Day 3, Cinque Terra

Cinque Terra, five little fishing villages on the rugged northwestern Italian coast...I had heard Rick Steves talk about how romantic they were, and always wanted to go.  Of the several trips we've had to Italy, we never made it to Cinque Terra, so when the port was offered on this particular cruise, we jumped on it. The fact that our boat trip was canceled due to rough seas did not deter me, I was determined to get us there.  When the local travel rep came aboard in our port city of La Spezia, we inquired about the train, made a plan...and off we went to the train station.  It was a rainy day, but hey!  we had umbrellas.  We set out for the farthest town, Montorosso, then trained our way to Vernazza and Manarola.  The shortest hiking trails were closed, due to mudslides and dangerous (slippery) conditions. We were warned to stay off of them.  We were able to walk part way between two towns, till the trail was closed.  Some pictures:

Stormy day.

 The rugged coastline was beautiful.

 This little cafe was on the walkway between towns...we had expresso and gelato!

There were walkways and narrow passages throughout the towns.

 

Religious icons on walls and at street corners.

The crowds were unbearable...we could only imagine how awful it must be in the summer with the sun beating down.

Water has eroded the rock under this house.

Supposedly, the houses were painted bright colors, so that the fisherman could see them from the sea.

Interesting rocks.

We returned to La Spezia, and walked from the train station, back to our ship...about a mile.  Saw this big plane tree, which was supported with metal beams.  There are some old, big trees in Italy.

Interesting doorways and buildings.

And some steep roads.

We weren't overly thrilled with Cinque Terra, maybe because we love the Amalfi Coast so much, but we're not sorry we went.  It was a fun day, and a nice adventure....and it did involve gelato and espresso.

When we got back to our ship, we learned that our next day's adventure, a walking tour of Monte Carlo, was canceled, due to the race.  Race?  Was it time for the Monaco Grand Prix?  The next day's thrill would soon assuage our canceled tour disappointment.