Oh my! The Cinque Terre (5 lands) is hard to describe. It is so amazingly beautiful and quaint you can’t stand it. No museums in sight; just sun, sea, sand, and five tiny villages clinging to the cliffs. Tourism is the main industry today, but you’ll find no cars (the train connects the villages) and no building is allowed, so other than a fresh coat of paint it should always look the same. We’re told that in the summer it gets very crowded, so we felt fortunate to find the crowds small. It was especially quiet at night when all the day-trippers headed home. While we did a little hiking, most of the trails connecting the villages are a bit too strenuous for the kids. Our apartment was located on the main street (aka the only street) in Vernazza. We shared an entrance with one of the local fisherman and his dog Toby. Thus our porch was full of nets, poles, and buoys. Around 9am he would return with his catch of the day, usually made up of various fish, clams, octopus and lobster. At dinner Ella gravitated to the octopus, Cole to the clams and mussels, while Mia stuck with her pasta. (She did try everything though.) A small church, beach and castle (to watch for marauding pirates until around 1400) encircled our small harbor while the steep slopes were filled with vineyards. That's about all I can say as the photos speak for themselves, and I took plenty of them.
Vernazza Harbor.
Vernazza from the top of the castle. Notice the sea on the right and left.
Angie and Cole on the front porch.
The next three photos are looking down on Vernazza.
Riomaggiore
A unique flower we found on the cliffs of Riomaggiore.
The water taxi loading outside Riomaggiore. You can see the hiking trail in the background and foreground along the cliffs.
A couple of shots of Manarola.
Vernazza harbor with the moon shining bright.
Vernazza through the church window.
The Cinque Terre area is one of the oldest grape growing regions in Europe. And because of the very steep slopes, farmers use these little carnival rides to help gather the grapes. These roller coasters snake all along the cliffs at strategic spots to help make harvesting easier.
