Nestled along the coast on the Italian Riviera is a clustering of five colorful, tiny villages collectively called Cinque Terre. The name literally means "The Five Lands" and includes the five villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. A train trip from Florence to Cinque Terrre is really quick (only one switch at La Spezia) and costs so little I can't even remember what it was. Once you arrive, you can choose to take the train from town to town or hike (like we did) on a trail that links the villages along the mountainous coast. The most accessible areas of the villages are really the most touristy but overall, the beautiful hike and beaches brought the strange, simple, isolated, little towns to life. The day we explored the area was kind of overcast and eerie but still like something out of a storybook. It's one of my favorite places in the world.
I was distressed to hear that Cinque Terre, particularly the villages of Vernazza and Monterosso, is dealing with incredible damage from deadly floods and landslides that occurred in late October and early November of this year. Residents and tourists in Vernazza were reportedly evacuated by sea and today parts of the villages are completely unrecognizable. I climbed to the top of the stone fortress in the photo below and saw a wonderful view of the once picturesque town of Vernazza- the tiny beach harbor, busy restaurant pavilions, and rows of bright umbrellas and boats that once occupied the space are now a river of earthy debris.
In Vernazza, where flooding seems to have erased quite a lot of the town, efforts are aiming at excavating and rebuilding infrastructure. I truly hope that this whimsical corner of the world will make a strong comeback. It will take a lot of time and money to restore the affected areas, but the other villages of Cinque Terre are already preparing for next season so please keep Cinque Terre on your travel bucket list and more importantly in your prayers.
For more information, read Rick Steve's article about the villages from The Huffington Post and his updated news about relief and restoration.
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