Let me tell you a story. It’s about the Cinque Terre (Liguria, Italy) and about the fact that I have never been there.
Why I Want To Visit The Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre (literally Five Earths) are five colourful villages linked by walking paths. They are beautiful, right next to the sea, and you can visit them on foot. The five villages are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, and they are a UNESCO site.
First Attempt
The first time I decided to visit them was in 2011. I had planned to go with two of my Italian colleagues. Some days before our trip, one of the girls was fired, and she cancelled. She wanted to focus her time, energy and money on finding a new job. The second one felt overwhelmed at the idea of travelling only with me, because she was older and felt responsible for me. We cancelled the trip.
Second Attempt
The second time I decided to visit the Cinque Terre was in 2017. I wanted to go during Summer, but one of my Italian friends said that it was not a good idea, because it would be packed with tourists. So, I waited. And we organized a trip with 7 girls, on the weekend of my birthday. A week before, there was a storm, and rain poured on the paths. It wouldn’t have been much fun, so we cancelled and went to Mantua instead.
Third Attempt
The third and most recent time I decided to go there was this year. I booked a cheap bus ticket from Toulouse to Genoa, booked two nights in hostels, one in Corniglia and one in Genoa. I decided to go by myself to be sure nobody would cancel on me. I’m supposed to go at the beginning of June… But Coronavirus happened. I haven’t found the courage to cancel yet, but I will.
And the Cinque Terre remain a challenge to take up.
Nearly There
Even though I never managed to reach any of the Cinque Terre, I did go close. I visited Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure and Camogli. It’s not the same, but these last two are similar to the Five Earths. They are full of colours and extremely beautiful. Here are some photos, to give you an idea.
You can do some nice diving and snorkeling in that area. I had a great time in Santa Margherita Ligure snorkeling (but I had only my phone to take picture, hence the crappy quality).
To see more photos of Italy, you can visit the gallery Italy.
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