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Hiking Manarola – Backpacking Europe
Prelude and Pisa
Want to spend a day lounging around, brunching, and looking out onto a vibrant Italian village nested in the cliffs along the Mediterranean? Sounds pretty awesome. Fortunately, we got a taste of this hiking Manarola, in Cinque Terre, plus some Pisa action on the way there.
For our last day in Italy, we decided to take advantage of the car and do another all-day road trip out to Cinque Terre on the coast. Manarola was the big event for today. The trip from Montespertoli to the western coast took around 3 hours, including a quick stop in Pisa, too. After spending the previous day in the heart of Tuscany, it is incredible how the scenery can change by taking a short trip to another region.
Before I get into the thick of this post, we stopped in Pisa to get a few pics with the leaning tower. For some reason, I always pictured the Leaning Tower of Pisa to be in a large open field. However, in reality, it’s in a smaller field, inside a walled area with some other architectural beauts. Leaning towers are cool, and the baptistery with the cathedral cannot be overlooked either.
We only hit the essentials, since our time in Pisa was short-lived. Nonetheless, the city has more to offer, time permitting.
Pisa Nug Alert
This is a PSA that the McD right outside of Pisa had the best nugs to date. Not to mention, the customer service was top notch. I still haven't found a more perfect nug in 2019. Mozzarella bites were also purchased.
Cinque Terre Arrival
Hitting the road after the McDrive-thru, it was finally time to get to Cinque Terre. Upon arrival to our first village of Manarola, we found out cars are not allowed in the town (or any seaside towns in Cinque Terre), so you either hike or drive to each and then walk in. To start off, we walked down the main street of the village, checking out the shops (gelaterias…) on the way in. It’s a nice walk down to the water seeing all the pastel village houses rise above the street, with colorful laundry swaying in the wind from the balconies.
No wonder the area has really become quite the popular tourist spot. With the crowds building below, it didn’t take long before we were ready to hike up to higher ground.
Cinque Terre
Cinque de Terre is a collection of 5 villages on Italy's coast. There is a cliff side road and a popular hiking trail that connects each together.
Here were some shots of the area before hiking Manarola began.
Hiking Manarola
So things escalated quickly once we started the hike. Due to my stubborn nature, I made it a personal challenge to hike to the top of one of the terraces for the bird’s eye view of the town. As a result, I was immediately separated, off trail, and eventually straight lined it up through the vineyards. More on that later.
What it's like
If you’ve seen pictures of Bali’s rice terraces, this place is similar. Except, instead of rice, it’s a bunch of vineyards with a vibrant village below.
The hiking trails are built in on the terraces, so there is a lot of zig-zagging to go vertical. Additionally, there are multiple trails to pick so you can essentially choose how long your journey will take. There are some trail markers, but once you get high enough, the paths become increasingly cryptic. Fortunately, it was such a nice day out, simply being outside hiking Manarola was bliss in itself.
The End of the Line
Still determined to make it to the top, the hike started becoming another one of those games where every time you think you can’t go higher, I’d find another sketchy stone step hidden in the brush. At this point, there was no way I was on a legit trail. Fighting my way through some prickly bushes and spider webs, I came upon a small house atop the final terrace. It didn’t look like anyone was home, so I took the time to get some 360 views and relax on the edge. Worth it.
‘Till this day, I still wonder how that person gets to that house. There was no freaking trail anywhere around it! Talk about the ultimate stair master…
Vernazza and Volastra
Since hiking Manarola was more consuming than anticipated, we decided to drive to the next Cinque Terre village, Vernazza, for some added variety. Volastra, a town just north of Manarola, was another passthrough location.
Driving Cinque Terre reminded me of my PCH road trip days. You are high above the water’s edge on a twisting, narrow cliff side road – both exhilarating and nerve-racking. We didn’t make it all the way down into Vernazza, but instead casually hopped on someones rooftop for a sweet pano overlooking the sea.
Back to Montespertoli
With the mission complete, it was time to race the setting sun back to Montespertoli. The last day in Italy was a complete success, and celebrated with an ‘atomica’ za dinner, plus the sunset.
Looking back at photos of the other towns, I don’t think it matters which Cinque Terre village you visit if you’re strapped for time. They all generally have the same theme and are great picturesque spots. Though, I recommend the hike in any town, regardless!
Italy, out.
-ML
Recap of Places
- Pisa – leaning towers and McD nug perfection
- Cinque Terre – five seaside villages with hiking trails to connect them
- Manarola – a village of Cinque Terre that we hiked
- Vernazza – another Cinque Terre village north of Manarola
Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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