There's a train which runs along the west coast of Italy from Rome to La Spezia. It takes in several of the major towns along its journey: Grosseto, Viareggio and Livorno. The beauty of it is that you can relax and take in the views of the sea as you head north. With the fast train, it takes a little over 4 hours; time to read and enjoy the scenery.
Ostensibly, I had gone to La Spezia to visit the Cinque Terre; five little towns in the national park of the same name. However, La Spezia is, in itself a nice place to visit with a good mix between sea and city. The Cinque Terre towns are: Riomaggiore (the biggest), Manarola, Coniglia (the only one not on the sea), Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. There are many ways to "do" the Cinque Terre: the entire walk supposedly takes approximately 6 hours; or you can buy a train pass which you can use to travel to each of the towns. We chose a boat. So, on the occasion of my 66th birthday, I embarked on a nautical adventure on the Lord Byron (more of him later).
Actually the first place we stopped at isn't technically in the Cinque Terre but it is worth visiting! Pretty much like most of the towns around here, it is built on a hill which runs down to the sea. Tall houses in different pastels hues dominate the sea front while the church and castle sit atop the promontory. From the top of the Church of San Pietro, you get the most spectacular views of the Ligurian coast and the Gulf of Poets. The place has inspired poets and artists for centuries: Dante, Petrarch and even Botticelli is supposed to have painted The Birth of Venus after visiting here. It was also here that in 1822, Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned after getting caught in a storm. One of Shelley's neighbours was mad, bad Lord George Byron who apparently used to swim over to see him and his wife (It's about 1,000 metres if you are curious). Near the church and castle, there is an area called Cala dell’Arpaia or Byron's Grotto. And probably for this reason, the boat we sailed on was called The Lord Byron.
From Porto Venere, we chugged along the coast to the last of the Cinque Terre towns, Monterosso al Mare. It was such a nice and peaceful way to pass the time and take in the other towns of the Cinque Terre. We decided we would visit Riomaggiore and Manarola by train the following day since our boat only stopped at Monterosso and Vernazza.
One of the things I had wanted to see was the Giant/Neptune which straddles a promontory at the end of the town. As you walk through the tunnel which leads to the promenade, there is a photo of the statue as it was before being damaged by bombing during the Second World War. Even now, in its diminished form, it is still very impressive. It forms part of the decoration of the Villa Pastine.
Named as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Vernazza is also, according to Lorenzo, our guide, the richest of the Cinque Terre towns. We only had an hour in the town but like most of the other places in this part of Italy, you can buy focaccia. The Italians are fussy about their food and perhaps with good reason. I once had pizza in Venice which seemed to have been dipped in a canal. Here, focaccia is just on another level. The locals have local knowhow. and almost without exception, wherever I bought it, it tasted heavenly. Vernazza is also home to the Gelateria di Vernazza - which thankfully has a branch in La Spezia. Let's just say it was better than good.
Riomaggiore and Manarola
Having missed out on them on the boat trip, we went by train to Riomaggiore and Manarola. I think Riomaggiore is the first place I have ever queued to get out of a train station. The place was absolutely packed with tourists (including us). And, like all the other towns of the Cinque Terre, you have to walk uphill to see the sights. Equally, it's as pretty as the other villages with red and pink houses (and all shades in between) dotted along the hillside.
Riomaggiore
Back to La Spezia
It was a reasonably short walk from the hotel to the town centre and with a bout of mid October sunshine, it was really pleasant to stroll through the streets and engage in a bit of window shopping. Of course, such strenuous activity means a constant requirement of food and drink. La Spezia didn't disappoint. Of course, we had focaccia and we had ice-cream (see previous Vernazza reference) but we also indulged in all sorts of foodstuffs which necessitated long walks.
La Spezia is a good town for idling in. It's elegant and well-ordered and with plenty of things to see. the local council, obviously aware that everything is uphill, have installed lifts to take you to the upper echelons of the city. Very sensible. Another commendable feature is seating. If I think of other Italian cities I have visited, public seating always seems to be at a premium; not so in La Spezia. If I have any complaints at all about this gem of the Ligurian coast, it's flies. I can't remember which biblical plague was the plague of flies but certainly there were a lot of them and really annoying ones that don't leave you alone or fly in your ears. Small detail really since they never really bothered people if they were sitting in bars.
The last day, we decided to visit the Castello di San Giorgio. And having achieved OAP status, I got a reduction on the cost of my ticket! To get there, I took a lift from the high street, followed by a funicular railway to the castle. It's a very well organised little museum containing some beautiful pieces from the Bronze age right up to Roman times. There's a wonderful mosaic of a woman riding a sea monster (as you do). It's definitely worth a visit and not least because from the top of the castle, you get the most spectacular views right across the bay.
So, it's time to head back home but I really enjoyed my time in this place; it has given me so many delightful memories which I shall cherish. Not only the Cinque Terre but also Porto Venere and the town of La Spezia itself.
All the photos that were taken can be viewed here.
No comments:
Post a Comment