What better way to kick-start the summer than a weekend getaway to the Italian Riviera! The Cinque Terre is one of my favorite Italian destinations, complete with sun, sea, trails, delicious cuisine and unbeatable scenery. I've had the opportunity to visit this jewel of Italy twice previously, but really wanted Jon to experience this amazing destination. Our friends, Meghan and Dave, joined in on the adventure and we had a fantastic four days exploring the five villages known as Cinque Terre.
After arriving in the most resort-esque village of the five, Monterosso, we walked around town before watching the sunset from a beautiful lemon grove and garden on the rooftop of our hotel. In the garden, we discovered a vending machine that dispenses small bottles of local wine that were quite the hit with our group. The views above Monterosso and out to sea were absolutely breathtaking.
The following morning, we began our hike through the hillside along the sea to visit the five villages. The most difficult section, between Monterosso and Vernazza, has tons of stairs, but the views high above the sea are worth it.
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| View of Monterosso from the start of the trail |
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| Hiking the trail between Monterosso and Vernazza |
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| Vernazza |
In October 2011, the area experienced some heavy flooding and subsequent mudslides that caused mud to build up 5 feet tall in the villages. Vernazza was hit the worst and the town came together to clean it up and restore it before tourist season began in June. Although there was still lots of work being down on the buildings, it's amazing to think how much the town accomplished in the past 8 months. Looking down on Vernazza from the trail, this picture-perfect town doesn't seem real, and it's no wonder it's the jewel of the Cinque Terre.
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| Vernazza Harbour |
From Vernazza, we were not able to continue the hiking path to the next two villages as the trail had not been restored yet from the mudslides. So, we visited Corniglia by train and enjoyed walking through this hilltop village.
Next, we trained to Manarola where we re-connected with part of the open trail and found a great spot for deep-sea swimming. The turquoise water was so refreshing and though there are no beaches in this area, it's wonderful to be able to jump right off the rocks into clear deep water with no one else in sight.
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| Our swimming hole |
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| Manarola |
From the beautiful town of Manarola, we continued on the Via dell'Amore path to Riomaggiore. This path received the name, "Lover's Lane" from locals in both towns who were now able to visit more frequently, and make love connections, on the newly built path between towns. Today, the path is lined with lovers' names, and Jon and I decided to leave our mark as well.
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| 'Jon and Cat' on the Via dell'Amore |
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| Riomaggiore |
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| At the Monterosso train station - our main form of transportation between the villages |
From Riomaggiore, we trained back to Monterosso after a splendid day of exploring the Cinque Terre. The next day, we headed back to Vernazza for sun-bathing, swimming and boating around the coastline.
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| Swimming in the Vernazza harbour |
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| Swimming in the Vernazza Harbour |
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| Vernazza Harbour |
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| Boating around the Cinque Terre coastline |
Our final night in Monterosso, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Ligurian seafood before visiting our favorite pub. Although it is a small village, the amount of tourists here by day is incredible, though not too many make it out after dinner. We enjoyed meeting those that did and watching the locals. Two of the locals I met with my friend, Allison, nine years ago are still here. It seems some things really do never change. I guess that's part of the appeal of Cinque Terre, where time really does stand still.
Our last day, we walked around town to find the locals assembling a carpet of flowers for a procession taking place later that day. Unfortunately, we would miss that, but it was incredible to see the team- work talking place from the very young to the very old, all lending a hand to create this beautiful carpet that would wind through town.
Before our flight out of Pisa, we planned a little bit of time to visit Pisa's Field of Miracles, to include the Leaning Tower and Duomo. Of course, we had to take the obligatory silly photos in front of the tower.
It was an incredible four days in one of my favorite region's of Europe and I'm so glad I was able to share it with Jon and our amici, Meghan and Dave. Grazie mille, Cinque Terre!
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