Cinque Terre

After much planning and traveling we finally arrived in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre. The little town is situated on the cliffs and was just as we had expected it to be. Beautifully terraced hillsides and vineyards provide a backdrop for the brightly colored houses, shutters and hanging clothes lines from the balconies of centuries old houses.

Ellen and I had our first experience with Italian pizza, a large slice of bread with little sauce and cheese. It wasn’t bad, but for the most part we felt that Italian food was pretty bland. We walked to the next town, Manarola, with our backpacks in the heat. The hike is called Villa dell Amore and Ellen and I quickly became an “item” amongst the many couples on the walk. This hike is the stereotypical place for honeymooners and young couples. It was beautiful. The tradition is to leave a lock with your loved one locked along the chain hand rails as symbol of your love. The walls are graffitied with couples names and art. My favorite statement was, “spread love through art.”

We arrived in Manarola and were shown to our room. We had a very private room that was almost a granny flat for one of the houses in the town. We had a balcony that overlooked the ocean and the town below us. The steep hillsides are lined with red grapes and fresh produce. We could not have asked for a more private, beautiful and reasonably priced location. We were so thankful to be spending three nights in such a wonderful place.

The people there are so trustworthy and kind. The majority of people that live there are over the age of 60 and are in fantastic shape. While Ellen and I run out of breath walking the steep hillsides, the pass us with baskets of grapes stacked on top of their heads as they make a third of fourth trip up the slopes.

Ellen and I went to a fabulous dinner in the town of Vernazza at a restaurant called Bellforte. The restaurant was perched on the cliffs, right on the water. We enjoyed local zucchini and shrimp pasta and fabulous local wine. It was delicious.

We visited the final village, Monterrosso, on our final day. It was the most “touristy” of the five villages and the largest. It had beautiful beaches lined with umbrellas and people. We visited a few museums that day and learned that the villages began during the 10th century and has been in production of wine ever since!

It was such a beautiful and pleasant experience, I hope to return some day. We could not have asked for a better welcome into our European lifestyle for the next few months.