CINQUE TERRE

What a wonderful place to end our journey in Italy. Besides a slightly creepy welcome into the town of Monterosso (a senile old man attempting to kiss us on the mouth...ew) we loved everything about it. The hotel was nestled in the heart of town and it was rustic, but quaint. A Rocky Balboa lookalike greeted us and helped us with our bags, thankfully (elevators do not seem to exist in these places...god forbid you had a physical disability or were just plain out of shape!)

We explored our little village and found a lovely restaurant for dinner. The seafood was caught fresh that day. Our server presented the fish to us for our approval before hitting the grill. He then filleted it table side. A little olive oil, pinch of salt and squeeze of fresh lemon...scrumptious! To go along with this feast we naturally had a bottle of the local Cinque Terre wine...a perfect pairing.

The next morning the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We couldn't have asked for a better day to hike the 5 villages of Cinque Terre. We began in Montorosso and spent a total of 4 hours hiking from village to village. There were Grouse Grind-like moments, but they were well worth it. It was beautiful. We walked through vineyards, lemon orchards and olive groves up and down the Mediterranean coastline. Truly picturesque. Along the way we met Thiery and Claire from France. They accompanied us from Corniglia to Manarolo, where we shared a cappuccino, and then parted ways. A perfect end to a perfect day was a stroll along the Via Dell'Amore, Riomaggiore. At that point we were physically exhausted, as the only form of exercise prior to that had been our new favourite sport...eating! A hot shower and then we crawled into bed. We slept like babies.

We were sad to leave Cinque Terre. We promise ourselves we will return one day. Perhaps with some friends to share it with next time...?

Ciao Italia. Until we meet again...xo