My first trip to Italy was in February 2020 – mere weeks before lockdown. It was a revelation. So much culture, history, food, beauty. You can close your eyes and pick anywhere on the map of that country, and you’ll likely find yourself in a beautiful place steeped in splendour. Since that time, I have returned to visit Naples, Florence, Lecce, Pisa, Siena, Bergamo, and – most memorably to Venice.

My journey to Venice was a once in a lifetime experience. October 2020 – the world was locked down. But airplanes were flying from Dublin to Venice and me, along with five other passengers visited the fabled city. A city that in normal times suffocates through tourism, was largely empty. No cruise ship passengers or budget airline city-breakers, no day-trippers. That week, the city was left to Italian tourists and me. To be able to witness Venice in those circumstances was special, and likely never to be repeated.

This year’s trip was taking me to the Cinque Terre and onwards to Genoa. The Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is a coastal stretch in Liguria, in northwest of Italy. It comprises of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The villages lie to the west of the city of La Spezia . Part of the Italian Riviera the Cinque Terre is regarded as one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.

I landed at 9pm in Pisa Airport and took the train to Central Station where a high speed Frecciabianca would get me to La Spezia by 10.15pm. Not quite. The train was an hour late, so it was close to midnight when I rang the bells to the B&B where the landlord who was reeking of stale wine, showed me to my room.

The following morning, I rose early to have an Italian coffee and pastry before heading back to my room to do a morning’s work. This was inconvenient but unavoidable. Having gone quite overboard when it comes to travel in 2023 my remaining holidays were insufficient to cover my travels. Meaning I was accompanied by my work laptop – which thankfully this time I managed not to leave in airport security at Dublin.

At midday I logged off and went to La Spezia central station where I purchased a forty-eight-hour Cinque Terre ticket which would allow unlimited travel between each of the villages. I was keen to do this on the Friday, calculating that as a workday the crowds would be thinner than the following day. I boarded a jam-packed to the furthest of the villages – Monterosso al Mare. My plan was to visit each one, coming closer to La Spezia with each stop.

The villages are spectacularly beautiful – multi-coloured houses built into the mountainside surrounded by a UNESCO World heritage park with vineyards dotting the landscape. The middle village Corniglia was the most challenging as it required a steep climb to reach it. All are hundreds of years old and have been perfectly preserved. An enchanting place to spend six hours walking.

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