Levanto -Cinque Terre-Mont Blanc

Levanto is a great little town just north of the Cinque Terre, in North-eastern Italy, about 80 km south of Genoa. Our main aim here was to walk the Cinque Terre (five pretty coastal villages generally unreachable by car). Unfortunately the first day it was raining so we stayed at home and relaxed at the campground- reading, writing in diaries, internet, washing etc. The campground is beautifully set among olive groves and vineyards on a terraced hillside close to town centre. It also has a café/restaurant with wifi access, perfect for us. The rain continued and the skies stayed dark and gloomy until about 3.00pm. A little later the same afternoon we strolled along Levanto’s beach boulevarde in brilliant sunshine along with the whole town’s population. Anika and I even paddled in the not–too-cold waters of the gravel and sand beach. There is even a dedicated group of surfers here in Levanto- lots of very short rides on 40cm waves though.

The next day the weather was overcast but not raining, so we caught a train to Riomaggiore and explored this steep little fishing village clinging to a narrow coastal gorge. The train from Levanto passes through a series of tunnels, revealing the coastline at each station along the way. These are very scenic stations, located right on the sea. Riomaggiore is a maze of cobbled streets, stone stairs, tiny lanes and secret short cuts. As well, there is a tiny harbour with typical bobbing fishing boats and an exciting pebble beach where the waves make an incredible sucking sound as they retreated back into the sea.

The main walk is part of the Cinque Terre National Park and requires an entry payment. Only one section – The Via d’Amore (Lovers Walk) was open due to poor weather. Apparently the rain makes some sections of the trail dangerous with rock falls and flooding. We decided to not do the short section as it was only 1 km- about 20mins walk and hardly warranted the park entry cost.

The next morning (a Saturday) we are blessed with clear blue skies and we need no further encouragement; The park trail is fully open so we tackle the hardest section first. Vernazza is perhaps the prettiest town with pastel pink and orange terraced houses surrounding a small protected harbour. The main street is buzzing this morning- probably the sunshine and promise of a warm day. Fishermen are showing off their overnight catch- a mixture of local fish –various sizes and names I can’t pronounce. Twenty minutes later all the fish have just about been sold. There are typical souvenir shops selling foods, wines, ceramics and prints, but the postcards actually match the views we are experiencing.

Soon we are climbing out of the town and with each set of stone steps and turn of a corner the town drops away into the sea. Vines and olive groves have been grown here for centuries, and it is the terraces that really sculpt the steep cliffs and define this landscape. The walking track traverses the cliffs but there are many smaller trails used to access other terraces further up the hills. The sea shimmers blue and silver in the morning light. Beyond each overhanging tree the sparkling waters provide a continuing panorama along the track. We meet only a few other walkers- it’s probably too much hard work for many of the tour group visitors we’ve seen. About 90 mins later we enter the next town, Corniglia, compact and set on a high headland, way above the sea. We wander through the narrow streets to a viewpoint out in the sun and can see up and down the coast to all five villages. Our lunch is the usual- bread rolls, cheese, tomatoes, ham, and salami. This time we sit in a tiny church square just above some diners at a restaurant. The sun is too hot to sit in so we are grateful for the shade provided by the old tree that dominates the square.

From Corniglia the set of steps zigzags endlessly straight down to sea level. On the way we meet travelers lugging their luggage up from the station. We’re glad we didn’t have to go up here and certainly wouldn’t choose to arrive here by train.

The coastal track straightens up along an uninteresting walled section that appears to be made up of abandoned toilets and dress sheds from a few decades ago. They are closed and look pretty untidy. The highlight is meeting a craftsman making stone jewellery from the local black/grey/pink stones. He shows us how he cuts the stones and threads them. We buy Jood a cute little heart-shaped stone pendant for her birthday.

Manarola is also very photogenic and the approach is perfect from a high viewpoint and descending through groves into the main square. Gelatos by the harbour cool us down and make the last km into Riomaggiore a breeze. It’s a level walk along the Via d’Amore which has seen many romantic couples declare their love and take scenic photos to prove it. They also hang locks of all sizes on the railings and gates to declare the bond between them is strong etc. I think this tradition developed after a scene from a movie – not such an ancient tradition then.

We decide to train back towards Levanto and get off at Monterosso, the only town we haven’t yet seen. It is warm and very busy with drinking and gelato-slurping tourists enjoying the unseasonable beach weather. There are even people swimming and paddling in the aqua shallows. A quick decision is made that we should tackle the walk between Monterosso south to Vernazza where we started this morning. This would finish the whole walk (10km in total) and make our life complete. The hot conditions and steep ascent out of town make us all sweaty and wondering if it was such a good idea to save this difficult section until the end of our day. The sights are incredible – vineyard terraces, vast blue seas below us and our poor shuffling shoes as we climb up endless stony steps. We meet a few other walkers who are descending and shaking their heads as we pass them. The trails are very narrow and can only allow single file traffic. At last the trail levels and eventually we descend into Vernazzo feeling very happy with our effort. The kids have actually run ahead of us down the stairs after 2 hours of climbing. Does this mean we’ve joined the Cinque Terre achievers club?

Aosta Valley leads up to Mont Blanc. It is full of spectacular mountains, dark outlines against hazy setting sunshine. In the distance white peaks keep us intrigued. We camp just outside a tiny village, Morgex, with views straight up to Mont Blanc and forests of autumn colours all around. The morning light on the mountains is inspiring and makes me want to take pictures and travel.

The Mont Blanc tunnel costs about $70 to drive through and about 12 mins of your life that are quite unremarkable. The exit into France and the views straight up into a massive glacier certainly spark up the day and from there the views down the valley continue. The freeways to Annecy are great- high bridges, smooth roads, scenic and expensive- 3 tolls, 80km – about $30. That’s nothing compared to the trip to Geneve the next day – 40km for about $18. I haven’t quite worked out how they bill you for the peage freeways- in Italy you got a ticket at the start and when you got off they calculated the distance which you paid for. Here the payments are haphazard, at illogical locations and probably a ripoff. The secondary roads are looking very attractive from now on.