Cinque Terre Photo Gallery - Corniglia to Manarola Hike

Source : http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/
My base in the region was in the heart of Corniglia, the smallest of the 5 Cinque Terre villages right in the middle of the region. Perched on a cliff 90m above the sea, its location is quite remote, and requires a long 300+ step staircase journey to reach the train station below. My morning hike to Manarola was initially disrupted by news that the coastal path was shut due to prior days' rains and it wasn't safe to use. As a result, we had to head uphill to hike a steeper path, which didn't feel any safer either with the moist ground. On the bright side, the tourist board only charged to use the coastal trail and not the mountain ones. Manarola's setting is quite stunning from the top of this hill. Terraced farming is quite popular along Cinque Terre's hillsides, and they are very extensive. They claim it's the 2nd longest in the world after the Great Wall of China. The treacherous mountain trail offers stunning views of the landscape, making you appreciate these towns' unique locations even more. The clouds rolled back in after about 3 hours of hiking. Looking back, the train line goes underneath Corniglia and the station is by the coast. Then you have to climb the rest of the way or take a minibus uphill. The steps going downhill into Manarola were more organized than the way up from Corniglia, but it was still tiring to slowly descend back to the coast. Despite my doubts during the ascent, the mountain trail is definitely worth the effort thanks to the many views.