24.5.2000 RIOMAGGIORE is the southern-most town of Cinque Terre. From La Spezia, the train will take you through tunnels carved out of the cliff side. Twice during the ride, you catch a glimpse of water and sunlight, just for a second, through a hole in the tunnel. The view is so pretty and in such stark contrast to the darkness of the tunnel that a round of “Oohs” and “Aahs” circulates the cabin. The Italian woman across from me is all too familiar with this part of her train ride. “Cinque Terre,” she tells me knowingly and smiles.

The train slows down and there is a blast of light as we come out of the tunnel into the station that hangs over the water, in a space carved out of the cliff side. Now everyone is in a rush to get off the train.

I had heard from other travelers to avoid MAMA ROSA’S HOSTEL in Riomaggiore, that it was dirty and noisy and that there were better deals in towns in apartments. But I wanted to stay in a Hostel and Mama Rosa’s was right next to the train station.

Normally, dressed just like an Italian Mama, she’ll greet you at the station and ask if you need a place to stay. She neglected to meet my train but it didn’t really matter, because right in front of the station is Mama Rosa’s store where Sylvio, Mama Rosa’s toothless son, was more than willing to rent out a bed to me.

The Hostel looks like any other building in Riomaggiore but inside it is partitioned into rooms with aluminum beams and frosted glass, a post-modern touch that looks interesting but offers no sound insulation. You can hear everything in the entire hostel. The hostel is cleaned less often than others I had stayed at. A lot of people stay at Mama Rosa’s for a night and then find other accomodations in town. I personally couldn’t be bothered with moving.

Your first impression of Riomaggiore is that it’s MUCH smaller than anticipated. The area in front of the station is composed of a couple buildings with nothing else in sight.

Thankfully, I met a German girl checking into the hostel who had been to Cinque Terre before. She showed me the tunnel that runs alongside the train track that goes back south into the main part of town.

Crossing through the tunnel, everything makes sense again.

In the main part of town, there’s the one main street that winds up the hillside bordered by buildings. No cars are allowed in town. If you drive, you have to park your car at the top of the hill and walk down into town. There are alleys that run up and down stairs through the buildings and up to the top of the hill where a stone fortress stands.

But that’s not all.

If you blink as you come into the sunlight at the end of tunnel you’ll miss the stairs leading down to the marina. From the marina, there’s a pathway that leads to the spiaggia, the beach.

Don’t expect white sand. It’s all pebbles and rocks, but with a little manipulation you can carve yourself a comfortable place to lie in the sun.