Cinque Terre Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]WE BOARDED The Celebrity Apex on Friday and hit the ground running. We stopped in 4 ports before we had an at-sea day. Given that we had a pretty ambitious 3 days in Rome beforehand, it was a formula for exhaustion. We found ourselves looking forward to the coming at sea day, just for some R&R.
I knew before we started that Cinque Terre would be the highlight of the entire trip for me
BUT I must confess that I knew even before we started that the first stop, the first day, would be the highlight of the trip for me. La Spezia is an interesting location. There are options, but few seemed enticing. Pisa is some 40 miles away. Florence is about twice that distance. Doable, but a few hours of riding in a vehicle. And Livorno, which some cruises stop at (notably, Princess), is much closer to both (12 miles to Pisa and 45 miles to Florence). We did that in 2015 on a Princess Ship, which stopped in Livorno. We still felt a bit shortchanged in Florence (which is a city I think one should visit for a day or two – at least an overnight). It was also possible to go into the country in Tuscany, where you could sample wines or just view the countryside. Again, that would involve hours in a vehicle. We have walked around the city of La Spezia a couple times. Frankly: not much going on there. So the one that seemed to make the most sense was Cinque Terre.
there is no better landscape photographer’s destination in the world, in my opinion
I REALLYwanted to revisit this amazing place (it is, after all, mainly about me 🙂 ). But seriously, this is supposed to be a photography – related blog, and there is no better landscape photographer’s destination in the world, in my opinion. Less than 5 miles from the cruise port, the first of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore, can be reached by commuter rail in just minutes. It involves a brief taxi ride to the train station in La Spezia, and the purchase of an all day, on and off, 18-euro, train pass on the trains that travel between La Spezia and Levanto to the north. In between these two cities lie 5 small fishing villages and the train stops at each one. The time between stops is just minutes.
Riomaggiore Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]LITERALLY “FIVE lands,” Cinque Terre consists of 5 historic villages in the Province of Liguria, built into the mountains above the Ligurian Sea. The 5 small villages thrived from the 11th – 16th centuries, mostly producing fish, wine and olives. Most of the agricultural cultivation took place on man-made terraces built into the steep mountainside. After the 16th century, the area experienced a period of economic decline, until repurposed mainly for tourism during the 1970s. It is difficult to reach by car, and most travel to and between the 5 villages is by train, boat, or on foot. There is a hiking path that runs between the 5 villages that is very popular with hikers.
Manarola Cinque Terre, Italy Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved
FOR ME, the primary draw to this region is photographic. In 2019 we took an Italian Riviera cruise that stopped in La Spezia. That was when I first “discovered” Cinque Terre (though I am sure I had seen the photographs at some previous time), and knew I had to go there to photograph it. Prior to this trip, I did a fair amount of research. Cinque Terre’s 5 villages, from south to north, are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterroso Al Mare (“Al Mare,” means “by the sea”). My research (primarily commentary from other photographers) suggested to me that of the 5 towns, 3 were very much on my horizon: Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza. The others – for a number of reasons were not so much. The main reason has been time. Both visits were one day cruise stops, substantially limiting both my time and shooting conditions. Corniglia is up in the mountains and does not have a seaport. I am sure it is photogenic in its own right, and my next time through there, I will probably visit it. For now, I was particularly drawn by the fishing village/seaport aspects. Monterroso is flatter and appears to be more of a beach community these days. While the beaches look fabulous and I am certain it is photogenic, I again wanted to focus on the more rustic seaports. I have had a few other beach opportunities. Given another trip, I am likely to visit both Monterroso and Corniglia. But not this time.
Riomaggiore Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]YOU ONLY need to look at the colorful and iconic images from the 3 villages I did photograph to understand the draw. Centuries old, the buildings built into the mountainsides are a feat of architecture. I was interested to learn that the colorful paint jobs which make the images so romantically iconic are not really historically accurate. I wonder what the landscape looked like before they were painted. My “processed” version here might be semi-accurate? If so, not near as colorful, and though still photogenic, not in my favorite way: with color! But in the 1970’s, seeking tourism, the locals came up with the idea for the brightly painted buildings that are really Cinque Terre’s photographic signature today.
Manarola Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]MY FIRST trip in 2019 was nice, but somewhat of a “bust.” We joined a group of new friends we had met on the cruise and took a taxi all the way to Manarola (a mistake not to repeat – take the train). My research had indicated that of the 5 villages, Manarola was the most popular and photogenic. The day was kind of rainy and drizzly, and we did not get a very early start off the ship. We didn’t know about the 18 Euro all day train pass, nor just how quick and convenient the train was. But what we also didn’t know was that there is no car access to any of the 5 villages. There is a large parking area well up the mountain, above Manarola, where cars and busses could park ( I suspect the other villages had similar parking accommodations). We walked down a very steep, though well paved pathway. It was hard on the knees. While it seemed longer, it was about 1/2 mile down to the level where the train station is. We learned later about the train setup and ended up going back to La Spezia on the train. Everyone else was more or less sightseeing, but I was on a mission to photograph at least this one village. I walked on ahead, all the way down to the seaport, which I knew was where the path to the photographic viewpoint began. Fortunately, it was not a long, nor steep walk out the pathway, and turning around to see the village, it was immediately apparent where the photo was! I blogged about that village and posted my photos from back in 2019here. The lighting conditions were not very good, and looking back, I am not happy with my post-processing (colors look odd – I will go back and re-work those), but they give the viewer an idea about the potential.
Riomaggiore Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]THIS TIME I planned differently. We had all pretty much decided (there were six of us) to do at least parts of Cinque Terre. But I made it known to the group that I was going to be off the ship at the earliest possible opportunity and on my way to Cinque Terre. We had texting capability and asked them to let me know when and where and I would meet them in one of the villages. Ironically, that turned out to be Manarola. In the meantime, my first stop was the southernmost village: Riomaggiore. I was a bit surprised at how much of a downhill climb the base of the village was from the train station. Having done 3 of them, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the steepest (not sure about Cornigilia). I took some back stairs down part of the way and the image near the top of the blog post shows where I exited onto the seaport area. As previously noted, my reading indicated that Manarola was the “preferred” photographic venue (not that the others weren’t also great). Now having been to both, I am not sure I agree. They both have their charm. But I really like the color and the setting in Riomaggiore.
Riomaggiore – Popular Tourist perspective Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]ANOTHER CONCLUSION I have come to is that – at least for Riomaggiore and Manarola, the best photographic vantage points are actually the most popular tourist spots (maybe there is some logic to that). 🙂 In Riomaggiore, that meant up the hill on the south side of the harbor, where the tour boat offices are. I did venture a way out onto the rocks, but really not very far as it is a bit steep and slippery and requires some exertion. But my short look said to me that the viewpoint wasn’t going to my best perspective. Importantly to me, both “standard” spots (Manarola and Riomaggiore) get me at building level, where the tilt factor of my wide lens was the least problematic. It is partly why I believe they are the best photo ops in these two villages.
Riomaggiore Village from the rocky seawall Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]EVEN THOUGH I had already shot Manarola and wanted to make sure I had time to do Vernazza (the third of my chosen spots), I felt the desire to stop again at Manarola, and take another look. Not only did I have time, but the rest of the party had texted me by then that they would meet me there. My research told me that there were 3 or 4 different viewpoints from which to photograph the Manarola Village. One was the primary tourist spot which was the trail on the way to Corniglia, to the north. Another was on a terrace above that trail, where there were a couple restaurants. I had climbed up there in 2019 and concluded that it wasn’t enough different a vantage point to be worth it. I had also shot from down at the water. The final spot was in the cemetery, “just a ways up the hill.” OMG! My question to the writers who recommended the cemetery: are you serious? The dirt trail up to the cemetery is a rugged and strenuous uphill walk, for anyone but the most robust hiker. And it is a long way, all uphill steeply. Once you reach the cemetery, which is neither well marked, nor obviously a cemetery, you then must walk on through it out to a trail that finally opens up above the village. Having gotten there, the photo viewpoint is (I think) underwhelming! As others have noted, the foreground is challenging, as it is grasses, scrub brush, and some ugly fencing. Perhaps during a time of year where there might be some bright flowers, or foliage, it might be pleasing. But as you can see from my shot from here, the foreground (in my opinion) detracts from the image. Then there is the factor of distance and perspective. The angle of the foreground partially obscures both the village and the harbor, even at fairly wide-angle viewing. My two cents in 5 words or less: it’s just not worth it. I will admit that it is a very high up view and pretty spectacular. But the hike is not for the faint of heart, and it certainly isn’t the best photographic spot. Again, for both Manarola and Riomaggiore, I would direct a photographer to the two popular tourist spots. You will get a good shot from them.
Manarola; From “the cemetery” Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]AFTER COMING back down the mountain, our party had encountered some issues with their train ride and were still not at the meeting spot, so I sat in the cafe and had an espresso and some water. Once they arrived, I and showed them the photo spot and we walked around the small town, a bit, wandering in an out the shops and having a snack. When the time came to decide what the next move was, two of the group decided to return to the ship. I was determined to go on to Vernazza, eitheralone or with whoever wanted to come along. Four of us ultimately continued on to Vernazza. Though seemingly more touristy, and in my view slightly less photogenic, Vernazza was also less hilly. But like the other two villages, it had a very nice harbor, with lots of small fishing boats. Unlike the other two villages, Vernazza also had a small “beach” at the harbor. I found my best photographic perspective from out on the wide and easily navigated seawall/walkway.
Vernazza Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]THERE WERE some nice close up “studies” of the moored boats. Also, the rocky breakwall in Vernazza afforded probably the best opportunity to shoot the Ligurian see out away from the villages. All in all I was very happy with my day in Cinque Terre. Someday, I would really like to go back there and spend a couple nights in one or more of the little villages (Probably Manarola) and take some nighttime images, with the buildings lit and reflections in the water below. But for now, I was satisfied to add some nice, colorful, classic images to my portfolio.
Vernazza Cinque Terre, Italy [Copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]
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