We spent two days in the Cinque Terre, which is the rugged coastal area of the Italian Riviera. Specifically, we stayed in Vernazza, which is one of the 5 small towns that compose the Cinque Terre. While we say that we liked all the places we visited, we have to put an asterisk next to the Cinque Terre, indicating that we especially loved this area. It was so ruggedly beautiful and pristine, and all 5 of the towns were very quaint and each one unique. The seafood here was exceptional, as was the fresh pesto. It seemed odd when we first saw our green pasta, but our doubts were quickly dispelled once we tasted it! There was an awesome little place where we ate breakfast both mornings that was also especially unique and delicious. It is run by twin brothers, nick-named affectionately as the "cannoli brothers" because they are such excellent pastry chefs. We, of course, did hiking along the coast, which was very strenuous at times, but the views were well worth it. Each little village had it's own feel to it. Other than Vernazza, Corniglia was one of our favorites. Very remote and quiet. You definitely know you are not in America anymore when a whole town pretty much shuts down for a funeral. One of the days when we were in Vernazza, most all the restaurants and little shops shut down in honor of one of the townspeople who had died. Oh, and cats lie around on the store steps and alley ways... This is another area we definitely want to re-visit sometime soon.
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| Preston enjoying the view, after climbing up above Vernazza |
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| An old castle sitting above the town |
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| Amazingly clear water |
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| Still enjoying the views above the village |
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| The locals |
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| Getting ready to enjoy the "Via dell'Amore"(pathway of love) which is the pretty level, easy hike between Riomaggiore and Manarola, popular for romantic strolls |
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| Entry way to the Via dell'Amore - notice the heart-shaped locks above Preston's head |
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| Beginning of the Via dell'Amore |
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| The hike lived up to it's expectations - it was a very peaceful and relaxing stroll |
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| End of the Via dell'Amore |
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| Back in Vernazza, down at the harbor |
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| Sitting on the rocks, enjoying some aged Parmigiano cheese and fresh strawberries while watching the sunset |
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| Our delicious cappuccino and pastry breakfast at Il Pirata cafe |
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| Beginning our hike from Vernazza to Monterrosso, arguably the hardest hike, that's why we saved it for first thing in the morning! |
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| Vernazza from a different angle |
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| This is what our terrain was like - uphill most of the way |
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| Another view of Vernazza as we headed towards Monterrosso |
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| Looking down at the water from our trail |
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| Preston once again trying to give me a heart attack, walking out on an old stone wall , with a long, straight shot down if he fell - it was a pretty cool picture though :) |
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| Look how tiny Vernazza looks now in the distance |
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| Our narrow pathway |
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| Not much room for walking |
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| An old door we stumbled upon |
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| Monterrosso |
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| Preston singing "I'm on a Boat" - I got my swimtrunks and my flippie-floppies... (We took a ferry from Monterrosso, the northern-most town, down to Riomaggiore, the southern-most town, so we could get an ocean view of all 5 towns) |
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| This is the land slide that shut down the trail between Manarola and Corniglia |
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| Manarola |
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| Corniglia - notice how high up it is. We had to walk up over 800 steps from the train station just to reach the town |
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| Photo-op at Corniglia |
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| On the trail from Corniglia to Vernazza |
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| Looking back down at Corniglia |
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| Approaching Vernazza from the south |
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| Our last morning in Vernazza, we had to get some breakfast "to-go" from Il Pirata |
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| Preston enjoying his pastry on the train, heading out to Florence |
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