Cinque Terre!

Okay, I know I said Siena was my favorite but Cinque Terre really WAS my favorite! It was everything I had hoped and more! Cinque Terre literally translates to "the five lands" and that's what it is, a series of 5 small towns on the rugged mountain coast of Italy. We didn't go to the towns in order but kinda jumped around based on where we were staying. We started off in Monterosso(5) so we could see the beach and sun. Originally we had planned to sleep in town 1, Riamaggiore, then hike from there to town 4, Vernazza. However, the trails from 2-4 were closed because of a land slide so we hiked from Riamaggiore(1) to Manarola (2) then took a train to Corniglia(3). The 2nd night we slept in Manarola (2) then this morning (Sunday) we took a train to Vernazza (4) then hopped on another to Monterosso (5) one last time. If you didn't follow all that, I don't blame you. Just know that it was incredible! I'll try to specify which town photos were taken in because each town was different and had it's own vibe. 

This is the beginning of our journey in Cinque Terre in town 5, Riomaggoire. 

We layed out on the rocky beaches, picked out our favorite pretty rocks, and even went from an ice cold swim! 

I think I may get a new bathing suit. . .I mean, I want to blend in with the culture! 

 So Saturday morning we got up and were dropped off outside of Riomaggiore. We had passed this view on the drive and decided to walk up the mountain road away from town to see it again. It was TOTALLY worth it! I was so excited and overwhelmed with the view. This is a photo of Riomaggiore from outside of town. 

This began out walk down stone steps into town. We passed many "vertical vineyards" which is what they use to make wine. 

Once in town we walked down into the marina and were taken away with more incredible views. Riomaggiore was one of my favorites of the five. 

and then my camera died until lunch. =( 

So we hiked to Manarola along the Via Dell'Amore, "the Love Walk". 

And welcome to Manarola! We jumped off this rock/cliff! 

Taylor and I jumped, Hartley was happy to photograph the occasion for us from the dry safely of land.

Me! 

 Taylor!

Next we took a train to Corniglia and passed more vertical vineyards. We picked a few of these grapes and they tasted just like sour green plums but with no pits. Momma, you would love them! I did. 

 We also quickly learned that to get into town three you have to climb 382 stairs. Once we were in town we got gelato pronto then saw there was much to see. A local pointed us to the marina saying it was only  "a few steps down that way" which turned out to be 347 (I counted). We went up 382, down 347, up 347, then down 382. We were worn out! But here's what we saw. . .

This was the "marina" where we could "swim". . . sikeeeee. But it was still nice to sit for a few minutes and rest! 

 When we finally arrived at our room for the second night we were beyond pleasantly surprised to find this as our balcony view! 

Sunday morning we slept in a little later to rest our weary bones. Heading to the train station we passed many gorgeous hydrangeas including these that were bigger than my head! Sissy, you would have LOVED them! Momma too! 

Granny, I hear that you like them too! 

Welcome to Vernazza! This was also one of my favorite towns. . .

We bought these bracelets and were super excited about them! 

Our last stop was back to Monterosso for just a few hours.

I also bought that pretty hair clip that was made locally for super cheap! 

 Hartley was really eager to do a wine tasting so that is just what we did in Monterosso! We had a sample of a white wine from each of the five towns. 

Walking back to the train we saw this cute old man feeding this cat. There were cats everywhere! I had mixed feelings about them. . .

Overall, this weekend was so wonderful! After a rainy week in Florence we were so thankful for the sunshine and sea! We intentionally made no mention of school or upcoming assignments and simply soaked up the moment of where we were. We ran into some Georgia folks and shared a meal with them, had the yummiest and cheapest pizza for lunch one day, had the even more yummiest and most expensive lobster ravioli and tiramisu for dinner that night, and saw more that I could ever describe in this blog. When in Italy, GO TO CINQUE TERRE! 

xoK