Monday, June 3, 2013

The Cinque Terre, Italy


Day 6

We leave Parma bright and early, slightly rushed. We are lucky to find our appropriate train as tickets and reader boards are not as easily translated as one may expect. Breathing sighs of relief, our train departs – just as we realize we’ve both forgotten our only jackets back in the hotel, ugh! Oh, the glory of technology. We boot up our 3G and shoot an email to the hotel, begging for return of the clothing.

The train ride is breathtaking and the cities of the Cinque Terre even more so. The Cinque Terre is a series of five small towns embedded in the northwest coast of the Mediterranean. These five cities (along with a few others) are connected by ancient, and rather treacherous, hiking paths.

Our next stay is in the most northern city of the Cinque Terre, Monterosso. Here we are blessed to stay in a beautiful B&B (Il Parco) - not really a typical B&B but many family owned accommodations in this area carry this title.

Marta, the owner and host of Il Parco, simply gets it. The grounds are immaculately maintained. Beautiful flowers flourish in the garden, comfortable sunbeds frame the brand new pool, the breakfast nook overlooks the sea and rolling hills and our room is comfortable, clean and conservatively luxurious. Marta takes care of our needs, leaving us with dinner, hiking and sightseeing recommendations.

Day 7

The beach in Monterosso is beautiful, but we fore-go sunbathing for an intense hike to Vernazza. The path is steep, narrow and includes hundreds of stairs. One would think these hikes are for the young, able-bodied; however, we are surprised and impressed by the number of elderly making the trek.

We make it to Vernazza in about two hours. The views and photos are amazing and we enjoy a lovely lunch in the town’s square. We opt out of the return hike and grab a quick train back to Monterosso. We spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool and conclude a perfect day with exceptional Lasagna.











































































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