Day 10 - Cinque Terre

For those of you who have not been to Cinque Terre, it has been described as the French Riviera of Italy.  So I'm definitely going to post a lot of pictures because it was so gorgeous!

The day started with an early rise, breakfast at the house and then driving to Aulla to catch the train.  Maria-Rosa met us there and the three of us headed out to Riomaggiore, the first of the five cities in Cinque Terre.  We saw the famous colorful murals and I took pictures of the view of the Ligurian Sea.

We walked to the next town, Manarola, along...

This is a very famous walkway that was built after the 1920s.  After WWII is when it really became established as the meeting point for couples that in the 2 towns and encouraged inter-village marriages.  The path got it's name Via dell'Amore from a writer who attended a wedding and named it the "Pathway of Love."  

We followed Rick Steve's walk through Manarola and saw the beautiful vineyards and of course when we walked to the top we found a church and the most amazing view I've seen.  

This also happens to be the area that I have decided I'm moving to one day :) And although you may laugh, I honestly have the intention of owning a home in Italy one day and either moving there or at least taking many more vacations out there!

The next town is Corniglia which is only accessible via train or walking and we decided to take the boat and bypass the third town because it's not very popular / interesting.  But it does make for some more gorgeous pictures.  As did our wait for the boat down by the harbor. 

So we took the boat over to Vernazza and decided to have lunch at the recommended Rick Steve's Ristorante Al Castello, which by its name tells you the restaurant at the castle with another breathtaking view! Plus really great food and wine!  

We meandered through the city, did some shopping for souvenirs and followed more of Rick Steve's walking tour.  Eventually we hopped back on the boat and went to Monterosso al Mare, which is the most famous of the 5 towns, or at least the most touristy / resort like.  To be honest, I was not a big of this town and enjoyed the others much more.  Very beautiful as with the other towns, but a little too crowded. 

We enjoyed some gelato, did some more shopping and finally headed for the dock to take the boat all the back to La Spezia.  

My Zia Glina's son picked us up and took us back to Aulla.  Since Ivonne was exhausted, we all went out to dinner for pizza and my Nonno was hilarious - he ordered a mug of beer and drank the entire thing!