Cinque Terre

Cinque terre was possibly the destination I was most looking forward to in this entire trip, and it did not dissapoint. We got into Monterosso, the largest of the 5 towns, yesterday and immediately went to the beach. We enjoyed the sun and the sea and spent the evening wandering through the shops in the town. I befriended a large group from the UK who were staying at our hostel and ended up hanging out with them down by the beach at night. Rowdy group, but a lot of fun.

This morning we set off around 0830 for the hike between the 5 towns. The first was largely uphill and close to 90 minutes long. The view of the town built into the side of the hill as well as the view of the sea was beautiful. The second walk was slightly less strenuous and the rest were quite easy even with the sun beating down on us. There were many beautiful flowers and trees along the walk and we saw many lemon trees and vineyards along the way as well. We wandered into each of the towns that we passed (numbers 2 and 3 are Vernazza and Corniglia), in search of gelato or other refreshing treats. Just outside Manorola we stopped at a swimming cove to cool off. The water was quite clear and the perfect temperature. From Manarola to Riomaggiore we walked through the Via del Amore (tunnel of love) which I was disappointed to find was not heart shaped! Once in Riomaggiore I set out to tan on some large rocks while the girls went out in search of the Ecobus. Tonight we are sitting in a bar right on the ocean (free internet.. which is why I am inside for a moment) and the view of the sun setting is positively gorgeous. Cinqueterre truly is a special place.

Tomorrow we are off to Nice and so I must say ciao to Italy. Somehow I think I will be back one day.