cinque terre

On the road again...we're off to the Cinque Terre! I was here for about two seconds back in college, and loved it so very much that it was my goal to have my honeymoon there. While that didn't exactly happen, I've decided that our extended travels merits an honorary 'second honeymoon' title. But I digress.
The Cinque Terre are five fishing villages on the western coast of Italy-or Eataly, as my friend Phil likes to call it-where the water is sparkling and the stacked up houses on the rocky shore are painted in pretty pastels. Yum.
And we're off!

Our great little apartment for 6 days-Apartemente Giardino, which was right on the main street, up a ways from the shops and restaurants. It was perfect! There was a laundry place just a few minutes down the road, and we all needed some clean cloths...mom was very giggly when she put all of Mart's whitie tighties on the line.

I want a cute mailbox like this.

Taking our first walk around town, drinking in the views...

Then we decided to follow a tiny little street...which lead to tiny little stairs...which lead to a tiny little playground...which lead to tiny plots of gardens, with tomatoes and olives and basil, oh my!

Mom and I had a mission to reach what looked like a church on the very top of the hill, so we continued climbing up stairs while the boys went to eat.

And here's momma climbing over fences. She's such a bad influence! Heehee. Maybe I climbed over first and told her to 'jump, laur, JUMP!' ;)

Pretty olives! I learned from my knowledgable mother that olives when eaten raw are super gross. To demonstrate, she pops one in her mouth and says 'ewww!' I found this incredibly amusing.

We're really close to the top!

Did I mention there were lots of grapevines too? Tastey!

And blackberries!
So we found our way to almost the top, but could still see that little building with the cross on it that we were trying to get to. So we went up one staircase...oops, dead end, not that way! Went up another staircase...got to locked gate but more blackberries...and then went up a road a bit, but couldn't find our way. Turns out that there was a bar/gelatoria/cafe way up there, so we had some ice cream and then started back down.

Here's our little town of Riomaggiore. It is the most southern of the towns of the Cinque Terre, which include Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. The coastline, the villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages. The train ride that goes through the villages is spectacular--one minute you're in a tunnel, then you get views of gorgeous water and colorful houses propped up on the cliffs. It's awesome.


Taking a walk, the Via Dell'Amore, which connects Riomaggiore to Manarola. Trails connect all 5 of the villages. This one is the 'Love walk,' and is covered with locks that the couples write the date and their initials (or other things), lock it up and throw away the key...so their love will last forever...sigh!
Please, no high heels on the trail.
Really?!?

So cute! That's Manarola in the background.

Some of the locks I mentioned at the very start of the trail.

The cute symbol of the Via Dell'Amore.

Great looking cliffs!

Wandering around Manarola.


That section was easy! So we decided to continue on the trail towards Corniglia.
Lots of cacti!

Careful on that swingy bridge, meemo!

This may have said 'Do Not Enter' but they didn't mean it.

A great view of Manarola on our way back from Corniglia.

Wandering the steep streets.

A very awesome dinner at Trattoria dal Billy (thanks for the advice, Phil!) where Josh and Mom got squid ink pasta, we had some great white wine of the region, and, as always, caprese. Yum.



The rocky beach at Riomaggiore.

I love the older folks who ride these bikes everywhere. So cute!

Looking into the kitchen window!

This is the most northern town, Monterosso al Mare. Lots of beach front, but a set of chairs and umbrella will set you back 15 euro!

Sunset of the other side of Riomaggiore.

Mikey with his beer on the train. Is that legal? We don't know!

Walking up all the stairs to Corniglia again!

The next part of the trail was from Corniglia to Vernazza. All of it is awesome.

Lookin' good, man.

Long distance view of Corniglia.

And walking into Vernazza. Our apartment guy said that this one was the most beautiful, so we wanted some time to wander. It is gorgeous, of course, but I think I prefer our little town for prettiest.

Vernazza had a nice little beach area, with sunbathers lying out everywhere!

Sadly, no swimming yet for Josh.

Cute kids!

Hanging out on the awesome balcony.

The small church about 5 feet away from our apartment.

Good looking storefronts! The produce was amazing. We were able to make a few meals because we had a kitchen...everything was so good with fresh ingredients, and it has very little to do with our cooking skills (well, I'll speak for myself, my mom really knows her Italian cooking). And te peaches! And the gelato! I was doing so well on my diet prior to Eataly.