The beauty of Liguria. And the food.

Recently I had the opportunity to again go to the Cinque Terre in Liguria, Italy. I had been here several years ago and, like probably most people who visit, fell in love with it the first time.

The Cinque Terre - also known as the Italian Riviera, consists of five ("Cinque" in Italian) brightly colored fishing villages on the rocky Ligurian coast. The villages in North-to-South order are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Photographically gorgeous, it was a joy to visit this area again, despite the huge number of tourists that have already descended upon these sleepy villages. The villages are not accessible by cars in most cases, so are connected by a train service, typically running hourly. Due to time available to us, and overcrowding, we did not get to one of the most beautiful villages Vernazza.

This region suffered devastating flooding October 25, 2011, and Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza were especially hard-hit. Amazingly, only nine people are confirmed as losing their lives in this flood. We were told that Vernazza was still visibly damaged, and when we visited Monterosso al Mare, many shops were still closed. However, in typical Ligurian style, residents of Monterosso al Mare were selling their wares in front of boarded up shops, children were selling lemons, lemonade, and paper cups of potato chips and other small items - as a community trying to drive cash back into the village to restore it back to its former simply beauty.

One of the major draws of this region apart from the villages themselves are the fantastic coastal and inland hiking trails, providing hikers and outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to enjoy the region fully. The coastal trails were another casualty of these torrential rains and floods, destroying the coastal routes between Monterosso al Mare and Venazza, and Vernazza and Corniglia and Corniglia to Manarola. Thus the trains were even more crowded than usual. Sardine-can-packed would be an appropriate description, and it's only May...

Riomaggiore was our first port of call, having taken the train down to the "last" town. Riomaggiore is built high above the ocean with a staircase access to the port. There is a castle at the top of the mountain on one side of the town.

The trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is easy to walk - it is wide and even for the most part, and takes about 45 minutes. Manarola is a gorgeous little town, and a good stop for lunch, assuming you are able to find a table. Be prepared to wait.

The image below provides an idea of the ingenuity of the architects of this village, and typical of this region. Photos I have seen of this region show enormous waves crashing against that cliff face, sending spray across these little houses. Very dramatic.

Corniglia was to me a bit of a mystery. Built high above the ocean on a cliff face, and requiring a climb of 368 stairs from the train station, one has to question if it's economy was ever built on fishing. However, it is as beautiful as the other towns, although smaller, and worth a visit for its charming alleys and tiny squares with restaurants.

Monterosso al Mare is the village that has stuck in my mind since my last visit for two reasons. The impressive "Monterosso Giant", which is holding up a platform while eternally looking over the ocean :

The second reason I remembered Monterosso al Mare is the food. I ate there one day in 2003 at a small place called "Ciak" and had their ravioli stuffed with sea bass in a shrimp sauce. Having had the same meal again this last time, I can understand why I remembered it as one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Delicious.

Window to culinary heaven : Ciak's kitchen

Your comments are welcome - have you been to the Cinque Terre? What were your experiences?