, and navigate a harrowing series of narrow and steep switchbacks while trying not to let your eyes wander to the spectacular scenery below. As we descended this time to the village of Vernazza we arrived at the pay lot above the town. As I recall, each village has the same setup. Only residents and deliveries can get past this point. Though there is a shuttle that will take you to the village, we chose to walk down the steep road and stretch our legs.
We were there in the morning and the town was already bustling. Fishermen with their fresh catches were encouraging passersby to purchase a few. I was told, but not convinced, by one fisherman that if you buy his fish, the local food establishments will cook them for your lunch. We did eat at a local establishment in Vernazza and my wife had a delicious local seafood dish and I had fresh pasta with white sauce and clams. We shared a bottle of medium dry white wine from the local vineyards and it was extremely delicious. After lunch we wanted to get back on the road to our next destination, but when we got to the shuttlebus, a sign said they are on lunch break from 12 to 1400, when they will resume again. We decided to lumber up the hill for about a 30 climb to get back to the lot and drive on to our next stop of Portovenere.
