We started day two in Cornilgia much the same way as day one, just much earlier. Once again, when most tourists and locals here were either sound asleep or too exhausted from yesterday’s hike to even think about venturing out, we were eager to watch the sun come up and enjoy our Americano Cafe with fresh bread toasted, jam & butter. I still have no idea why toast tastes better here, but it does?.
Today we hiked the opposite way along the coast. We started from our town of Corniglia and made our way to Vernazza. We stumbled upon a cute shop where I fell in love with just about everything the owner carried from paintings to jewelry, and of course, a few special and unique clothing pieces. One of which went into my backpack?.
Guess what else happened. The owner says to us….”you two look fit, you up for a bit longer hike and a much more beautiful one where you’ll avoid running into other hikers?”. We said, “Sure!”.
She gave us directions on how to get on the high route which brought us WAY up in the hills (seemed like mountains to me). The scenery breath taking and she was right….we didn’t run into many hikers. They were all way, way, way below us on the lower path?.
We traveled up, and up, and up some more, and about an hour later, arrived at a little sanctuary which was beautiful. There was also a free will offering set up in a small shed where you could grab some refreshments and use the bathroom. We took a rest, drank some water and moved on….to climb up and up and up some more?.
Although our hike yesterday to Manerola was challenging, this one I believe topped it! The scariest and something I don’t care to experience again when we return to Cinque Terre, is seeing my husband almost disappear before my eyes?. The trails are rugged, rocky and often you’ll experience loose gravel which is exactly what happened. Rob slipped. I immediately turned around to see him hanging on to some branches as his legs were dangling beneath him. Holy shit! Is this really happening. I reached for him….he pulled himself back up to the trail and than a big hug. SCARY but onward and upward at a bit slower pace!
So we went up, and up, and up some more, winding our way to the next sanctuary which seemed to go on forever but at the same time, we were enjoying the scenery….just getting tired, hot, and hungry! We finally came upon another sanctuary which appeared to be a convent in the past. The church was gorgeous and more importantly, they were serving a light lunch inside the church kitchen. Our waitress pointed us in the direction of the bathroom and when we returned, she stopped back at our table with a bottle of disinfectant for Rob’s scraped up knee. Bless her?. His hand by now was quite swollen too but thankfully not broken….most likely a slight sprang. Oh goodness, we were so happy that his guardian angel followed us all the way to Italy!
After a much needed break, we ventured DOWN. Remember, what goes up must come down!!!!! It was a rather STEEP hike down, so yes, easier on the heart, but a bit of a quad burmer?.
Good thing my marathon was almost a week prior to this portion of our trip! And, I was very relieved that I dialed it back some on the course and didn’t beat myself up out there. These hikes were grueling, but well worth it! I can’t wait to go back and repeat from the opposite direction?.
The town of Montetrosa is known for its lovely beaches along the Mediterranean Sea. The water was COLD but very refreshing and my feet were loving it! I was speechless! “Am I really standing in the Mediterranean?” It was getting late….in fact, we hiked for almost 7 hours. We caught the next train, cleaned up for our final dinner in Cornilgia, which we earned 100%!
We even splurged tonight and shared a lovely dessert ….perfect ending to a spectacular day.
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