pisa

We woke up to rain our last day in Vernazza. We grabbed breakfast, climbed to the top of the city to see one last view, visited the small rocky beach in town and booked earlier than planned train tickets to Pisa.

Vernazza, you were awesome! I could have stayed a lot longer. But off to Pisa. We were staying in Pisa because our flight back to Paris was early on Sunday morning. The trains were reliable but sometimes the times were a little "off" so we decided to be safe we'd get one more city on our list. When we arrived in Pisa, we were... not impressed. It was dirty and just not that great! We visited the leaning tower and decided to just hang out in the yard the rest of the afternoon.

We also got tickets to see the Cathedral, but we couldn't enter until 6:00pm so we killed some time by eating ice cream and playing cards! We seriously considered hopping a train to Florence for dinner, but the train ride was an hour and a half each way and we didn't really feel like wasting that much time on a train. Looking back it could have been fun.

Again - Pisa, eh. I guess we saw the leaning tower, which really does lean much more than I expected! But I wouldn't waste much time there. Even though the end of our trip wasn't too impressive, I still have to say Italy may be one of my favorite places. Italians are a little different than French. Most French I've encountered are very nice, but Italians just seem to be more laid back and so happy you are there to visit. Plus... the food! Italy takes the trophy compared to France, if I was the judge. I've heard Florence is the best destination, but I don't think we will make it there. I feel pretty lucky to have seen what we've seen already. Italy, I'm not sure we'll ever be back, but yes, you are my favorite!

via dell'amore

Friday morning, we took the train to Riomaggiore to hike the only other open path, via dell'amore (lovers lane). A long time ago, there weren't paths and it was very difficult to get from one village to another. Most married within their village until this small path was paved between Riomaggiore and Manarola. As you walk the path, you can see old graffiti where lovers met between villages... I assume along with much more recent graffiti from tourists. Unfortunately, there was a landslide during the night so the path was closed. Alternative "off coastal" paths also connect the villages. We assumed they were far into the hills and you wouldn't be able to see the ocean (or villages) but we decided to take the trail because we'd already taken the train there.

Wowser! I'm definitely glad we decided to ditch the groomed coastal path and get a bit more of a workout through the hills. I think this path gave the best views!

We lunched in Manarola before taking the train to Monterosso. It looked like the sun was there so we went searching for it. We rested on the beach the rest of the afternoon with a faint view of all the villages. Later we found a bar near the beach playing country music so we enjoyed a drink and snacks before hopping the short train back to Vernazza for dinner.

You can see all the villages along the coast - Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

We didn't realize how used to long French dinners we were until we were served immediately and finished within an hour! We looked at each other with looks of, "well, that was fast!" The second night, we ordered a seafood platter appetizer - hoping for some anchovies because we had some that were delicious the night before. The area is known for anchovies and pesto. And THEN decided to order dinner. It was a little slower paced. Before calling it a night, we sat by the water staring into endless sea waters. I knew I was missing the water but I forgot how nice it was to hear it splash against the rocks.

amore per l'italia

A few weeks back, while we were with some friends on the metro, we spotted an ad for Cinque Terre, five small villages along the Italian Riviera. We'd talked about going but thought since we lived on the coast last year, was it really worth a visit? Our friends talked about their visit until we exited the metro... so of course it was on our minds. Fast forward three days - we had a flight booked. With a Thursday holiday at the end of May, we couldn't pass it up.

Welcome to Vernazza! Cinque Terre consists of Monterossa al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. It's not the easiest to get to and lodging is a bit tricky but it was so worth it! After doing a little research (and I mean very little), it looked like Vernazza was the spot for us. The village has a population of 1,500 and doesn't really have any hotels. We found a few residents who rent apartments and started emailing. Since we booked a little last minute... only 3 weeks in advance... a lot of things were already taken. We really wanted a place on the water, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen either. We couldn't really be picky! We arrived very late on Wednesday night, after a flight to Pisa and a two hour train ride, to find a guy standing in front of the Farmacia named Christian waiting to show us to the apartment. His mother was the owner but we were told he spoke a little English so we decided to call him while we were in the train station instead. He didn't think he would be in town when we arrived so he gave Mark directions to the apartment and said he'd leave it unlocked. Most of what Mark understood was that we should look for a green door. Thank goodness he decided to wait for us because ALL the doors were green! 

The next morning, we had to change apartments. We were supposed to find Christian or his mother, Tilde, at their shop on the corner. And then we had to ask for Caterina at a restaurant to check-in. Well, we found Tilde and of course she had heard we were renting from Caterina for the rest of the weekend and of course Caterina was nearby chatting with some friends. Gotta love small towns! Tilde called Caterina over and we exchanged some smiles... because we don't speak Italian... and followed Caterina to her apartment, just as her other guests were leaving.

Coastal paths connect all five villages. Unfortunately, only two of the paths were open the first day; a twenty minute, very simple, hike between Riomaggiore and Manarola and the two hour, most difficult, path between Vernazza and Monterosso. We paid our fee and were on our way to Montorosso. It was difficult, but nothing tennis shoes and a bottle of water couldn't get you through.

We made our way to Monterosso for lunch, rested on the beach, and dipped our toes in the cold ocean water before deciding to hike back to Vernazza instead of taking the train. A lot of the path was steps and most of town was steps... but when we returned to Vernazza we drug ourselves, with shaky legs, to the top of the city to make a reservation at one of the restaurants in town.

Not a bad first day to a last minute vacation!