Background

We arranged this walk through Hidden Italy for October 2008.  While this was late season and the weather could be an issue, it coincided with other activities we had in Europe at the time.

Hidden Italy (http://www.hiddenitaly.com.au/) provided an all inclusive price of accommodation, daily baggage transfers and breakfast and evening meals during the trip.  This was a self-guided walking trip where Hidden Italy provided all the notes, detailed walking instructions/maps and arrangements.  You just have to get to the appointed hotel each night to be taken care of.

Follow up:

Genoa

Click images to view them.

Arrived in Genoa by air.  Airport is basic with ATM, taxis and buses.  Given the time of arrival (late) we could not really determine how well the bus system would work. Taxi fare was about €40+; there is a guide at the airport based on cost/person for 3 or more.

Genoa is an interesting and easy city to stroll around, including the port area.

Hotel Moderno Verdi
Excellent value for money – we paid €105 per night – especially in light of proximity to  Brignole train station across the road.  Quite a good restaurant in the hotel.  The hotel is about 10-15 minute walk to the main centre of town which is not a taxing walk.  Plenty of facilities surround the hotel. (http://www.modernoverdi.it/index.htm).

Genoa to Levanto 
We caught the train to Levanto from the Brignole Station in Genoa (it is not the main station, but very large).  The station was across the road from the Moderno Verdi Hotel.  We pre-purchased our tickets through Capital Travel, Manuka for €19 each.  Tickets on all Italian trains need to be date stamped, using machines at the stations.  Coach numbers do not necessarily number from the engine.  The coach number is pasted on the window of the door.  It can prove extremely inconvenient to get on the wrong coach and then have to move through the train with heavy luggage.

The train (Intercity IC) is clean, fast, non-smoking with allocated seating.  Unfortunately, Levanto station does not have a lift, hence you need to cart your bags down and up the stairs between platforms to exit the station.  We walked to the hotel, dragging the bag, which was not taxing.

Levanto
The Hotel Nationale (http://www.nazionale.it/htm/eng/index.php) is a 3 star hotel.  The clock tower bell chimes 24 hourly making it very hard to sleep.  No air conditioning, and no glasses or tissues in the room.  The shower recess was extremely small.  There was a lot of corridor noise. Breakfast was very good. 

The arranged evening meal at Ristorante 3 Cantine in Levanto was fantastic!  The staff/owners were very friendly and helpful.

It is very enjoyable to walk around Levanto in the early evening – great atmosphere and a strong sense of community with the locals gathering in the park opposite the ocean in the evening.  If you need supplies, this town is the best place to stock-up before the walk as it has a good selection of shops and facilities.

Walk to Monterosso
Very hard – steep climbs, steep descents – very rocky and shaley in places.  Hidden Italy’s map instructions were very good – steep means steep!  The instructions said about 2hr 30min which turned out to be about 3hr 30min.  The timings on other days were about right.  While this was assessed as a grade 4 walk, it is meant for the more serious bush walkers and not the casual strollers through the Canberra suburbia fringes.   The walk down to Monterosso was very steep with the track not only rocky but with very uneven ground; some parts of the walking trial in the descent into the town had been closed (abandon!) meaning you had to walk on the road in places.
The views were quite good from the high point before dropping down to Monterosso.
Dinner – The restaurant for dinner was changed while we were on route to Italy – maybe the lateness of the year was an issue.  However, we had to pay at the restaurant (Cena presso il Ristorante Miky alle) as they claimed no knowledge of an arrangement with Simon Tancred.  This cost was subsequently reimbursed by Simon.  However, something positive was that the restaurant outdoor eating area hung over the Mediterranean with an old fort structure above and a Nazi WW11 bunker below, both lit up in the evening.  Service was somewhat slow and staff brusk.  Everywhere we went, including in the small ports in each town, the Mediterranean was crystal clear with absolutely no pollution. 

Hotel Palme (http://www.hotelpalme.it/) – room rate was posted at €150 a night although of course we did not pay this amount as the tarrif was an included in the Hidden Italy costs.  Very nice room with a good quiet location. 

Like Levanto, the town ocean front was a focus of the local community after hours.

It would appear that many trippers along the Cinque Terra stayed in Monterosso and caught the trains each day to the various walks and sightseeing they might wish to do.  As an observation, this could be an alternate option to actually walking to and staying in each of the towns.  It gives a ‘base’ out of which you can move and return each night.  The train service is good and runs well into the late evening enabling you to dine in one of the other towns before returning to your base hotel.

It was obvious during our time on the Cinque Terra that the ‘tourists’ disappeared about 4-4:30pm leaving the towns to return to some semblance of town life.  Boats that plied up and down the Cinque Terra were the major tourist people movers - another way of varying your movement, although somewhat more expensive.  They seemed to operate a ‘hop on hop off’ style service.

Monterosso to Vernazza
Walk starts with a lot of stepping up.  Parts of the path are extremely narrow with picturesque photo opportunities looking back to Monterosso.  Good resting spot, with picnic table short of half way.  The descent was not as strenuous as into Monterosso. And the walk overall was OK.

Accommodation was good at the Hotel La Mala (http://www.lamala.it/) with an excellent sea view from the terrace.  The restaurant (Cena presso il Ristorante Belforte alle) had an excellent sea bass dish.  As this was not the designated restaurant, we needed to closely manage the booking and payment at the restaurant.  Staff at the restaurant were friendly and helpful with menu suggestions.  Breakfast at the local bar was simple continental, with local cliental.

Nice small town square area fronting the water which again served as a focal point for the town once the tourists departed.

There is a good laundromat in Vernazza (€11 for a full load wash and dry) and like all the towns, there was an ATM.

Vernazza to Riomaggiore

Because of the wet weather, we did not do the full walk to Corniglia; the walking notes advised on slippery conditions in wet weather on the segment of the walk to Corniglia.  We were also deterred from going there because of having to climb and then descend 33 flights of steps, which, given our past experience, was ‘fore warned is fore armed’ advice.   We took the train to Manarola; the next walking segment.  The local trains are timely, cheap, but are smelly and dirty.  There is a lovely seaside promenade walk (Lover’s Lane) hanging off the cliff from Manarola to Riomaggiore.  We stopped on the way for a coffee literally hanging off the cliff over the Mediterranean.

Riomaggiore is split into two parts; an old and new quarter.  The new quarter is at the end of the walk and is somewhat bereft of any facilities apart from the railway station.  Next to the station is the tourism office/shop which has very good and cheap internet facility on the top landing of the building.

The old quarter is reached by tunnel from the railway station.  The town does not directly front the ocean, the tunnel somewhat separating the two.  Like the other towns, it has the basic facilities and dining.  The meal arranged in the town by the hotel was good.

The accommodation (Hotel Agentina) for the night can be reached by either catching the ‘green’ bus to the hotel (http://www.villargentina.com/ )  - the green bus which services the area and stops in front of the Hotel is included in the price of the park ticket, which we purchased on the path out of Monterosso for €8 for 2 days; there is also a card that includes train travel .  The alternate is to walk up the rather steep slope to the hotel which after a tiring walk could be quite a struggle!  The room was very small and the bathroom very, very small.  Dinner was organised in the main town area which, after a rest, is walkable in and out.  Breakfast was a disappointment.

Riomaggiore to Portovenere

This is listed as a challenging 14km walk with a very step exit from the town, rising some 500m in a short distance.  The walking notes also spoke of options, especially for those suffering vertigo.  We did not walk this segment as the weather had closed in with rain and dark clouds covering the mountain top.  Again the walking notes had a number of warnings about walking in this type of weather.

Instead we caught the train to La Spezia and then bused it via the local bus (route P) to Portovenere.  As with the rest of the Hidden Italy walk, our bags were moved from town to town, so we were not concerned with baggage, especially on the local buses.  The train was OK and the station staff helpful about the buses.

Hotel Paradiso (http://www.paradisohotel.net ) was a gem.  Rooms literally fell into the ocean, views were spectacular from the room; a good size room, with a good restaurant.  The town had a lot to offer while strolling around.  Again it suffered from the influx of tourists from the Cinque Terra boats.  Also, a number of major passenger ships were anchored in La Spezia or near the hotel, giving rise to the busloads of tourists descending on the town.  There are a great number of quality tourist shops in Portovenere.

The walk included a day walking around the island of Palmaria.  Given that it was opposite the hotel, we had a good appreciation of what it had to offer – not a lot – and did not walk around the island.  Instead we spent extra time exploring both Portovernere and La Spezia.

Travelling in the Cinque Terre

The rail system links the five villages – Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore – generally four minutes apart – and is a good way of exploring the Cinque Terre or revisiting favourite towns, even for dinner.  There is a bus system included in the park ticket, which can give you access to other walks.

La Spezia to Pisa
The trip ended at Portovernere with a car transfer to the La Spezia station included in the cost.  We had pre-booked rail travel before leaving Australia to take us to Pisa as the exit point for our flight to England.

We stayed at the Hotel Stefano in Pisa which was centrally located to the main area and the Tower.  Good restaurants abound in the area.  The Hotel was booked through the internet and required a taxi to get there.  While central and a good price, the rooms did not live up to the internet photos description and breakfast was found to be very wanting.  However, the staff were friendly and helpful.

The airport was some 15min from the hotel.