THE MAGIC THAT IS - CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

This is the absolute truth - I didn't know what to expect with Cinque Terre. Our visit to Positano last year in October, 2023 was really lovely but there was something underwhelming about it. Perhaps it was the hype, or the over saturated tourist photos you see online - Truthfully, and respectfully - Being there, didn't translate quite in the same way, or perhaps the overwhelming amount of people took a little of the magic away. Understandably, you can't have it all! In hindsight, it was still very beautiful. I may have had the same assumption about Cinque Terre before heading there... But - WOW - was I completely mistaken! 

IT. WAS. MAGICAL!

We caught the train from Milan to Monterosso, (One of the five towns that makes up Cinque Terre). This was approximately a 4 hour train ride to get there. On the speed train, that is. 

We stayed in an Airbnb, which had everything we needed. The bedroom views were simply astonishing. This town was just beautiful. Once we got there, we decided to explore straight away. We were also excited to be meeting our friend the next day too, in which the adventure would continue! 

Let's jump right on in!...

*Image references -
#1: Cute cats on the balcony below us
#2: The local church in Monterosso
#3: The colourfully painted shopfronts 
#4: Walking along the coastal bridge

MONTEROSSO HIGHLIGHTS (PART 1)

1. First things first - I will always highlight the casual strolls. Nothing fancy, just walking around, taking it all in and exploring our new environment. The people, the food, the views, the shops, the floral, watching the sky, watching the waves, getting a feel for the energy of the place... What will we discover next? 
2. Il Gigante - We could not wait to see this statue! It blew us away! (Matt took spectacular drone footage of Il Gigante - Check it out on our Insta!) We came back a second time with our friend and marvelled all together! 
3. The colourful buildings - They are just gorgeous. Really and truly. Colours in pastel, some a little brighter, and the beautiful floral - Flowers in all colours  could be seen where ever you went. Springtime in Monterosso was a real treat! 
4. Best advice to give is to simply "Just walk!" - There are a few paths that head up into the mountain (You can't get lost)... The views are spectacular and so is every little detail... There was a "spooky" but magical energy here. It also felt very fairytale like. You will be astonished no matter where you look, so make sure to look all around you.
5. We took our own advice, and walked paths unknown. One path lead us to The  Cimitero di Monterosso. We could not believe our eyes. This is like no other cemetery we have seen before. With respect to those laying to rest, I will not post photos of the cemetery itself but it truly is a remarkable place to visit. 
6. We love a random good find! We were waiting for our dear friend to arrive in Monterosso, and whilst we did, near the train station, we spotted someone holding fish and chips in a cone. Drool* We needed to try this! We saw where the person holding the fish and chip cone came from, so this was an easy find. Quite literally, a whole in the wall - Small and cute, and a delicious looking menu. La Bottega del Fritto, it was called. We sat on the nearby bench and watched the ocean in the sunshine. We had someone come up to us to ask where we got them from too! - @labottegadelfritto is their instagram handle if you're interested in checking them out!

*Image references -
#5: That climbing floral!
#6: Pretty colours of a building in Monterosso
#7: Il Gigante 
#8: Taking a path unknown - Matt enjoying the views
#9: The coastline of Monterosso
#10: Another pretty coloured building!
#11: The path to the cemetery 
#12: Fascinating to see how the walls and steps were built back in the day!
#13: Greenery surrounding the path to the cemetery
#14: Statue of an angel
#15: Views of the village below
#16: La Bottega del Fritto - Delish! 

MONTEROSSO HIGHLIGHTS (PART 2)

1. Our dear friend arrived! We were buzzing, and very excited to start exploring all together. We showed her our accomodation, dropped off all luggage and headed out into the sunshine. We didn't have much time in Monterosso, so we all agreed to make the most of it, as best as we could! Our first adventure? To hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. Little did we know that it is considered a "moderately challenging" route. We found this out as soon as we set off, with the steepest and hardest part of the walk at the start. We all weren't used to such direct sunshine and heat, (being from Melbourne!) and with little to no preparation we were adamant to persist. The views are something I cannot describe. Absolutely breathtaking. We chatted and took it all in at the same time. This turned out to be about a 3.5km walk. 
2. We enjoyed a walk around Vernazza with a granita in hand. We were hot and thirsty! Before continuing on to the next town, we stopped for lunch in Piazza Guglielmo Marconi. Giving our time frame, we decided to catch the train to each town instead. Our plan was to see all 5 towns and given that it was midday already - We changed tactic! :) We took the train to the last town of Riomaggiore and worked our way back to Monterosso. 
3. Oh my, Riomaggiore. What an absolute DREAM TOWN. I really can't stress this enough - I can't believe these towns are REAL. They are so magical, so quaint. We felt so extremely lucky to be witnessing their magic. Truly. 
4. We took the train to Manarola - Mind you, there were so many people at the train stations. Considering the Summer Season hadn't hit yet - There was plenty of movement! We then have x1 more town to visit - Corniglila. We took the train there and started our walk from the train station to the town... Not realising that to get to the town, we would have to walk up a zig-zagging steep path of 400 steps. We started to make our journey up a hill that seemed to never end. Note* We didn't realise that there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the town! By this stage it was 7:00pm or so, and safe to say, we were all very tired - So we made the call. Best to get back to Monterosso and enjoy a nice meal. Sorry Corniglia! Perhaps another time. We were all so satisfied with our adventure, so not seeing x1 town was okay by us! 
5. The pastries. That is all I will say. (I'm still dreaming about them, and looking back at pictures does not help!)
6. We were full of adventure, tired but super satisfied, ready to feast. As we walked around we noticed that all the restaurants and stores were setting up for the Lemon Festival of Monterosso. Lemons galore! It was a beautiful sight - Yellow everywhere! We were leaving for Milan the next day, so we would miss the festival in it's entirety but we did get a glimpse of the set up before we departed in the morning.