Low-cost midlife crisis

Where we’re staying is not very far from Cinque Terre, this stretch of coastline that people rave about like it is paradise. Five picture perfect villages surrounded by a national park and UNESCO heritage site of incredibly steep hills terraced over the centuries with dry stone walls so that vines and olives can be grown there.

Since we are staying so close, we have train tickets, and the recommended way to go to these places is by train, it seemed like we really should make the effort. So we did.

The coastal railway line spends much more of its route in tunnels than out of them. It in itself should probably get UNESCO designation as it is an incredible feat of engineering – some of the tunnels look so small from the outside you start to wonder whether modern trains will fit through them. A significant number of station platforms are at least partly in tunnels themselves. (Standing on a platform inside a tunnel when a non-stopping express train comes through is quite an experience)

We boarded in Sori and took the train to a place called Sestri Levente, where we changed onto the train that goes through Cinque Terre. As we travelled there were an increasing number of people – mostly, it seemed, Genovese going to the beach at some point down the coast. The trains were busy but not unbearably so. However, this proved deceptive as when we got off in Monterosso, the first of the five Terre, it seemed like far more people were suddenly on the platform than the train could possibly have held. This slow moving stream of people disappeared down the stairs, under the tracks, and back up the other side – to reveal that it was a mere tributary to the much wider river of humanity on the promenade itself. I’ll confess that my first reaction was “why the hell have we come here?”, and my second reaction was more or less the same.

However, having made the trip we persevered. The younger members of the party found a stretch of beach (luckily one of the public bits which are free as opposed to the umbrella/lounger sets which were being offered at €35 which seemed expensive enough but then we were told per hour!) While the energetic oldies set off on the hike to the next village. As this was at about 12.30 in the middle of August this may have been less than advisable but it was good to get out of the crowds (not that the hiking trail was exactly deserted) and see the scenery, which, it has to be said, was pretty spectacular.

Vernazza, the second village was, if anything, even more crowded. Maybe because it was now around 2.30pm. I started wondering how it would be in years when there are even more tourists. After all, this year has seen a big drop off from a lot of countries that usually supply a great many tourists to Europe. China (because Covid), Turkey (economic crisis), Russia (led by a megalomaniacal psycho who has decided to attempt to lay waste to his neighbour), and Ukraine (that neighbour, having the crap bombed out of it by aforementioned fascist scumbag)

It was, in the end a good day out but I did once turn to my partner and say “I wish I was back in Sori” which I guess is not the reaction that the Cinque Terre are supposed to make you feel. Anyway, in case my review is of any use, it is, quite simply “I bet this place is lovely in October”