Thursday, August 16, 2012

Corniglia (or why you need to buy a train ticket even though no one is checking)

I skipped this town in my posts "Five Ways to Save in Cinque Terre" because we didn't stay there very long.  It’s the third town, whether you’re coming from the north or the south.  It’s also the only town where you have to walk up crazy steps just to get to it.  We were more interested in walking down the steps to leave.
Totally caught off guard by this mountain of steps!
Don’t get me wrong, this town is lovely, just as lovely as the rest, but minus the water.  The town is on a giant hill, although there is a beach below.  It’s called Guvano Beach and it used to be a nude beach.  I was disappointed to find not much swimming, and no nudes.  Luckily, my sister-in-law had been there a few years earlier and she caught some twigs and berries on camera.
Courtesy of my sister-in-law. Thankfully the action
is in the distance becuase this site is not X-rated.
However, I did learn a very important lesson on the way to Corniglia.  We took the train.  This was about the fifth train ride we had taken in the Cinque Terre and NO one had checked our tickets.  So, even though we had bought the tickets, we didn’t validate them.  We were trying to be economical by breaking the law…

Of course, we were the very first people the conductor checked when we sat down.  Luckily, we only got a ticket and a fine of €10 for both of us (I read some tourists are fined upwards of €50 each).
Looking on the bright side, we are now international
law-breakers!
So, word to the wise:
1.      Buy your ticket either from the live person or the green kiosks (the one in Riomaggiore was broken when we were there)
2.      Don’t lie about your final destination
3.      STAMP YOUR TICKET AT THE YELLOW OR GREEN BOXES AT THE TRAIN STATION.  There are usually several boxes around, and they are usually either right by the ticket booth or on the platform.

Total Cost: €10 for two people

Best Deal: Actually buying a train ticket, which would have been only €2 ($2.47ish)

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