A day in the sun on the Italian Riveria

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Geo: 44.1464, 9.65572

Surprise! We're off again. We are on a train headed to Cinque Terre. It's only a day trip, then back to Genoa for the night. The name means "five villages" and is a National Park. This monument in landscape architecture is represented by the steep terraces sloping down to the sea. The terraced vineyards alternate with strips of olive trees. We visited two of the villages, the first being Vernazza. Earlier this year much of this village was destroyed by a huge mudslide. It is now in stages of reconstruction. You can see evidence of the mud line on the buildings and the lower levels of the residences are vacant and being repaired, cleaned, and painted. There are also passageways that are still blocked by the mud. The actual village consists of one main street with passageways and staircases leading up to the terraces where the villagers live. The harbor cove is filled with cafes and people sun bathing on the rocks. There were a few swimmers and some fishermen going out while we were watching.

While in Vernazza we had a relaxing breakfast of hot tea/ coffed with milk, finally, and a croissant. It was wonderful.

The Church in Vernazza is the only one built on the sea in the protected inlet of the port. There is also the shrine of the Madonna di Reggio above Vernazza. Each village has a shrine with a panoramic position.

The second village was Monterosso al Mare. It has a sandy beach and is much more of a resort area. There are plenty of hotels for destination vacationers. Along the promenade there are many restaurants , cafes, and gelato shops. We treated ourselves to a delicious pistachio and chocolate chip gelato. It was delicious.

The Church we visited in Monterrosa was San Giovanni Battista and we located another of the village shrines here as well. Nearing our limit of touring we caught a train back to Genoa. You have to be on your toes all the time for the unexpected and be able to adjust. Our train abruptly ended a quarter of the way back and we had to transfer trains by running underground to a different platform to catch another train with only a minute to spare. Everyone on that train had to do likewise so it was a wild mad rush for a while, but we were successful.

Back in Genoa we relaxed with some cheese, crackers and wine before dinner. Just an observation - the wine appears to be more plentiful and definitely less expensive than at home. It was another fine day in this region of Italy!

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Photos

Hillside Homes
Vernazza

Comments

[Kathy Nichols]

Surprised at the simplicity of the church in Monterrosa, but you did say it was a small village. My favorite photos are the beach and water scenes. Of course, I enjoy reading the historical facts. Okay, now you're in Italy, and I have a gre
at favor to ask. Would you pick up a pair of earrings for me from somewhere in Italy, maybe Florence? Nothing expensive but will reimburse you when you get home. Just would really like a pair of earrings from Italy!! As usual, be safe and have fun!

[Amy cabe]

I can't belieepve you have been surviving without milk for coffee. Unreal. My heart was racing with the thought of you guys racing to catch a train. I have such stress about that. Glad to hear you made it safely.