Cinq Terres
Usual exciting drive to La Spezia tourist office, followed by another to the first of the five villages and a shuttle down to the town from the parking. After what seemed like a 1K walk down to the coast, we boarded the local train (round-trip 1.5E) and rode out to the last village, Monterosso. Some very determined people have been growing grapes on vertiginous cliffsides above the sea for centuries. Crazy determined, and they’re still at it, now living in a World Heritage site. The climbs were all a little daunting, so we took what pictures we could from the seaside and climbed on the next train back to Vernazza. The procedure was repeated with slightly longer or shorter stays in each of the following villages ; Corniglia, Manarola and finally Riomaggiore where we struggled back up the steep hill (some of the town streets are stairways) to the shuttle and finally the car. Very hot weather didn’t help. Then the real excitement started, our GPS had mysteriously died in our absence and could not be coaxed back to life. Using only maps, dead-reckoning, and slightly fuzzy memories we actually made it back to the right exit in Genoa and through the maze of switch-back side streets to our B&B where Reg set about finding alternate navigation methods and Paul retired to the balcony with half a bottle of Carcassonne red.
Off to Bedizzole tomorrow, then Venice!
Usual exciting drive to La Spezia tourist office, followed by another to the first of the five villages and a shuttle down to the town from the parking. After what seemed like a 1K walk down to the coast, we boarded the local train (round-trip 1.5E) and rode out to the last village, Monterosso. Some very determined people have been growing grapes on vertiginous cliffsides above the sea for centuries. Crazy determined, and they’re still at it, now living in a World Heritage site. The climbs were all a little daunting, so we took what pictures we could from the seaside and climbed on the next train back to Vernazza. The procedure was repeated with slightly longer or shorter stays in each of the following villages ; Corniglia, Manarola and finally Riomaggiore where we struggled back up the steep hill (some of the town streets are stairways) to the shuttle and finally the car. Very hot weather didn’t help. Then the real excitement started, our GPS had mysteriously died in our absence and could not be coaxed back to life. Using only maps, dead-reckoning, and slightly fuzzy memories we actually made it back to the right exit in Genoa and through the maze of switch-back side streets to our B&B where Reg set about finding alternate navigation methods and Paul retired to the balcony with half a bottle of Carcassonne red.
Off to Bedizzole tomorrow, then Venice!
Riomaggiore
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