The Love Affair with Italy Continues

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Our first sleep in Vernazza was a little disruptive between the clock tower in front of our window that rings every hour and half hour from 8am to midnight to the late night revellers in Piazza Marconi which our room looks over. Didn't matter though because it would take a lot to change either of our minds about how superb this place is.

We took the 3 minute train to Monterosso this morning. It's the biggest and busiest of the 5 towns but it was by no means "busy" by our standards. It has the largest beach in the Cinque Terre which is the primary reason for its draw. Plus, its the first town so many people start the trail between Monterosso, Vernazza, Coniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore there.

While in Monterosso we stopped for a piece of focaccia. I, of course, had mine with tomato and pesto. John had tomato and chorizo. There were about 10 different varieties to choose from and the pieces were like slices of pizza! Big and yummy!!

We climbed up the infamous trail a bit and the vistas were amazing. It takes about 5 hours to hike from one end of the Cinque Terre to the other and there are some die-hards out there doing it. The views are said to be spectacular but its in in the mid-30's here so we're opting to be choosy with our "vista points" and train or boat between the towns. It's so hot here that there are small fountains throughout the towns and at the rail stations so you can splash yourself to cool down.

Overall, we loved Monterosso but are happy we're staying in Vernazza. Where we are is much quainter and smaller. There is literally one main road which is pedestrian only except for the early morning delivery trucks. Monterosso has about 5 roads to wander through. The cliffs we're nestled in are covered with vineyards, olive trees and lemon trees. So so far so great. This is a wonderful part of the world. Plus, there are cats EVERYWHERE. They're all strays and sadly some don't look so good but they make the place homey.

The service here is better than in France too. People seem happy to welcome you and appreciate even the simplest "ciao". Their level of english varies but it seems to be less of an issue than with the french. So we're settling in just fine. We've even got our towels hanging on the line outside our window just like the locals!

This afternoon we went to Manarola which is a beautiful perched town with cascading colourful houses down the cliffs and very inviting swimming grottos throughout.

Corniglia was next on our list. We avoided the 300 steps up to it (steps are EVERYWHERE here so hopefully we can lose the weight we're gaining from the food) and took the bus but this highest perched town has exquisite views of Monterosso, Vernazza and Manarola. Keeping the theme of the other towns, Corniglia is also very small. In fact, it's the smallest and quietest of the 5 towns and most non-touristy. It was very cool to walk amongst the locals homes and their working orchards of lemon, peach and apricot trees.

The Cinque Terre is a very laid back (think of a beach/sun atmosphere), friendly and beautiful place (have I mentioned that a few too many times yet?). Tonight we have reservations at a restaurant (only 66 stairs up) with a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for that account until tomorrow because this internet cafe closes at 10:30pm - although last night we were here after 11pm and it was still going strong. It's also SUPER expensive so we'll check emails but likely not as often as before. That being said, know we're thinking of all of you and hope one day you will be able to experience this paradise as well.

Miss you all!

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