Manarola is the next of the 5 towns north of Riomaggiore and a hiking trail connects them. Given the time and day and angle of the morning sun, I figured there would be more shade on the Manarola side, so we hopped on the train for one stop north.
The towns are separated by a 700 foot-high ridge. The climb up was quite steep and uneven, with occasional rock scrambling (1). There is a nice camaraderie on the trail. During one of our many pauses on the way up, a group stopped and asked if we had enough water. At the summit, I joked to my wife "We made it all the way up without stopping." An Italian man sitting nearby turned to me with a mock wagging finger and said "I don't believe that!" He was visiting from Apulia (the heel in the Italian boot). A steep descent in the sun brought us back to Riomaggiore.
We had now been to 4 of the 5 towns in Cinque Terre. The remaining town, Corniglia, was only about 2 miles away by sea. We rented two kayaks (2), and paddled north. Adolescents (mainly boys) were jumping into the sea from various cliffs along the way. We poked into Corniglia's tiny harbor, then found a secluded beach on the south side of the cliffs to pull out and enjoy the sea. The cliff face had very distinct striations, which had been curved in a parabolic fashion in what I assume was some geological upheaval (3).
There was not a hotel room to be had anywhere on the coast tonight, so we took local trains up to Milan (4).
(1) Depending on which sign you read, the trail is either a kilometre (sign in Manarola), or less than half a kilometre (sign at the summit). Either way, a steep climb.
(2) Well, not exactly, there were "sit-on-tops." Sit-on-tops are to real sea kayaks as a golf cart is to a Masserati: they will both get you there eventually, but one will do so with much greater speed, comfort and style.
(3) An explanation of the geology (that I can't make heads or tails out of) is available here: https://geologyistheway.com/blog/2021/02/20/wild-geology-around-manarola-cinque-terre-italy-huge-folds-and-faults-with-seaside-overviews/
(4) The hotel we had stayed at last night has a shower room off the lobby where departing guests can freshen up later in the day even after checking out. Very civilized.
Climbing up from Monarola
Views from the trail summit
Attenzione alla testa (watch your head)
Monorail track crossing trail above Riomaggiore
Climbing down to Riomaggiore
Back at Riomaggiore
Inverted and curved striations at Corniglia (View from trail earlier in the day)
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