Despite a grim weather forecast the night before, we arrived in Genoa (Genova to Italians) to overcast skies which cleared off to a beautiful day. We were up and off the ship early for our tour to Cinque Terre, literally the five lands. The area is a collection of five little fishing villages on the coast southeast of Genoa. They are nestled at the foot of spectacular terraced hills. We drove on the Autostrada (the freeway) to La Spezia where we began the trip on a winding road to the village of Manarola, one of only two accessible by bus. As I said the road wound through steep terraces planted with grapes and olive trees. Below us were breathtaking views of the sea.
We left the bus and walked down to Manarola where we spent a little time looking at the brightly colored houses perched on the hills. After some free time we walked a portion of the via dell’amore, the path of love. The path is a beautiful walk along the cliffs between the villages of Manarola and Rio Maggiore. As we walked along we could hear the surf crashing on the rocks below. The view is incredible! From Rio Maggiore we were unable to take a boat to the next village we would visit, so instead we boarded a train (us and a ton of other people). We passed through the villages of Vernazza and Corniglia without stopping and got off in the last of the villages, Monterosso. This was our favorite. Katie and I went first to a little restaurant that I had eaten at during my last visit there, the Restaurant Chiak. We sat outside since the skies were now a brilliant blue with a fresh breeze blowing and we had a simply wonderful pasta with clams and mussels! After lunch we wandered the little streets of the village. Katie picked up a few gifts for friends and we had a gelato.
It was lovely sitting along the waterfront just enjoying the scenery and the day. Unfortunately, all too soon it was time to leave that beautiful place and we boarded our bus for the drive back to Genoa. This was our last stop in Italy.
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