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Published: August 27th 2008
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Monterosso
View of Monterosso from the start of our 90 minute hike to Vernazza ...do as the Romans do. Here in August that means, leave the city and go on holiday. Since Jackie and Rob were visiting and we all have limited funds, we stayed in the country. That's what most Italians do anyway, unless you're Davide. In that case, you head to Turkey and Cuba. So my travels in August included Cinque Terre, Positano, Florence and of course, the beaches of Ostia.
But over the past week I've traveled a bit. Jackie, Heather and I went to Cinque Terre last week for a couple days. It was amazing. Each town had it's own character, and they were all nicely connected by train and hiking trails. Heather, Jackie and I did the first trek. It was 90 minutes and we hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza. Jackie was a little more ambitious and did the next 90 minute hike as well. Heather and I opted for the train 😊 Hey, it's vacation, I just want to relax. Hiking is not really my idea of fun. Fun is laying on the beach with the Mediterranean Sea and sun giving you a nice bronze look. Fun is not hiking and climbing about 600 stairs and sweating through
Monterosso
The view from our hotel two shirts while carrying all your stuff and having bugs attack you. This is why I admire Jackie...she was definitely more active while my lazy ass was on the train. After arriving in the third town (which I planned on hiking since it was only 45 minutes to Manarola from Corniglia) we all decided that the beach was calling our names in Riomaggiore. So train it was. After waiting for 30 minutes for the train, we realized we probably could have just walked it that quickly. We arrive in Riomaggiore to see that there is no actual beach. It's just rocks. Small rocks and very large rocks. Not the most ideal way to lay out and tan. Since I didn't want to crack my head open on a rock in the sea, I decided to just sit on a rock along the water's edge to cool off. I still almost fell on the unstable rocks, but at least I survived.
It was so different being here in these towns. We stayed in Monterosso, the only town with an actual sand beach. It was very small. Everyone (the locals anyway) knew each other. When someone in the town dies, there
Monterosso
One of the beaches is a death notice posted in the town listing all the funeral details. We stayed with Manuel and his son Lorenzo in a guest house. For 75 euro, you couldn't beat it. Ok, the 300 stairs we had to climb to get there could have been a little less, but otherwise it was nice. We had a really nice view and had two queen sized beds and two singles. We also had a little veranda area and a fridge with a private shower and towels and linens provided. When we were walking through the town we ran into Lorenzo and Manuel, and it was so nice to receive a friendly "Buona Sera" or "Buon Giorno" from someone. We felt at home here. We told Lorenzo we needed to "check out" early the next morning. He told us we could just leave the money and the key inside the room. Could you EVER imagine this happening in America, or in any city around the world? It was just amazing to me. I think more people should experience this place and everything it has to offer.
In Positano, it was a bit of the same as Cinque Terre. Houses and shops
Vernazza
View from the end of our 90 minute hike from Monterosso. This is what greets you. are perched on a rocky cliff. It's a small town that caters to large tourism. There are more tourists than locals. I couldn't imagine actually living in one of these towns. The beach here was made entirely of small pebbles. I always thought I hated sand. Actually, I prefer it. The rocks and pebbles are difficult to walk on and lay on, and while sand gets hot, the stones just retain that heat and are scorching. I always thought I'd love Positano. I did. But I think I prefer Cinque Terre. And actually, I still prefer Taormina and Giardini Naxos to all of the beach towns I've been to. Maybe because Taormina has it all. The hillside town, with the sandy beach along the Mediterranean below.
On the way home from Positano, we made a quick stop in Sorrento and Naples. Sorrento is calm, relaxing and scenic. Naples is loud, big, and dirty. There was a trash emergency there earlier this summer. Trash was littering the streets, and the smell was unbearable. Now, it's back to being it's gritty old self known for people who speak their mind (often out-spoken) in their dialect that nobody understands. It's quick, people
Vernazza
View from the beach and cars wait for nobody. But in just a few minutes in Naples Jackie and I experienced something we never would have imagined. We went to buy pizza. We simply walked across the street in the crosswalk. The cars stopped for us. In Rome, you take your chances, and sometimes they stop. We went to get pizza. Hey, it was invented in Naples after all. The pizza was only 1.50 euro and it was comparable to two, maybe even three slices of pizza in America. The man really wanted us to try this prosciutto and salami stromboli type thing, so he gave it to us for free. On our way back to the train station, Jackie dropped her towel in the street. A woman yelled out, "Signora! Aspetta!" and I turned to realize she was letting us know Jackie had dropped the towel. I'm not sure someone in another city would have been as kind. Even if they were, I didn't expect this in Naples. Maybe there is some type of appeal to this city. There must be.
So, Jackie left this morning (Rob left last Wednesday). So now it's just me and the roommates for a few days
until I head back to America. I can't believe how fast the past 5 months have gone and how many people I've met here. And I'm glad that so many of my friends and family got a chance to meet my roommates, Davide and my other friends. I like that they all were able to get along and have fun together. It's nice seeing my two worlds blend so well together. In just three days, I'll be back on American soil. It's going to be really odd.
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Hank Delison
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We will miss your tales
Carla; I have been reading your tales of Roma from the time Heather told me about them. And have enjoyed looking through the window into the life you girls are living in Roma. Of course if my darling daughter Heather, would write more then a single sentence every month or so I would know more about what she is doing, but seeing her in your photos and havign you mention her has been wonderful for a father. Thank you Hank