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Cinque Terre: A coast of color

4/17/2015

 
We decided to visit Cinque Terre in mid-March before Easter weekend kicked off the tourist season.
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Vernazza

These colorful towns are scattered along rugged coastline overlooking the Ligurian Sea. 


Visitors come to relax on the beaches, wander the hiking trails, and indulge in the regional cuisine.
.On our first afternoon we took the train to Monterosso, which is divided into two parts: old town and new town.

New town appeared as a typical beach scene of sun bathers, boardwalks,
 and frozen drink stands. 
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Day 1: Monterosso and Vernazza

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The name Cinque Terre stands for “Five Lands”, representing the five coastal villages that make up the national park. 

Each town is protected by a series of hills, which have hundreds of terraces built up into the land filled with lemon trees and grape vines. 
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Check out our Cinque Terre Travel Guide

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Monterosso - old town

In old town we found small alleyways dotted with cafes, 
souvenir shops, and markets.
 
Limoncello appeared on every bar menu and the aroma of freshly baked focaccia bread wafted through the air.
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Our wanderings eventually took us to the beginning of 
the coastal path leading towards Vernazza.
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This enchanting path provided
 dramatic views of the coastline.
We reached Vernazza just before sunset.
 A cluster of colorful buildings jutted out into the sea 
with a 15th century castle watching over the village. 


At dinner I chose a regional dish of tortellini tossed in walnut sauce 
with a glass of Cinque Terre white wine.
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Vernazza - the "prettiest" village in Cinque Terre
We watched the sun set
from the plaza of the bay.
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Day 2: Manarola and Riomaggiore
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After a bit of a mix up, 
we jumped on the next available train 
and wound up in the small town 
of Deiva Marina.

We would be stranded here 
for the next FOUR hours!

In order to kill time,
we explored Deiva Marina
and walked along the beach 


It seems like once a month 
the Italian railways go on strike 
and the entire train system shuts down.

This was one of those special occasions.

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During our explorations,
we randomly encountered
a GIANT bird!
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Apparently an Australian tourist brought two emus to Deiva Marina a few years ago and this one still remains.
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After four hours of waiting, 
we finally caught a train going towards Cinque Terre
and hopped off in Manarola.
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Determined to salvage the day, we chose to hike between Manarola and Riomaggiore. 

The path began at the top of the village 
near an old church.

It was a pretty difficult hike
with hundreds of steps 
going straight up through the terraces.

Some steps required an extra boost!
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Once we reached the top 
we could clearly see the famous 
Manarola nativity scene. 


The entire hill is lit by nativity figures during Christmas time.

It began raining as we descended the slippery steps to Riomaggiore.
Something I don't recommend doing in the rain.
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Once we reached the bottom, we still had quite a hike into town. Our stomachs were rumbling as we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.


We bought four slices of focaccia bread at the local pizzeria and devoured every last bite!
Pear and gorgonzola was my favorite!


When the rain stopped we purchased some Cinque Terre wine and a Christmas ornament to commemorate 
our little adventure! 
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Day 3: Levanto

The next morning we took the dogs to the beach for the first time.

Our little athlete had a blast playing her favorite sport!
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I collected sea glass and colorful rocks along the shore
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Soon it was time to say goodbye to the coast of colors.
We promised to return again someday.
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