GROW WITH SARAH GRACE

Along the coast of Italy, five century-old cities sit within close proximity of each other creating what tourists know as “Cinque Terre” which roughly translates to “five lands” in English. These five lands are known for their colorful buildings, steep hills, vineyards and amazing views. The five villages, in order of position along the coast, are Riomaggiore (the smallest), Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.

This past weekend, my friend Julia and I took a quick one-night trip to the second smallest city, Manarola. This trip was kind of a spur of the moment but my Uncle Chris and his fiance, Jaclyn spoke very highly of Cinque Terre so I knew I had to see it at least once while I was abroad. 

Even though we spent just near 24 hours in this small city with a population of only 353, we got to see some breathtaking views and try some local goods. Here is a short guide to the city of Manarola full of things to do and try, where to stay and how to get there!

THINGS TO DO:

1. Visit Chiesa di San Lorenzo

Found at the top of the hill, Chiesa di San Lorenzo is a gothic, baroque church made of stones and was built sometime in the 14th Century. Although we weren’t able to enter the church, it was beautiful to see from the outside. In front of this historical church, you’ll find a bell tower and to the right of this structure, you can find an amazing view of the town below. 

2. Walk to the viewpoint for sunset (or any time of the day!)

When you walk down the main street and towards the water, you will find that along the bottom of the vineyards on the hill, there are pathways meant for tourists to get the best photos. When we were walking up the steep hill to find the viewpoints meant for tourists, we made a wrong turn and ended up in a cemetery. Of course, I thought we were going the right way so we kept going until we found a dead end and realized we messed up. 

Still, we noticed that the view was life-changing and even if it wasn’t the “tourist” viewpoints, we found a “secret spot” to relax and enjoy the view without noisy people surrounding us. We just had to settle for the fact that we were surrounded by urns instead. If you want to actually visit the real viewpoint, which Julia and I did for sunset, you follow the steep hill up but on your left, you will find a small opening with some steps going down. If you follow these, you’ll find where all the tourists gather.

3. Eat a meal at La Scogliera Trattoria Ristorante

I’m not going to lie, when we arrived at the island, nearly every restaurant and store was closed so even though this restaurant was quite literally our only option, it was very good. We got both lunch and dinner here and after the second visit, we became best friends with the waiter. For lunch, Julia and I split a Margherita Pizza and for dinner, we got Pesto pasta. Both dishes were very tasty and although we wish other places were open to try, I’m glad we could find a sit-down place and enjoy some local dishes. 

**SIDE NOTE: A restaurant I heard nothing but good things about is Nessun Dorma. It can be found just near the viewpoint so you are enjoying dinner with a spectacular view. We didn’t even get near this restaurant because it had four-dollar signs but if you aren’t a broke college student who can barely afford the next gelato, try it and let me know how it is!

4. Enjoy a coffee by the coast at Bar La Plancia

The reviews online weren’t promising for this one but again, since not much was open for our short visit, we had to settle for it. On Sunday morning, before our train ride back to Rome, we decided to stop by and grab a quick coffee and possibly a croissant. We took a seat at one of the white, wooden tables set out in front of an amazing view. We each ordered a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant and enjoyed it while we people watched and listened to the water hit the rocks at the marina below. 

Although the reviews weren’t the best, I think this place is getting a bad rep for something they can’t control – the crowd. It wasn’t too crowded when we went but I can see it being busy during a hot summer as the place also offers gelato, which I did try even though it was 11 in the morning. It was well worth the early morning consumption.

**SIDE NOTE: Although the weather was surprisingly warm for the time of year when we went, the water was still too cold for a swim but if you are in Manarola in the summer, go down to the marina and go for a swim! 

5. Try their local Sciacchetrà wine and Pesto Pasta

Found at most stores and restaurants, the locally made “sweet” dessert wine, Sciacchetrà is served after your meal and comes with biscotti in most cases. I tried a glass of it at La Scogliera Trattoria Ristorante and although I tried to order it with my meal, the waiter corrected me abruptly and said “after”. The glass of darker yellow-colored wine came with a few almond biscottis to complete the dessert. This wine can also be paired with cheese.

Overall, in my opinion, this wine shouldn’t be advertised as a sweet, dessert wine because I’m not going to lie, it was rough to go down. Julia couldn’t even finish hers and due to personal superstitions, I had to finish her glass and had to water it down to get it down. Personally, I prefer a sweeter wine and the dryer it is, I haven’t mastered how to take it down so this wine was far more on the dry side. I’m still glad I tried it!

The meal I had before my dry, “dessert” wine was a “Trofie Pesto” dish that was made with a locally made pasta shape that resembled a very short, spiral spaghetti noodle. Pesto is made locally as well as the region is known for their basil and pine nuts and pride itself on their pesto-making process. This is the first time I’ve ever had pesto pasta and I was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious and I am glad I tried it for the first time in a city that is known for it.  

OTHER THINGS:

As I’ve already said, several things were closed when we were there but I heard great things about a few places that were sadly closed. So if you are lucky and get to the city when it’s all open, be sure to try Gelateria Sorbetteria 5 Terre, they offer crepes as well and have lactose-free options for gelato. You should also enjoy live music and some drinks at La Cantina Dello Zio Bramante. If you are there for long enough, you should hike the vineyards and/or hike to nearby cities like Riomaggiore and Corniglia…or all five of the cities! I also have heard amazing things about wine tastings so it could be the perfect time for a girl’s day and wine. 

HOW TO GET THERE AND WHERE TO SLEEP:

Transportation and sleeping is the boring part but is obviously very important. There are many ways to go about this but in my personal experience, it all went swimmingly (to an extent) so here are the details.

Julia and I took a train from Rome Termini to La Spezia Centrale where we transferred to a Regionale train that only goes to the five cities. Once on this second train, we got off 15 minutes later at Manarola after the Riomaggiore stop. We did the same thing in reverse on the way back. The Manarolaas train station only has two tracks so it wasn’t too confusing. The ride from La Spezia to Rome Termini was five hours in total. All and all, it went well except for a slight delay on the way back that pushed our trip back an hour. I booked our tickets through Omio and the total was roughly 95 euros (which is around $109) round trip.

As far as sleeping goes, I found a hotel type of place on booking.com called Ca de Gianchi. It was the perfect location as it was just steps outside of the train station. This of course comes with cons, the train was heard up until around midnight every 30 or so minutes but it wasn’t too horrible. The hosts were very kind and the room we booked, a deluxe double with a balcony, was very nice and did just the job for us. In total, we paid 71 euros (roughly $81) for one night. 

Overall, this entire trip was short but amazing. I got to see a place I’ve wanted to see for many years and I will never forget the views I saw. The food was amazing and the people were kind so if you are in the mood for a vacation to the Italian coast, I highly recommend you add Manarola and the Cinque Terre to your list!