Our aim with these My Favorite: posts is to give our well-traveled Explorica employees a chance to share some of their favorite travel experiences with all of you.
This week’s my favorite comes from Senior Program Consultant Aimee Chevalier. Take it away, Aimee…
My absolute favorite hike (so far) is undoubtedly through the five villages known as the Cinque Terre in the Liguria region of Italy along the Italian Riviera. I’ve had to opportunity to visit this area twice, and I know that I will return again. The quaint towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are connected by trains, boats, and gorgeous seaside walking trails.
You can hike the entire coast through all five villages – which takes about five hours – or you can simply travel from one town to the next. Some sections are an easy stroll, while others are more challenging. No matter which path you choose, you’ll come across glorious views of cliffsides which drop dramatically down to the turquoise sea lapping against the rocks. You also walk through vineyards and olive orchards, and be prepared to make some new friends along the way.
When I was traveling and living in Italy as a volunteer on organic farms, my fellow travelers and I had the opportunity to stay with a woman who had just built herself a house in Levanto, a town just north of the Cinque Terre, on the cliffs about 60 feet above the sea. We were building terraced gardens which crawled down the side of the mountain toward the sea during the day, and we ate dinner every night outside on top of the cliffs while listening to the water breaking against shore below. What a life!
