Ferragosto in Cinque Terre

When I got an invite to visit Cinque Terre for Ferragosto with two of my best friends – who was I to refuse? I had never been to Cinque Terre before, and not having visited this famous place for as long as I’ve lived here – It just felt long overdue. Arriving to Cinque Terre from Florence is honestly really easy by both car and by train. We opted to go by car because we were going to be staying in a place that was a bit up the hill from the seaside, so travelling there with a car just logistically made more sense. Georgette had worked out a deal with the owner of the place we stayed at, and while it was nice to be honest I didn’t get the best vibe from the owner -especially when they realized I was a photographer and were trying to pressure me into taking photos for free for them to use- so I won’t be sharing any photos of the place here. Talking with G (My abbreviation of Georgette) about it I was happy to know she got the same vibes and doesn’t plan on returning anytime soon either, but I digress!

Check out my collection of framed artistic prints from Cinque Terre Here

Once we completed the ~2.5 hour car ride to Bonassola I got the pleasure to meet their friend Shari who was joining us for the trip, who I’m so thankful to now call one of my friends. For anyone curious, Shari is the owner of Sole Yoga Holidays which is a company that specializes in organizing yoga retreats and wellness vacations in various locations around the world such as Nambia, Santorini, Positano, Jordan, Sardegna, Morocco, Seregeti & Zanzibar, Botswana, and Scotland. Retreats include daily yoga classes, meditation sessions, healthy meals, and wellness activities such as hiking, spa treatments, and cultural excursions. Sounds pretty amazing right? Shari is honestly just such a wonderful person so I had to give her a little shout out here. Hopefully I’ll join one of her retreats someday 😉

Back to Bonassola I bet you’re wondering “But Scott, Bonassola isn’t a part of Cinque Terre – what are you trying to pull here?!’ – Look, relax, okay. Bonassola isn’t a part of Cinque Terre – but let’s not get worked up here ;p . If you’re reading this and you actually knew that Bonassola isn’t one of the towns included in ‘Cinque Terre’ I would be very impressed with you 😉 (If you’re not Italian)

Bonassola is a town that is conveniently connected to Levanto, Italy – which, if there were ‘Sei Terre’ – Levanto would be the sixth. The bike path between Bonassola and Levanto is a popular attraction for cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts visiting the Ligurian coast of Italy. The path runs along the former railway line that once connected the two towns, offering breathtaking views of the sea and the rugged coastline. The bike path is approximately 5 kilometers long and passes through several tunnels that were originally built for the railway line, it’s honestly so awesome! The tunnels are illuminated and well-ventilated, making them a bit of a safe haven from the sun as well, especially when it’s quite warm. Inside the tunnels can actually get quite cool so if you go – be sure to prepare for that 🙂

Bonassola itself is a charming coastal town located in the Liguria region of Italy, known for its picturesque scenery and relaxed atmosphere. Georgette and Nico enjoy going there because you get the relaxed benefits of the beautiful sea, without the masses of tourists that visit Cinque Terre. There’s also a great bar at the beach where you can order drinks and snacks whenever you need throughout the day, which was obviously convenient – especially for an afternoon aperitivo!

What would a trip to Cinque Terre be without actually visitings some of the Cinque Terre towns though? After spending a couple days exploring and relaxing in Bonassola we decided to Visit Vernazza and Monterosso Al Mare.I was honestly super impressed with Monterosso al Mare because of how beautiful the beach was, and I particularly loved the enormous rock that highlights the shore by the second free beach. Mind you, this second ‘free beach’ is actually ‘free rocks’, which is pretty hilarious. If you don’t pay for a spot you actually have to climb around this rope at the end, and then you can lounge for free on the rocks that are there. I personally thought it was pretty cool though because many of the rocks are quite large so sitting on and between them isn’t too uncomfortable – besides we spent most of the time in the water anyway.

Heading to Vernazza I was particularly impressed with their church which is quite literally on the water. I’ve seen a lot of churches in my day, but may how cool is that?! Could you imagine going to church on Sunday morning, and then just immediately jumping into the sea after? What an absolutely amazing and unique place. The beach in Vernazza was quite small though so we decided to do some other touristy stuff such as climbing the steep street up to the tower so we could get some views looking down on the town and along the coastline. 

After we got back to Bonassola to try to decompress, the next day we decided to head north a bit to see a portion of an installation of the Rapallo to Portofino red carpet – dubbed “Red Carpet Più Lungo del Mondo” (Longest Red Carpet in the World) created by Montecolino in Rapallo was actually recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest red carpet in the world, measuring 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) long.

Since it was pretty hot we decided to only walk a portion of it, and in the end we found ourselves at a great little locals-only type bar that was hidden away in this secluded alcove in Framura called BAR AGÛA. Can anyone say crostini and fresh alici? Yes please!

All in all this was an amazing first trip to Cinque terre, even though we only went to two of the towns that are ‘Officially’ a part of Cinque terre, I am super pleased with how this trip went, and next time I come back I’ll definitely make a point to visit the rest of the towns as well – or maybe the next few times! Cinque Terre was definitely worth the wait, and I can 100% understand the hype around it.

Cheers until next time!

Scott