Second day in Cinque Terre- we walk from Corniglia to Manarola

It's overcast with a nip in the air and we catch the train to walk from Corniglia  to Manarola.  None of the Cinque Terre walks are a doddle.  You need good knees, sticks and no fear of heights.  We only have one of the three.

We arrive at the train station in Corniglia and climb 365 stairs up from the train station to get to the village...

There are over 300 miles of walls all built without mortar on the Cinque Terre

In the square at Corniglia, such a pretty little village.

We begin the walk up from the village.  The wild flowers are a sight to behold..

Leaving Corniglia behind...Corniglia is 100 Metres above the sea, the only one of the five hamlets without a natural harbour.

An easy part of the path...

More wild flowers.  Fairies could dance here... The orange netting is to catch the olives which are then transported down the hills on a small rail system.

Up we go...you can see some cars parked on the road.  No cars are allowed into the villages.  Only small delivery vans.

And the path splits...

Napoleon planted hundreds of pine trees to prevent soil erosion, but because of all the rain in the last few years the trees are diseased and dying ...

The paths have the red and white stripes to guide, but this has a touch of artistry too...

Spectacular views...

We walk through vine fields, which turn the hills green in Summer.

Down we go...the sea sparkles.  One could almost be tempted to take a running dive from up here...

Most of the river that runs into the towns is covered now, but here is how it is still in some parts.  Little bridges join one side to the other.

The hamlet of Manarola.  Fishing boats line the Main Street..

It's always washing day in Italy.

In this little village, a church filled with rich paintings, murals, frescoes and ornaments.  Even though the fishing villages were poor, the Catholic Churches fell under the rich rule of Genoa.

First day in Cinque Terre 5 fishing hamlets on the Ligurian coast

We arrive in Monterrosso and pull our suitcases from the train station to the village.  The village is as I expected- quaint and we are enchanted.  Colour spills out from the flowers, the lemon trees, from the buildings in greens and golds, and from the blues of sea and sky.

Everywhere you look are lemon trees,  the lemon juice is not bitter. The locals make limoncello, a lemon liquer that I can drink like lemonade, and nearly fall over the first night after doing this...

We arrive at our guest house, la  Casa di Andrea, where Carola and Oscar welcome us warmly.  Our room is modern and tastefully furnished with a lovely shower, crisp linen, and super clean.

Then we head to the village to buy some local vino..

This is the view from our room.  There is a sunny grass strip outside the rooms which we love to just sit and enjoy the view from.

The photo above is from the iPhone and below is from my canon camera... I was told by a photographer that the technology of the camera in the iPhone was hard to beat...

Our breakfasts from the terrace above us- delicious fresh fruit and organic yoghurt, cereals, focaccia with local cheese and salami and ham for Rob, plus whole wheat croissants....

Our first walk to the hamlet of Vernazza from Monterosso.  

The views have to be experienced to be believed.  It's not only the sight of the sea and the villages, but it's the smells, the crisp air which has only a whiff of salt, the sounds of Italians and their language which rolls around in the air, everywhere, their zest and at the same time relaxed temperaments, the tastes of the food and especially gelato....

We climb higher, getting to the vineyards and olive groves, the vines are still gnarled, the leaves are just beginning to appear on the vines....

The path is narrow all the way, when it's especially dangerous there is some barricading, otherwise I wouldn't like to be walking in a high wind!  The drop down is sheer...

The wild flowers are everywhere, yellows, whites, particularly..

We cross many little streams along the way.. Some with bridges.

Higher still.  Even though the season is not officially open, we meet quite a few hikers.

We come across a hang out for stray and wild cats, and leave a donation for them to be fed...

Beautiful waterfalls along the way...

Our first glimpse of Vernazza, and of course what goes up must come down.... It's harder on the knees to go down..

Rob contemplating the walk down...

Going down...getting closer to Vernazza....

And we arrive...

The stairways and alleys are a photographers dream..

Enchanting fishing hamlet of Vernazza..

We walk to the sea through a tunnel..