cinque terre.

after venice, bryndia headed into the Italian mountainsides to a part of their trip they had been looking forward to since the beginning: cinque terre. cinque terre, it seems, is one of those places that you’ve either never heard of, or you’re absolutely obsessed with. five tiny towns carved into the moutainside, bright tall buildings that seem to hang suspended over the ocean, all surrounded by olive trees and grape vines and basil plants. bryndia was first introduced by their sweet as honey friends emma and paul who had traveled there together two summers ago. bryndia had been told it was the most special place they would ever see.

when they arrived, emerging from the dark tunnel that cut through the mountains, India jumped onto the train platform, so quaint and cute that it resembled a disneyland train station, and did a little dance in front of sun setting into the ocean. bryn refrained. both had decided to be spontaneous, and be a fly by the seat of their pants sort of pair that night, so they hadn’t booked a hotel room for the two nights they planned on staying. after circling the city India began to whine about how heavy her backpack was so they chose a cheap hotel on the hill. they had chosen to stay in, the last of the five towns, monterosso with a fabulous beach strip hosting many restaurants. that night, bryndia ate mozzarella and tomatoes and pasta slathered in creamy pesto on the ocean. two australians played bob marley out of their tiny ipod speakers at the table behind them.

early the next morning, bryndia got up, donned their snazzy neon running shoes, and prepared for the 22 k hike from monterosso through the other four towns of cinque terre and back again. their hotel, albergo ristorante la pineta, had the best free breakfast they had had so far. marble cake! unlimited cappuccinos! and nutella! bryn enjoyed multiple pieces of sliced turkey on a platter (so classy).

they took off after about five cappuccinos each ready to hike the infamous trail. little did they know, the first part was the most difficult. the trail was tight, winding in and out of cliffs; the steep mountain to one side and a deep plunge into the ocean through mean looking bushes on the other. some other walkers who they passed were using big hiking boots, professional looking walking sticks. bryndia is way too hard core for that shit.

the first stop of the hike was vernazza where they stopped for giant jug of water & a coca-cola for bryn. they walked along the small beach in vernazza that was more of a mini harbor & up to the top of the tower where they declined on paying three euros to go up the lookout because the hiking trail views were way better.

then bryndia hit the mountain again, this part of the trail mostly in shaded olive groves, big stray cats waiting on scattered picnic benches for hikers to feed them from buckets nailed high to trees filled with cat food. here is where they found a bundle of signs advertising a “nude beach!” that enticed bryn into repelling down a steep part of the mountain using a rope that had been looped around a tilting tree. india pointed out there was no way she was climbing down a cliff backwards just to take her top off and bryn returned to the top of the trail.



a little more walking and they arrived in corniglia where they bought paninis that oozed olive oil and brought them down to the beach. there, the two ate on a large gray rock while a girl next to them stripped totally naked to change into her bathing suit for a swim. (so much for the nude beach.) after lunch, india got ballsy and began jumping from rock to rock, which lead to a major injury on her shin and knee, the bruise from which lasted for weeks.

after corniglia, bryndia descended a huge hill of stairs that lead to a tamer, flatter trail to the next two towns. about forty minutes of walking beside the sea and they arrived in manarola, where they continued to contribute to each cities economy by purchasing gelato. they walked through the town square, elaborately decorated with mosaics of sea life and murals of grape vines. then they began the last leg of the hike, a short walkway through a sort of open-air tunnel called via dell’amore. here, one wall is covered with impromptu graffiti and proclamations of love (“sara & jack 4eva’’), while the other are carved windows looking out onto the ocean.

the tunnel spit them out into the last town, riomaggiore, with a small harbor and a rocky beach. exhausted, bryndia made their way to the beach where they immediately stripped off their clothes and passed out in the sun on a big rock. rejuvenated by their nap, the two decided to attempt to make the entire walk back before it got dark. they made it to vernazza, where they stopped, bought a bottle of wine, and took a five-minute train ride through the mountain back to monterosso. that night, they ate more pesto by the ocean before they fell asleep on top of the covers, sunburned.

the next morning, the two discovered there had been ANOTHER major train crash and all the trains in italy were delayed for hours. lucky for them, bryndia didn’t really want to leave cinque terre so soon. the two lounged on the beach in the sun all day, bryn making friends with stray dogs and swimming in the ocean. they picnicked, drank white wine gifted to them by the man at their hotel’s desk, and boarded a train to Florence in the late evening, feeling GOOD. and bronzed.

ever since bryndia left cinque terre, they’ve tried to spread the word to fellow travelers who they have met. many of which have taken their advice & found the same outcome, overwhelming joy. bryndia suggests cinque terre as a must visit as it is great for a single traveler or a family vacation…it is literally heaven on earth.