“Nothing except time is wasted in Italy.” Thomas Bailey Aldrich, writer

And that’s exactly what we did … wasted time admiring the panoramic views of
the Cinque Terre (Five Lands), a mountainous coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our small bus drove us down on cliff hugging roads that switchback between sea and mountain scenery. Almost every inch of the steep incline has been heavily terraced with lush vineyards, orchards and olive groves sprung from the bare terrain. Every turn provided gorgeous views up and down the coastline.

The easiest way to visit the Cinque Terre is by trains that run from the gateway port city, La Spezia, to all five towns. It’s incredible to imagine the engineering feat blasting through the mountains to connect the towns. Vehicle traffic is regulated during the high season and parking is extremely limited. There’s also a famous trekking trail known as Sentiero Azzurro, used to connect the five villages, but the section from Riomaggiore to Manarola called the Via dell’Amore is closed. It’s still possible to walk between these villages, although the trail is both steeper and longer than the (closed) path along the waterfront.

Our tour took us to Riomaggiore and Vernazza; the former being my favorite. We walked down the hilly main street to its narrow harbor, taking in the multi sun-drenched colors of its stacked tower-houses (3-4 storied narrow houses). The stunning storybook scenery constantly fights for attention. One is easily distracted by the next alleyway, nook or stairway that could lead you to a charming, small open courtyard filled with hanging laundry, flowerpots and decorative flourishes.

Arriving off season has two advantages – no crowds, no stifling heat. The trade-off is very few shops and eateries are open. The weather can be fickle … we got lucky because the day before saw torrential rains allowing no vistas.

Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. I snacked on a cone-shaped paper holder filled with fried calamari, lightly battered, crispy and just the right amount of chew. This area and the region of Liguria, as a whole, is famous for ​pesto​, a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese. So we had to taste …

David had a slice of indescribably delicious pesto and cheese pizza that I had to beg him for a taste. You see, I usually find pesto too heavy-handed on the basil, so it’s never been a favorite taste profile. What made this version uniquely different were the aforementioned components were combined in perfect harmony, beginning with the best ingredients. We bought a small jar to enjoy back home … a little goes a long way.

Focaccia is a particularly common locally baked bread product from this area and they’re offered with all kinds of toppings. I chose one with thinly sliced onions … with Italy, it’s been a continuing dilemma of too much food, too little time.

Finally, after walking up and down many steps it was gelato time. The scoops of rich dark chocolate were almost black in color and another of hazelnut chocolate explains the true meaning of death by chocolate.

After 4 hours of wasting, meandering, aimless time through these two enchanting villages, it was time to return to our ship and sail away from Italy.

​On the Menu …​ the glorious streets foods of the Cinque Terre: fried calamari, pesto pizza, onion focaccia and gelato … oh what a divine waste of time!