Living the retirement dream

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Cinque Terre

Audrey planned an overnight trip to Cinque Terre for all of us. We caught a 7:34 train at Firenze San Marco station and went one stop to Campo Di Marte and transferred to another train to La Spezia Centrale. Here we boarded the regional Cinque Terre train to Riomaggiore where she had booked an Airbnb.

This is the regional train to Cinque Terre.
These stairs lead up to the Amore Cove Apartment in Riomaggiore where we will have a one night stay. There was an elevator which allowed us to avoid these stairs much to Sandy’s delight as her legs are still sore from the two tower climbs.
Cinque Terre is a string of centuries- old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. In each of the five towns, colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces. Since 1997 they have been a part of the Unesco World Heritage site.
The big draw here is to hike the dense network of steep trails connecting the towns but for those who do not wish that challenge there is also the option of a train or boat connecting the towns. The five villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.
We accompanied them on the easy, flat walk of the Via Dell’Amore which translates to “The Way of Love”. This pedestrian path overlooking the sea links the two villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola.
We did a little hike with them to a scenic outlook in Manarola and quickly learned that the challenge of hiking between the towns was going to be too much for us. They on the other hand knocked off three towns after we arrived and will do the other two on our last day.
The path got much more challenging after this.
Looking down on the town of Manarola from the scenic outlook.
Jim found a bench to rest on.
Beautiful waters of the Ligurian Sea.
We had a lovely lunch in Manarola while Audrey and Neil hiked the hills to the next town of Corniglia and we returned to Riomaggiore for a rest before dinner.
Heading back to Manarola for dinner.
We ate at Trattoria dal Billy which was hidden away high up in the town. It was delicious, and not a bad view.
Beautiful Cinque Terre sunset.
See the dog’s face?
This tunnel brought us back to the Lover’s Walk as we returned to our accommodations in Riomaggiore.
Cinque Terre night views.
That is the elevator that we took up from the train station in Riomaggiore.
Another tunnel back to the city center of Riomaggiore from the bottom of the elevator the next morning.
The last morning in Cinque Terre we checked out of our accommodations and explored the village of Riomaggiore.
Audrey is very good with selfies and setting up timed delay shots.
The lower section of Riomaggiore is known as Borgo deli Pescatori (Fisherman’s Village). It features a small, picturesque marina tucked between brightly colored pastel houses on a cliff.
The traditional wooden fishing boats are called gozzi.
Audrey tried the batter fried shrimp and squid for breakfast.
Audrey and Neil finished their Cinque Terre hikes to Vernazza and Monterosa while we had refreshment and wandered Vernazza which was super crowded.
Vernazza is the fourth town of Cinque Terre heading north. It has no car traffic and is the only natural port of Cinque Terre. It is famous for its elegant houses.
We met up with them in Monterosa when they finished their hike and then took the train back to Florence. Very happy to escape the crowds of Cinque Terre. We stayed in Monterosa many years ago and it was much more pleasant and we were able to manage the hikes. It is the largest of the five hill towns and has a lovely beach.
Audrey, Neil and Jim wandered La Spezia during our wait for the train there.

And that is a wrap for Cinque Terre. Very happy that we were able to experience it again. It was very crowded for shoulder season. Can’t imagine what summer is like here. We would recommend visiting here in the off season only.

Living our retirement dream

3 responses to “Cinque Terre”

  1. PEGGY SCOTT Avatar
    PEGGY SCOTT

    Charming altho’ crowded…..thanks for the introduction!

    Reply
  2. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    It’s on the list – love to get there some time….

    Reply

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