Cinque Terre: The Hike to Monterosso

Corniglia to Vernazza

I was honestly dreading the thought of hiking, but it turned out to be one of the best things that I have done so far. Well, I need to make a confession before I go any further. I only didn't want to hike because I refused to wear hiking boots. Completely irrational, but I am just not used to wearing one. In the end, I settled with my running shoes. I probably would have done it with my flipflops, but with difficulty and not only that, my poor flipflops would have been murdered even before we reached our final destination. So they  were right, I should always choose comfort over fashion. Sometimes.

We left Corniglia as early as 630am to avoid hiking in the middle of the day. The hike itself was not that bad, I can say moderate despite some uneven and unpaved terrains.It took us more or less an hour and a half to get to Vernazza. We could have done it a little bit quicker, but we stopped a few times along the way to take photos and enjoy the amazing views. 
Take note of the red mark, it will direct your path.

The hiking trail from Corniglia to Vernazza

Corniglia and Manarola (farthest) from the top

Vernazza

We arrived in Vernazza roughly around 8am and grabbed some breakfast before we started the second part of our hike.

Vernazza to Monterosso

This was the most strenuous part of the hike. The hiking trails remain uneven and unpaved, but steeper. There was also a part wherein we had to walk up and down what it felt like hundreds of steps. The views however, are more captivating than that of Corniglia to Vernazza.
The view of Vernazza from the other side

The trail

The View

It took us two hours to get to our final destination- that is Monterosso.
Monterosso

Now that I have done my first proper hike, I know that I will be doing it again in the future. And these are the lessons I have learned from the hike: wear comfortable shoes (I prefer trainers than hiking boots), apply sunscreen (I used Shiseido sunscreen on my face (very good) and Nivea for my arms and legs), bring at least a litre of water and snacks and hike early.


After all that, we took the train back to Corniglia for a well-deserved gelato break.
Alberto's Gelateria
Via Fieschi 98, 19018 Corniglia Italy.


Tin x

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