After years of dreaming of Cinque Terre, I finally made it. From the second we stepped off the train in Monterosso al Mare (one of the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre), the Mediterranean Sea was an all-encompassing force of beauty that surrounded us, and the village. When we were planning our trip earlier this year, we had decided that this leg of the trip would be the one that we splurged on.... and we were so glad we did. We stayed in one of the apartments in Villa Orizzonte in Monterosso, and can absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a little piece of heaven. In fact, from the moment we arrived, we started planning our trip back next summer ;) We only had two full days in Cinque Terre, the first of which Casey and I spent at the beach, and Michael spent exploring the town. We were pointed to a pretty fantastic beach bar called Il Gigante, which we patronized a few times for an afternoon spritz (or two). On our second day, we hiked the ocean trail from Monterosso to Vernazza, which was the only section of the famous trail that was open, due to damage from floods in 2011. As it turns out, the part of the trail we hiked is the most strenuous, with 700+ steps right out of the gate. But if you can make it, the views were totally worth it. We were also very lucky to dodge an incoming storm by taking refuge for lunch at the Restaurante Belforte in Vernazza, which is a fantastic restaurant in an old lighthouse overlooking the sea. It was agreed that the dessert Michael ordered here was perhaps the best that anyone had ever tasted - caramelized strawberries over vanilla gelato. Shane - time to get cracking on a recreation. When it came time to leave, we were all pretty much in denial that it was time to go. This guy in particular took it hard again. I think maybe he has a thing for Italy.
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AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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