Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre, Italy
September 8th-12th
Taylor and I took a train from Rome to Cinque Terre. It took a bit of navigation and good ole faith in humanity but we made it. Our temporary landlords were at the station to meet us which was very helpful. We quickly found that there was a major language barrier between us but we somehow made it work. We slowly walked through a tunnel and up a hill to the place we would call home for the next few days. If anyone has been to Cinque Terre before, you know what we mean by hill. This area is nothing but steep, steep hills. Unfortunately our pictures do not do justice in this regard.
Once we reached our apartment, our sweet landlords offered us a welcome beer and gave us the rundown. I quickly unpacked my clothes as they had not dried from when I washed them in Rome and hung them to dry outside the window.
Taylor and I were staying in Riomaggiore and knew little about this town. We looked up a well rated restaurant and were on our way. After many twists, turns, stairs, and slants, we realized we weren’t going to find this place. We happened on a beautiful view and couldn’t be more grateful.
We made our way back down the mountain and settled on a restaurant we had passed earlier. Our parents were in Cinque Terre the day before our cruise and recommended we try some pesto pasta the first chance we got. Taylor and I did just that and were very happy about the decision. We called it a night after this dinner because we had big plans for the next day.
We woke up relatively early to head to Monterosso to begin our big hike. We had hoped of hiking from Monterosso to Riomaggiore but that did not work out. Mud slides have damaged the trail and it was not open for us to walk on. We did get to walk from Monterosso to Vernazza and then from Vernazza to Corniglia. This is not a hike for the faint of heart despite what the internet says. We walked up what felt like a continuous flight of stairs. We were lucky to meet a man who was making fresh orange juice at one point which tasted like the best thing we had ever had at that moment. The views were absolutely indescribable and it made all the hard work worth it.
After we made it to Corniglia, it was time to eat. We were tired, hot, and hungry. We walked around trying to find a place with a great view but also in the shade but we didn’t have much luck. We settled on a nice 2 air conditioned restaurant up a steep set of stairs. Each of us got a beer along with some pasta. We enjoyed this place very much. As we were leaving, the owner and some locals played some music in the 1st level of the restaurant. It was great!
Next, Tay and I stopped by a gelato restaurant that mom and dad had recommended. Really, it was just cool that we ate gelato at the same place they did a couple days before!
Once we successfully treated ourselves, it was time to head home. Both of us were pretty exhausted of our activity filled day! We made it back and took it easy for the next few hours. Eventually, we both managed to shower and get back out into the town. We had walked by a bar called “Vertical Bar” many times and decided to check it out. It was a very small restaurant but had great reviews. The seating outside was interesting as everything was slanted due to the fact it was on such a large hill. The staff was amazing. Taylor asked which drink was his favorite and his response was “all of them – each drink is made with love”. He wasn’t kidding. We both got a “Vertical Drink” and it was fresh and delicious.
Notice the tilted pole. Also, there is a case of Coca Cola to hold it from falling over.
We also ended up getting salads and sandwiches which were great as well. It ended up being a lot of food so we took it home to eat another time. Overall, we loved this place. After leaving Vertical Bar, Tay and I went to a little shop and bought some wine. I think we both spent less than 5 euro each. Our apartment had a little terrace with a table and chairs so we decided to sit out here and enjoy a night cap. Tay and I had good time taking (way too many) pictures and reminiscing our trip so far.
The next day we were determined to go to the pier to sit on the "beach". Beach meant giant rocks, and we knew that. I wish I could explain just how beautiful this place was, it really felt like you were in a painting or a famous photograph. Anyways, we made it down to some rocks and sat there for a while with our feet in the Ligurian Sea. We might have been the palest people in sight but we had fun!
Later this evening, we didn't have any solid plans. Both of us were exhausted from hanging in the sun all day so we decided to pick up two pizzas, and 2 big beers and have a night in. I guess we eat a lot more than the locals because they kept suggesting we buy just one pizza. We definitely got some stares while leaving this place. We both like cold pizza for breakfast so no judgement needed!! Taylor and I ended up watching The Da Vinci Code while enjoying our weird (but surprisingly good) hot dog pizza and beer.
The next morning, Taylor and I were excited for the boat tour we had planned! We had already been to 4 out of the 5 cities at this point. We were going to the 5th one to catch the boar tour. Mind you, we became pro's at navigating these little areas. Taylor had been conversing with the tour guide whom let us know if we were more than 5 minutes late we would be left behind so we were rushing. Of course, we ended up being the 1st people there. There ended up being only 5 of us on a personal boat. Talk about a great time. Our tour guide arrived with a cooler of beer and told us to follow him. We got on the boat and started the tour!
Our guide was great. He grew up in Cinque Terre and had many stories to tell from when he was a kid. We learned so much. Eventually we got to get out of the boat and take a swim in the sea. The water was cold and extremely clear. We were told to jump off the side of the boat even though it looked like we would land directly on a rock. The rock was 6(ish) meters below the surface but it definitely did not look like it. We had goggles and snorkels and were told to have fun.
We got back on the boat and cruised over to another area to swim. The water was so salty is was so easy to float. Definitely a cool experience. Tay had her go pro and got some pretty great photos under water.
We drank a beer and rode around on the boat a while. We listened to music and took in what it would be like to do this all the time. It was probably the highlight of this portion of the trip. Definitely the most relaxed we had been so far.
Once the tour was over, we walked up to a restaurant recommended to us by our tour guide. The restaurant was called "Billy's" and of course was up a bunch of steps. A nice woman from the tour joined Taylor and I as well. It was great to listen to her travels and share ours. I got tuna (literally just a tuna steak) and they both got pasta. We shared some wine and overall had a great time.
We made it back down the mountain, said our goodbyes and parted ways. Tay and I took the train back over to our city. We decided to take the long way home and see the last little bit before we left the next day. While going this long way we ran into some people who thought we were Irish from the way were talking. I thought that was interesting. We both got vegetables for dinner since we felt like we hadn't eaten much at all on this entire trip so far. We ended up packing up our clothes and got ready for our next adventure to Milan the next day!
