For as long as I can remember - I wanted to go to the Cinque Terre. Probably since I first saw a picture of those breathtaking little villages overlooking the sea. It looked like the most romantic place in the world. So it wasn't even a conversation that Erik and I needed to have when planning our Honeymoon: we would be staying in the Cinque Terre. I never thought, however, that I would run the connector trail between them. First, hills are not my favorite and stairs, even less so. I'm slow on an uphill and steep downhills are jarring to me knees. But I needed to get some miles in, I wanted to see all five villages, and we gave ourselves only one full day to do it. Running was our option. We started off the morning by sleeping in. Until 11:30AM. (The shots we had the night before with new friends may have contributed.) It was glorious. We stayed in the Riomaggiore, the southern most town so we needed to take the quick train ride back up to Monterosso to start the run. But first, breakfast. Prosecco, Spritz, Americano and chips. Definitely the breakfast of champions. To be honest, we spent zero time in Monterosso. We got off the train, synced our watches, and started running. Monterosso being a hub where many people stay and visit when visiting the Cinque Terre, we knew it would be full of tourists. I dislike tourists. Yes - I technically am one - seeing as I am traveling and don't live these places. But I'm talking about typical tourists and their typical behavior: Maps out. Shopping in the little stores for trinkets they don't need. Eating at the overpriced restaurants. Meandering and getting in the way. Ick. So we quickly ran through the coast of Monterosso and were on our way. We started the climb. So. Many. Steps. So much elevation. It was 2.5 miles from Monterosso to Vernazza and it included nearly 1300 feet of climb. For the record, I determine a "difficult run" in terms of elevation off a simple equation. If I have to climb, on average, over 50 feet per mile during a run, it's challenging. This climb averaged 520 feet of climb per mile. And then we had to go back down. Stabilizing on uneven steps and surfaces quickly as we managed our decent. All of it hurt. I was completely soaked in sweat within 10 minutes. The views were worth it. (So were the looks on all the tourists faces as we raced past at double or triple their speed.) As we ran into Vernazza the first rain drops started to fall. We enjoyed every splash of it on our overheated bodies. We needed a quick refuel break and snagged an overpriced cone of fried up seafood. We ate it in under 60 seconds, wandered through a couple crowded streets, chugged some water and then got the hell out of there. So. Many. Tourists. ,The next stretch of trail taking us from Vernazza to Corniglia now had an added challenge: it was slippery. (The rain, thankfully, quickly stopped after we started running again.) This definitely slowed us down slightly - as I'm clumsy on an open road with no obstacles to begin with - so a bit more caution was necessary to ensure I left without a sprained ankle or broken bone. This stretch was two miles and climbed just over 1000 feet. While slick and step ridden, the rain actually cooled the air substantially and we ran in and out of micro-climates, or pockets of warm, still air followed by areas with a cool breeze. My legs had started to get tired and weak by this point but nothing could beat those stretches of flat dirt trail winding around the mountainside with views of the next town, Corniglia, just ahead on the cliff. The run into Corniglia was downhill and on a paved road and I let myself fly down it. One of the best parts of getting to a place where my knees are healthy and pain free when running is the ability to capitalize on the downhill. It feels so good. At this point we were in need of more water, protein, salt and some sugar to replenish. We found all of these things and took a little break to take in the winding streets of the town while slurping a lemon slushy, throwing back some sardines and olives and gulping down sparkling water. So Italian. (Maybe not the gulping part.) Unfortunately, the trail ended just after this town. There were some landslides a couple years back that washed away the connector trail leading from Corniglia to Manarola and from there back to Riomaggiore. But this didn't stop us from getting in a bonus mile. We ran down the hundreds of steps to the sea and then out to a beach and back to the train getting in an extra mile for the day. Legs = rubber. We took a quick train ride to the next town, Manarola. By far the most picturesque views of all five of the towns. This is the picture you see and book your trip to the Cinque Terre. Naturally, we needed more nourishment. (If you don't know me, you will learn: I need to eat, a lot. And I am a huge fan of wine.) We took in this beautiful view above while eating the worlds biggest plate of bruschetta. (And a half bottle of wine to wash it down.) Finally it was time to head back to Riomaggiore. And take a nap. Not being able to run the trail was a bummer but I think second best was taking the ferry. Only 10 minutes in duration but gave as sweeping views of the coast. After a very wobbly walk up the steps to our airbnb, a much needed shower, and a power nap... we went out for a delicious dinner. It included sardine pasta (how did I not know those little fish tasted so good until now?!), red wine and an espresso because, exhausted.
Our quick stay in this effortlessly beautiful place was more than we could have hoped for - and it only took five days for my legs to stop hurting from the experience.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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