La Spezia in January - Manarola to Corniglia hiking

On Thursday morning we just go as far as the supermarket to buy a couple of things to make time for an early lunch so we are on the train towards the Cinque Terre by just past 12.30. We are amazed at the amount of people on the train, which is packed, and 90% of them seem to be of Asian origin. This is surprising because we hadn't seen many tourists at all while we were wandering around La Spezia. Many get off at Riomaggiore and as many at Manarola where we do too. So many, that getting off the train, down the steps, out of the station and through the tunnel into Manarola takes quite a time. It's about lunchtime on a midweek working day in January. What is it like the rest of the year I wonder.

The plan was to explore Manarola before setting off and we do go down to the small harbour and along the walkway to the north, 

but there are so many people around and in such small spaces that we quickly head up on the path past the cemetery in the direction of Volastra. Here, we start to relax a little, from being in the middle of a crush of tourists we are suddenly alone, it's a beautifully warm and sunny day, and now that we can pay attention the views of Manarola below and the coast beyond are increasingly spectacular. 

We detour at the top of the village to have a quick look at the church and then continue up through the terraced hillside where the enormous Christmas crib is still present. Here it's totally silent, no tourists or even walkers just the occasional local man working on the vines or the olive trees of the terraces. It's impossible to walk fast, not only because it's quite steep going up and the sun is unaccustomedly warm but also due to the need to constantly look back at the view. 

Eventually the path turns behind the hillside and Manarola is lost to sight and the path actually becomes a long flight of steps which takes us up to Volastra and its sanctuary. Legend has it the residents of the village buried their treasures and even the church bells to save them from Saracen attacks, only over time the exact location was forgotten and only the bells could be heard ringing below ground on dark nights. As someone who sometimes hides her grandmother's necklace before departing on holiday and finds it only by chance several months later I find the story as comforting as unlikely.

After Volastra the path runs along through the terraced hillside amid incredible beauty, the terraces themselves and the vegetation almost vertically above the cliffs and blue sea with Corniglia perched on its rock are superb and well justify the fame of the Cinque Terre and the amount of visitors, except that, ironically, most will not see it. Manarola is a nice village to walk around in 10 minutes and see the sea but the spectacular scenery is up here.

We walk from Manarola to Corniglia and meet one large group of elderly hikers and a young couple, while in our direction we overtake or are overtaken by a total of 7 hikers. The walk Manarola Volastra Case Piane Corniglia requires hiking shoes or trainers with a good sole but isn't difficult. It is important to concentrate on where you step, because the path is really narrow in places and even to fall onto the vines below could be unpleasant. It takes us more than the forecasted 2 hours, there are many many stops to enjoy the view, look around, take photos and it's nearly 4 by the time we reach the church in Corniglia and have a look inside. Unexpectedly grandiose, especially the ceiling frescoes. We walk through the tiny centre of Corniglia until the open area at the end where the view stretches 180 degrees and sit on a sun-warmed stone ledge to wait for the sunset.

We then have almost an hour before the train back to La Spezia but Corniglia is less accommodating to the out of season tourist than Portovenere. Everything, but everything, is firmly closed. We manage with some taralli from our rucksack and then walk down towards the station. It's absolutely silent as dusk is falling and we linger by the darkening sea for a while before going to get the train back to La Spezia.