Has anyone been following the devestating floods within the Cinque Terrem, Levanto, Aulla, and La Spezia? Would it be wise to avoid the area next summer as they rebuild and clean up? The news reports have indicated very little money to help with the rebuilding process.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Scroll down just a few topics to see the current discussion.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32386 posts
Steve, As Michael mentioned in the previous reply, there's a very active discussion currently taking place on this subject - look for the Thread "Cinque Terre floods" in this section of the HelpLine. You might also want to have a look at Rick's Travel News on the Homepage, as he presents several articles on the subject. I absolutely DON'T believe it would "wise" to avoid the area next summer! That's a long way off, and while the area may not be completely back to normal, I'm confident the residents of Monterosso and Vernazza will be ready at that time for tourists to return. Keep in mind that they'll need all the support they can get from tourism in order to rebuild their lives and businesses. Also, there are three towns in the C.T. that weren't affected by the flooding, so you could certainly stay there also. Based on the information I have at the moment, Levanto wasn't as badly affected, so it will likely be ready for tourists to return in the spring. My suggestion would be to monitor the situation and make a decision on your travel plans sometime in the spring. If you decide to visit the C.T., I'd also suggest that you book accommodations EARLY. Cheers!
Posted by
Smith, BC, Canada
11 posts
I have a bit of a different take on going there next summer.
We were there in mid June this year and 2 parts of the main hiking trail were closed and when we returned in late August early Sept. we learned they were still closed because the landslides ( occurred during heavy spring run-off) hadn't been cleared due to no budget. If you have been following the financial woes of Italy lately you'll know that they are in tough tough times. So the tremendous extent to which public money has to be applied to getting access to the towns and roads again, it's likely that the trails, 1 of the key reasons for going there, will not be available. But keep following up on this. There are some great places to stay and people to meet there, so if not this coming summer, definitely the next one. Just my 2 cents
Posted by
OP
Kirksville
4 posts
I appreciate the comments and there is an active discussion below. For the Italian perspective on things in the La Spezia area, check out www.spezia.tv for some graphic video of the past flooding.