Il Blog delle Cinque Terre: News, Notizie Attualità Pensieri Idee. Commenti e Opinioni sulle 5 terre; Storia e Cultura. Sondaggi, Video, Trekking e Hotel Reviews
We’re receiving several requests asking what’s the situation in Vernazza regarding the progress of the reconstruction and the available touristic services. Having a look at the previous posts with tagged “alluvione” one can see the amazing progress carried on by the population, the administration and the volounteers. In just 6 months these extraordinary efforts have taken Vernazza
from this: ( first week of november 2011)
through this ( January 2012)
to this ( April 2012)
So now Vernazza is ready to host tourist, already present during Easter week, despite of the bad weather condition of this cold spring.
According with the savevernazza.com website, during next week many accommodations and restaurant will re-open and we hope to see lots of tourists coming back:
your presence is a concrete help for a complete recovery. Thanks for visiting Cinque Terre
Let’s try to put together some information regarding the situation of the paths here in Cinque Terre.
Everyone is probably aware of the flood occurred on Oct. 25th 2011 that caused heavy damages to the towns of Vernazza and Monterosso and to the surrrounding hills.
Short walk (path #2 variant Manarola) with beautiful views, currently open
The magnitude of this event has been so huge to affect the territory for several months and probably years. However, a large part of the 5 Terre area has been untouched by the flood; at the same time, the flooded towns are quickly recovering and, according with the official information from the local administrations, they will be ready to host visitors in some weeks. The path’s network has also been damaged by the flood and, moreover, it suffers a long-term lack of maintenance due to management “mistakes” in the past and economic crisis today.
So what can be the tourist’s expectation? Which are the paths open and what towns can be reached by foot? What is the best location as starting point for an hiking trip in 5 Terre?
Have a look at the map of the trails as appears (today march 18th) on the official website of the 5 Terre National Park (http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri-e-trekking.asp):
( Map updated on march 25th 2012, path #02 reopened Manarola-Groppo-path #1 )
Talking of the next 45/60 days this will likely be the situation:
Path number #2: the most known path, the one connecting directly the 5 villages is interrupted between Manarola and Corniglia due to a landslide and it’s interrupted in 3 points (segments 2.2, 2.3 & 2.4 on the map) between Manarola and Monterosso due to the flood and to an older landslide. The only open part is the Via dell’Amore, between Manarola and Riomaggiore (segment 2.1, marked in light blue) This is a very easy path, for everyone, no particular skills required. Fully paved and protected with rail, still needs the payment of a ticket (only until 7.30 P.M., after that the transit is free) it has a completion time of 20/30 min.
Consider, however, that the segments 2.3 and 2.4 are scheduled to open very soon; (click here to see the note below->) in this way it will be possible to connect Corniglia with Vernazza and Vernazza with Monterosso respectively in ~1.45hrs and ~2hrs
Path number #1:The high path runs a the top of the hills, it’s completely open and absolutely gorgeous. Appropriate for good hikers it needs a good trekking equipement. No ticket needed, it can be reached directly from one of its two extremes ( Levanto [preferably] or Portovenere) or from one of the “connection trails”, we’ll talk later about them..
The sanctuaries way is the second path marked in light blue on the map, it connects Volastra ( located above Manarola) with the church of Montenero (above Riomaggiore), completely flat it’s a path for everyone, but it’s a long hike: it takes ~2 hrs to Montenero and another ~1hr from the church to Riomaggiore. In fact there’re no public transportation from the sanctuary to Riomaggiore whilst one can easily reach Volastra with a bus from Manarola.
After this first description and a quick look at the map, let’s focus on Manarola, the town that currently is best positioned to reach the available hiking itineraries of the 5 Terre. Let’see in detail what they are..
We’ve seen that in just 30 minutes one can reach Riomaggiore from Manarola by the Via dell’Amore. From Riomaggiore one can decide to take a train to visit the other towns or proceed uphill on the path number #3 to reach the Church of Montenero in ~1.15 hrs. Than return back to Riomaggiore on the path #3A or complete the ring back to Volastra in ~2hrs than path number #6 down to Manarola in 30/40 min. Note that this itinerary made in the opposite direction needs no climb since one can take a bus from Manarola to Volastra, the rest is just flat and downhill.
Again From Manarola, along the path number #6 a good hiker can reach the path number #1 (Monte Marvede) in ~2hrs/2.30hrs. From the path #1 there’re some options: to Portovenere in ~3.30hrs/4 hrs and back by boat (boat service starts by the end of March, check the last ferry to return back) or to Riomaggiore through path #01 in ~2.30hrs; or to Vernazza via path #8 in ~4hrs.
Still on the path number #6 to Volastra in ~1hr. From there one of our nicest path, the #6D with wonderful panoramic sea views (see the picture below), will take you in Corniglia in ~1.15hrs through path #7A. The #6D has been recently cleaned by volunteers from Corniglia, Volastra and Manarola. Also in this case ..no climb is needed since one can take a bus from Manarola to Volastra and the rest is flat+downhill. Currently, from Corniglia one must take the train to move to another village.
Path #02, currently marked in red [In fact it has been reopened and marked in yellow, the map has been updated on march 25th], has actually been cleaned by volunteers of Manarola and Volastra and, after the positioning of new signals, should be praticable soon.
The #02 intersects the sanctuary road (~1 hr) and reaches the path #1 (708 meters altitude) in ~2 hrs.
Manarola hosts also short walking paths around the town, for those who like a ‘light hike‘ at sunset for example. In Manarola is available a service of naturalistic guide, to accompany small groups of people along the paths, to discover hidden corners and learn some basics about history, flora and geology of the area. Contact Sara at the number+39 3494973384 for more information.
Out of Manarola, some advices:
A very interesting hike is from Levanto to Monterossoalong the path #1 up to the ‘Mesco Observatory’ in ~1.30hrs and than downhill to the town of Monterosso along the path #10 in ~45min.
From Monterosso one can reach the Sanctuary of Soviore in ~1.15hrs via path #9.
Final consideration:
Views from path n° 6D between Volastra (above Manarola) and Corniglia - currently open
Despite the closure of an important element of the blue path (#2), the towns are all well connected to each other by alternative routes (except Corniglia-Vernazza tract for which you can easily use the train).
There’re many paths, less touristic but even better than the most known and crowded ones, that allow the hikers to walk in a “ring” to return back to the starting point with different levels of difficulty; ask the local guides for all the information. These are the oldest paths running through olives and wineyards that will make you feel the essence of our territory.
All paths, even those “high”, lesser known, offer splendid views of sea and sky, characteristic of our park.
Within few weeks the most of the paths will be open and an hard year will finally be left behind us.
See the map below -click to enlarge- updated on April 6th: according with the official information of the National Park and of the Municipality of Monterosso al Mare ( See here the official sheet->) the BLUE PATH number #2 has been reopened between Vernazza and Monterosso)
This important update makes possible a direct connection between Vernazza and Monterosso; at this point the only missing connection is Corniglia-Vernazza, we hope a quick solution. For the other paths -particularly Manarola/Corniglia- you can see the notes above.
It is said 2012 to be the end of the world…but for sure this won’t be true for Vernazza.
Vernazza has already had its Doomsday, it happened on Oct. 25th 2011, earlier than Maya’s prediction.
On contrary 2012 will be the renaissance of Vernazza where, since the very first minute after the flood, nobody spent one tear more than necessary and everyone is working hard to return back our wounded towns into the beauty that made them beloved worldwide. In these past 2 months an enormous amount of debrees and mud have been carried away, the town is starting to looks a bit more normal..A wedding has been celebrated on Dec. 10th; the doors of the first floors, 100% of them wiped out in one minute by the wild river, have been replaced with temporary plywood doors and they will be ALL painted by local artists on Jan 6th 2012 (see also http://vernazzafutura.blogspot.com/2012/01/un-arcobaleno-di-solidarieta-per.html). Signs of strong wish of return to normality. But will it be enough?
The huge amount of money needed combined with the logistic conditions and environmental difficulties make the job extremely hard..and the clock is running fast toward the beginning of the touristic season.
The Municipality has’nt taken an official position yet, we actually think it’s not possible to have one and -of course- we don’t want to gamble with predictions in matters that involve people’s lifestyle and livelihood, we just want to aks a question in name of all the small business of the other towns.
The strenght of the “CINQUE TERRE” brand, has unexpectedly turned into weakness. The very first message “Flood in the 5 Terre, the Cinque Terre don’t exist anymore” left the sign. Too few (even among tour operators and travel agents) are aware that only Vernazza (completely) and Monterosso (seriously but partially) have been hitted. The flood is indeed affecting every business of the 5 Terre and of the entire province, so we do believe it’s a fair question..Will Vernazza be ready for tourists in 2012?
The answer is likely NO. That’s my personal opinion and perception. Assuming that a part of the town itself could be accessible, the problem would be to conciliate tourism and construction sites, to supply a decent level of services and, more than all, to have secured the upper part of the town and the surrounding hills, almost destroyed by more than 100 landlsides.
That said..we want to engage a bit more the public with this POLL (that will remain active until the end of February) and try to understand what the scenario will be in case…
Strong seastorm in Manarola, SW wind 50 knots for 48 hrs made this.
The seastorms in Cinque Terre are real show, in this case the person got wet so we could laugh.. but sometimes, when they happen in summer, they can be very dangerous..
Among other initiatives to raise funds for the reconstruction of Vernazza, flooded on Oct. 25th 2011, we want to report a new site that has developed a good idea to tempt people to make a donation: http://pixelfor.com is an original, simple and nice way to contribute.
“Buy VIRTUAL pixels, help REAL people”
That’s the clear and effective motto of the site.
Starting at just 25 Euro for a block of 10 x 10 pixels you can buy a piece of a Vernazza’s picture and contribute to a real project of reconstruction.
The concept is to trasform the purchase of a VIRTUAL block of pixels into a REAL donation for REAL help to rebuild Vernazza and make it looking as it was
FROM THIS
TO THIS
The flooded Vernazza will be covered by the new picture, point by point, while people buy the pixels, bringing back Vernazza to its beauty.
At the same time the areas of pixels bought will become a permanent link to the website of the buyer, a nice and effective sponsorship.
See it in action clicking on the “BUY PIXELS” button: GO, DONATE AND GET YOUR LINK NOW!!
For a “Featured Sponsorship” with exposure of your BRAND/LOGO a minimum of 30×30 pixel area is requested.
Enjoy it, this is a presentation video:
The funds are managed by the “Pubblica Assistenza Croce Bianca Riomaggiore ONLUS” a ‘non- profit’ org. located in Riomaggiore http://aid.cinqueterre.com/about
One month after the flood that hitted Vernazza, Monterosso and a large area between east Liguria and North Tuscany, the situation is still a long way to be solved.
These picture taken today (Nov. 24th) show the main street of Vernazza “Via Roma” devastated like after a”tsunami” or a battlefield.
The donation are managed by the non-profit local organization “Pubblica Assistenza” Riomaggiore-Manarola, a basic and localized org. which is managing the 5terre emergency.
We can directly help those in most need with our knowledge of the area and sea, doing this much faster and more efficiently than the larger institutions.
That’s an important point, please share this information, we need your HELP!
[AGGIORNAMENTO 11/11/11]
Torniamo con un rapido aggiornamento sull’alluvione di Vernazza:
i cadaveri ritrovati nei giorni scorsi in mare in Costa azzurra appartengono ai dispersi di Vernazza: già identificati 2 dei 3 corpi: Sauro Picconcelli e Giuseppe Giannoni; la terza vittima è una donna e dovrebbe trattarsi di Giuseppina Carro.
Frattanto suscita polemica la rimozione del commissario Cosentino dalla guida del Parco delle 5 Terre in piena emergenza.
A Monterosso è stata celebrata la consueta Festa dei Cornuti (link disponibile per chi ha accesso a Facebook
______[FINE AGGIORNAMENTO]_______
[UPDATE 4/11]
Vernazza has been evacuated. From yesterday (03/11) evening only 40 people remain in the town of Vernazza. The decision has been taken in the Prefecture of La Spezia to prevent population to suffer further damages since the weather forecast are very bad for today and tomorrow and new heavy rain is expected in the next 48 hrs.
We all hope that it will not make the situation worse. See below a new video of the devastation with cars and trucks wiped out by the flood. Some new details seem indicate that ther’ve been at least 2 big landslides detached from the high and steep hills above Vernazza, exactly from the “road of Sanctuaries”, the most recent road builded acros the 80′s to connect Manarola (already reached by the road in the 70′s) with Corniglia and Vernazza.
As this article seems suppose, the road could be the origin (and the cause) of the lanslides that made the flood so devastating.
________END UPDATE_______
[AGGIORNAMENTO 01/11]
La decima vittima dell’alluvione è stata ritrovata oggi a Borghetto Vara mentre il Presidente della Repubblica Giorgio Napolitano in un messaggio al sindaco di Monterosso Angelo Betta ha elogiato l’eroico altruismo di Sandro Usai, il volontario morto a Monterosso, e ha confermato l’avvio della procedura per il conferimento della medaglia d’oro al valore civile.
Torna a fare paura la pioggia che è prevista molto forte per il prossimo weekend. In teoria si potrebbero verificare condizioni simili a quelle del 25 ottobre, Vernazza trema.
Previsioni Meteo Cinque Terre ->
_______[FINE AGGIORNAMENTO]_________
[AGGIORNAMENTO 31/10]
Oggi a caterpillar (Radio rai 2) intervistato il sindaco di Vernazza Vincenzo Resasco, ecco qui sotto l’audio dell’intervista
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I lavori procedono con grande impegno, c’è una gran voglia di tornare alla normalità.
Lo sbocco a mare del torrente esondato martedì scorso ( è la prima volta nella storia di Vernazza che ciò accade) è stato riaperto, ma naturalmente sul percorso restano molte migliaia di metri cubi di detriti che richiederanno molto tempo per essere rimossi.
E’ stata riaperta la linea ferroviaria ma solo su un binario e solo per treni merci e a lunga percorrenza a velocità ridotta; non è possibile per i passeggeri scendere e salire a Vernazza che resta raggiungibile solo via mare.
Le 5 terre intanto chiedono aiuto agli Stati Uniti; proposta all’ambasciatore USA a Roma David Thorne un’iniziativa che prevede un “buono vacanza” per i turisti americani che effettueranno un versamento in denaro per la ricostruzione.
_______FINE AGGIORNAMENTO______
[UPDATE 30/10]
Just another incredible video today, and the 9th victim of the flood found in Monterosso, the first volounteer killed by the mud wave..
2 more videos to add testimonials to the terrible event.
Today electricity is back in Vernazza and Monterosso, the motorway are all opened but trafic is slow.
Also one track of the railway has been reactivated and the vice-major Leonardini said that there will be huge restauration but no evacuation will be acted, except, eventually for a short time. In this case the other villages ( remind that Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia are intact) have offered hospitality to their brothers in trouble. In the meantime one house collapsed in the “Muro” fraction of Vernazza.
People is working very hard and Monterosso has partially changed after the catastrophic view of the first day, everyone is doing 200% of his best: no cry, no loud complain, just dig.
Unfortunately the number of casualties have increased to 8 and still an unprecised number of people ( 7-10) is missing in the zone affected by the flood.
____END UPDATE______
[UPDATE 28/10/2011]
Vernazza to be evacuated? it’s a possible evolution of the near future since several houses seem to be severely damaged, still there’s no water, no gas and no electricity. Today estimates says 35.000 cubic meters of debrees (!) have to be removed from the main street of the town, a new river-bed in place of the old one…One big Caterpillar taken in place by the Navy is operating near the seaside ( Piazza Marconi) where the space is wide enough; inside, only small buldozzer can acceede the internal street, it will be a long way to the recover.
The major of Vernazza said earlier today that Vernazza’s drama is understimated by local press and asked for HELP.
In the meantime some new videos (see here below) keep coming from eyewitness of these terrible moments when fear and impotence were mixed in an dramatically unforgettable experience..
Follow Cinque Terre on Twitter or become our FB fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cinque-Terre/272473763949 for updates
Pictures by Miraim Rossignoli (http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=523038047)
_________END UPDATE__________
[UPDATE 27/10/2011]
For our international guests some information for the next days:
The Town of Vernazza is unreachable because the road has been destroyed and the railway line is still under several meters of debrees. (see the picture below)
These link is to the last “TRENITALIA” schedule updated:
LONG DISTANCE: http://www.fsnews.it/cms-file/allegati/fsnews/Provvedimenti_Giorno_27_ottobre_2011.pdf
GENOVA-LA SPEZIA AND VICE VERSA: http://www.fsnews.it/cms-file/allegati/fsnews/La_Spezia_Ge_271011_B.pdf
Vernazza is the worse situation, it’s reachable only by boat and it’s a risky challenge since the harbour is filled with cars, trees, rocks, sunken boats and everything taken down by the fury of mud.
Vernazza has paid the worse tribute to the flood with 3 people missing, almost certainly died. Children have been evacuated and kept in the municipality hall, several houses are severely damaged and will need investigation.
Gas is over, water supply is over, electricity is partially over as well as comunications (phones, mobile and internet)
From Manarola and Riomaggiore a long column of small boats starts every morning to supply basic stuff such as food, medicines, water. Tomorrow ( 28/10) some diesel fuel will be taken ito supply a couple of small caterpillar already in place to try to move a part of the ENORMOUS amount of stones, trees and debrees that have dramatically changed the sealine and the heart of Vernazza. In this moment and for several month to come Vernazza is “on the knees”, most of the people has lost EVERYTHING, the entire economy is vanished..and that’s the reason why we need toursts to keep coming, to help us to recover. We’ll remake Vernazza and Monterosso more beautiful than before but we need everyone’s help.
COMPARISON PIC before and after:
see this twitter status for a dramatic comparison Aereal view Vernazza Harbour
The flood in Monterosso has also caused a terrible situation wit one died. A little bit better than Vernazza, due to the conformation of the town, wide and flat, the flooded area is already reachable and caterpillars have started to dig and move the enormous amount of debrees..
_______END UPDATE_______
Documentata in foto e video la terribile tragedia dell’alluvione di oggi 25 ottobre, che ha colpito i borghi rivieraschi di Monterosso e Vernazza (dove si contano 2 dispersi) Levanto e Bonassola e più nell’interno la Val di Vara..ecco un’ultim’ora:
(AGI) – La Spezia, 25 ott. – Sale a 8 il numero dei dispersi per l’alluvione nello Spezzino. Una palazzina composta da due abitazioni adiacenti e’ crollata in localita’ Cassana di Brugnato, in Val di Vara. Al momento una ragazza e’ stata estratta viva dalle macerie ma altre tre persone che abitavano nella casa risultano disperse e Vigili del fuoco e uomini della Protezione civile stanno cercando sotto le macerie. Altre tre persone risultano disperse a Borghetto Vara inghiottite dal fiume e altre due persone risulterebbero disperse a Vernazza.
Si trovavano all’interno della vettura che secondo alcuni testimoni sarebbe stata inghiottita dal fango. (AGI)
AGGIORNAMENTO DEL 26/10/2011 ore 18.00
A Vernazza mancano all’appello 3 persone, con molta probabilità decedute; il centro del paese è una distesa di detriti, la strada non esiste più; la ferrovia è interrotta, seppellita da un monte di detriti; nessun collegamento è possibile eccetto via mare; mancano luce acqua e gas, gli impianti sono completamente distrutti.
Negli altri borghi (Riomaggiore e Manarola) non colpiti dal disastro si è coordinato un censimento dei posti letto disponibili per l’ospitalità degli sfollati, circa 80 posti letto sono stati reperiti presso gli affittacamere e gli hotel risparmiati; in caso di bisogno contattare la P.A. Manarola allo 0187 920266.
Entirely filmed on the beautiful black beach of Corniglia in Cinque Terre – Italy, “Horizon” is a lovely storm of emotions: a beautiful woman’s body in a beautiful sight..
A moment of solitude, meditation, grace, passion, sensuality and natural beauty.
A perfect partnership of spirituality, beauty and nature.
The body in symbiosis with the environment.
The mind in harmony with the spirit.
Offerte speciali di primavera alle 5 Terre. Per consentire agli amanti del “fuori stagione” di godersi sole e natura ( i prossimi mesi sono interessantissimi per il trekking sui sentieri delle 5 Terre) a prezzi scontati, sul blog …
We’re receiving several requests asking what’s the situation in Vernazza regarding the progress of the reconstruction and the available touristic services. Having a look at the previous posts with tagged “alluvione” one can see the amazing progress carried …
Here we come with an updated timetable of the shuttle bus service in the 5 Terre valid from March 2012. Some things to remind: This timetable is subjected to changes, we don’t guarantee its accuracy. This post has …
Let’s try to put together some information regarding the situation of the paths here in Cinque Terre. Everyone is probably aware of the flood occurred on Oct. 25th 2011 that caused heavy damages to the towns of Vernazza …
A Vernazza, dopo l’alluvione del 25 Ottobre, le porte dei piani terra non c’erano più..tutte divelte dalla forza devastante del mostro. Poi , nelle scorse settimane i proprietari avevano installato delle porte provvisorie in legno compensato, tutte ugualmente …
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On contrary 2012 will be the renaissance of Vernazza where, since the very first minute after the flood, nobody spent one tear more than necessary and everyone is working hard to return back our wounded towns into the beauty that made them beloved worldwide. In these past 2 months an enormous amount of debrees and mud have been carried away, the town is starting to looks a bit more normal..A wedding has been celebrated on Dec. 10th; the doors of the first floors, 100% of them wiped out in one minute by the wild river, have been replaced with temporary plywood doors and they will be 
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