Europe Day 15: Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a pretty phenomenal place.  April 28 we set off to hike the trail that connects the five towns.  It was warm sunny in the morning, and just beautiful hiking along up above the coast.  Monterosso to Vernazza was a lot of stair-step climbing, but afforded amazing views of the sea, towns, cliffs, and vegetation. 

Heading out of Monterosso, south, toward Vernazza

Looking back at Monterosso

We hiked by vineyards...

...up stairs...

...along the coast (Monterosso again)...

...up more stairs...

...over waterfalls...

...by cliff-hanging houses...

...and amidst lovely flowers.

We took a few breaks to ponder life...

...and capture the moment.

Our first glimpse of Vernazza

I almost joined this little band...

...while Bryan practiced the Italian blown kiss.

We arrived in Vernazza and wandered around for a bit, taking in the sights and visiting the church. 

We also got some more water and found a restroom...which wasn't much to speak of...before setting off on the trail toward Corniglia.

Corniglia in the distance...and cloudy skies upon us.

Corniglia

We made it to Corniglia in decent weather, and found a spot for lunch after walking through town a bit.

Just as we started out after lunch again, on our way to Manorola, it started dumping buckets of rain.  We made a mad dash to the train station, and after hearing the trail would likely be closed due to mud, we caught the train back to Monterosso.  We were disappointed that we didn't get to finish the hike and that we didn't see Manorola and Riomaggiore, but we did complete the longest/hardest sections of the hike and now we have a great excuse to return!

Back in Monterosso Bryan took a siesta and I did a little souvenir shopping.  The rain stopped by the time we found another little place for dinner, where I had whole grilled fish for the 3rd time in 2 days.  But this time I be-headed and de-boned it myself!  After dinner and a bit more shopping, we walked back up to the church and the cemetary area to get a few photos before it got too dark.

Monterosso from the hilltop church

What a great day!  This is a place we definitely hope to return to.  I'd like to visit early summer or fall to avoid the crowds but take advantage of the beach and sun!