Lazy Days in the Cinque Terre

Our Saturday morning train from Rome left the station 45 minutes late, and we were in a cramped 2nd class compartment with two Italian men and a hip priest with James Bond sunglasses and shoes so shiny I bet I could see my reflection in them if I tried. We made the best of our travel time by reading up on our destination, sleeping and eating a light lunch. Finally bright blue water began flashing past our window between tunnels and we knew a few days of relaxation were near.

The Cinque Terre translates, I believe, to "the five (cinque) lands (terre)". Basically it is 5 towns along the coast of the Ligurian Sea, all connected by train, boat and scenic hiking trails. And after three days (and two weeks) of busy travel, it offered us a break from sightseeing and a chance to catch our breath.

We arrived around 3:30 in the 4th town (if you are heading North) of Vernazza. As we stepped off the train and into the mass of tourists waiting to board, we could smell the sea air. We walked for 5 minutes through town, past pastel colored buildings and narrow streets with laundry hanging out of windows and reached the town's small harbor --- the only one among the towns. Our albergo faces the harbor (and was apparently once used as a guardhouse) and we had no trouble finding it. After climbing over 80 steps to the top floors, with the final stretch rivaling the final climb to the cuppola of St. Peter's, we had our little attic room. The small window overlooks the harbor, and everything was just perfect. Nothing fancy, but perfect all the same.

As seems to be our pattern, we took a two-hour siesta, and then decided we better explore the town. After purchasing (surprise!) gelato, we took Rick's town walk and oriented ourselves. By this point many of the day-trippers had left, and the town was quieting down as twilight descended.

We stopped at the local Internet Point to check on email and such things, and I made fast friends with four cats whose permanent perch seems to be on the stairs outside the door. Jason finally convinced me to leave the felines and we began our search for dinner. The first two restaurants we tried were reserved, so finally we ate at Piva's. Jason had basic, and delicious, spaghetti, and I tried the pesto --- and discovered that while it is tasty, it is not my cup of tea. With full stomachs, we headed down to the water to soak in the sunset.

Today we slept in a little, and then took a train back towards the first town of Riomaggiore to begin our hike. The trail between Riomaggiore and the next town of Manarola is called the Via dell'Amore and along its path are the professions of love of numerous couples carved into the rocks. It also offer some "oh wow" views of the water and scenery. I have never seen water so blue or clear. Jason said it is very similar to Hawaii.

When we reached Manarola, we continued on the slightly more strenuous hike to the third town of Corniglia. Along the way we could look down at the sunworshippers soaking up the rays (Italians haven't seemed to get the message that UVA rays equal skin cancer and wrinkles) and witnessed a few women without their tops on. Just another European experience for us.

In Corniglia we opted to hop on the train which took us past Vernazza to the last town of Monterosso. This seemed to be the most resort-y of the five, so we didn't waste any time finding the boat to take us home. Once we had fought through the tourist group crowd to board, it only took a few minutes before we were back in our familiar harbor. We went up to our room to cool down a bit and then stopped for some more delicious gelato as we strolled the town. After talking to both of our families, we made the start of the steep, strenuous hike towards Monterosso for some breathtaking views of Vernazza. It also allowed us to see the vineyards up close.

For dinner, we ate at Ristorante Castello, which sits right below the old town castle and offers gorgeous views of the Ligurian Sea. Jason ordered spaghetti with tomato and basil, and I stepped out on a limb and ordered "spaghetti on the rocks". It was noodles with mussels and clams and a whole crawfish as a little surprise --- and it was DELICIOUS. My dad would have LOVED it. We also ordered wine for the first time in Italy --- made from the famous Cinque Terre grapes. Between the two of us, we only ordered a little 375 ml bottle, but it still gave us a slight buzz. We're lightweights. :) After thoroughly enjoying our meal and the views, we headed back down the steps, strolled through town and ended up here at the little Internet Point.

Next stop: the Swiss Alps. Then on to Bern, and our finale in Paris. What a trip this has been! And we still have a week to go. We're looking forward to new adventures and also to coming home. But we have caught the travel bug, and it doesn't look like it will be going away any time soon. :)