Cinque Terre #1of3

A traveler from England, who we met in Portofino, told us not to miss the Cinque Terre, five little towns hung on the side of the mountain, right on the coastline between Levanto and La Spezia, Italy. In the 15th Century it was said, “… it surprised one to see such steep and craggy land, rocky and arid.”

In years past, the Cinque Terre could be reached only by boat, or by clambering down a steep hill on a mule. Now train tracks run through tunnels near the shoreline, with parking lots above each little town. We drove down the twisty mountain road to a parking lot near Monterosso al Mare, the northern most town. Policemen said no parking was available, and indicated the RV most likely wouldn’t fit, if there were.

They helped us get turned around and we retraced our journey up the switch-back road, enjoying the beautiful view. When we stopped to take some photos, we saw what looked like a group of RVs parked on a little point of land, sticking out into the Ligurian Sea, on the northern edge of Monterosso. So up and up we went, then down and down and around we went, and sure enough there were a dozen RVs obeying Italy’s “traffic hints and suggestions,” parked right under Monterosso’s “No Camping” sign. So we joined them.

RVs were parked within inches of each other, but the Italians were polite and helpful. One man said this area is crowded every weekend, most likely because it’s free. Perhaps some of this weekend’s crowd is because Tuesday is an Italian holiday, and they intend to just ignore Monday, maybe. Right next to our RV we could see Monterosso’s soccer field, where they played some very spirited soccer games. Not just a bunch of people having fun, but complete with sweating, pounding bodies, referees, and cheering crowds.

By morning there must have been fifty RVs on this little tip of land, and the Italian policemen (same ones we talked to yesterday at the parking lot on the other side of town) just walked around and said not one word about the campers almost blocking the view of the “No Camping” signs. Hate to be camped so close to other RV’s, but this worked OK, this time.

From north to south — Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore — what a fascinating place for these people to live, what a fascinating place for us to visit.