Five Lands and One Leaning Tower

To be honest, I thought the Leaning Tower of Pisa would be bigger. I have no idea why, but it looked a little small to me. Nevertheless, it is still impressive that the Tower really does lean! It's amazing that it continues to stand without falling. But I don't really trust the leaning and opted not to go inside. Heights are not my thing, and the thought of climbing inside a tall and leaning building is not my idea of a good time. Ian and I were content to get a few shots of the typical tourist pose where we are holding up the Tower. We didn't stay in Pisa more than a few hours - long enough to see the Tower and the few buildings inside Campo dei Miracoli ("Field of Miracles"). After all, Pisa was just a short stop on the way to our final destination: Cinque Terre!

Cinque Terre is a region of five little towns lining the Italian Riviera. The towns are quaint and charming and inevitably swarming with tourists during the high season (April through October). We didn't so much experience the swarming tourist scene described in all the tour guides as it is February, low season, so there were very few tourists and even fewer shops and restaurants open. Everyone in town kept telling us to come back during high season to really experience Cinque Terre. While it would have been nice to see the towns when everything is open and when the boats are actually in the water, I rather enjoyed the peace and quiet. We were the only people staying at our hotel, La Poesia, in Monterosso. The wonderful owner, Nicolette, upgraded us to the suite for the same price as the room we had booked and we had a breakfast feast every morning.


I was surprised by how small the towns were. When we got off the train in Monterosso al Mare, Ian said "We have quite a walk to our hotel." We are so used to walking a mile or so to get anywhere in Florence. Well, we walked way past our hotel! Our hotel was only about five minutes from the train station. Many of the "roads" in the five little towns are really just big sidewalks. There are few roads that cars could fit on let alone drive on. It's very easy to get around the little towns as long as you don't mind walking up and down hills and stairs. I found the little staircases fun - it felt like an adult playground with several hidden walkways and alleys. And no matter where we were in the town, we could hear the ocean. Oh, how I LOVE the sound of the ocean. I think I need to live near the sea. The sound of waves crashing into the beach is so soothing. As soon as we walked by the ocean I could feel my shoulders relax and my worries melt away. We spent long stretches of time sitting on benches near the water just soaking up the sun and listening to the ebb and flow of the waves. I already miss the sea.

So, most people who travel to Cinque Terre know that there is a foot path connecting all five towns. This hike was one of the main reasons Ian and I wanted to visit Cinque Terre. We arrived in Monterosso on Monday and decided to hike on Tuesday. Thus, Tuesday morning, after dressing in our hiking shoes and preparing water and snacks for the hike, we went to purchase our Cinque Terre cards for access to the park and hike. To our great dismay, the woman at the ticket counter informed us that the trail was closed due to weather. The last portion of the trail, the shortest length, from Manarola to Riomaggiore was the only part of the trail open. She said that we could just take the train to see all the different towns and then walk the last leg of the foot trail. I was so bummed. We were really looking forward to hiking the foot path along the side of the hills overlooking the ocean. And all of our friends who have visited Cinque Terre recommended this path as a "must do." What were we going to do now? We didn't want to wander the empty towns for three days. So, we did what anyone in this situation would do - we did the hike anyway.Well, not the entire hike. No one was sitting at the trail head in Vernazza to check tickets, and there was no gate or lock keeping us off the path just a sign saying "Foot path closed." So, we ignored the sign and hiked from Vernazza to Corniglia. I was incredibly nervous that we would be caught, but I was also so happy that we were able to actually complete part of the hike. And it was stunning! Ian said it was probably the most rewarding and beautiful hike he has ever been on. We did, however, discover why the path was closed. In a few spots, we had to carefully climb over mini landslides. Nothing too difficult, but we had the mudslides in Sicily in the back of our minds. It took us about 90 minutes to hike to Corniglia, and we were fortunate that no one was waiting to bust us at the end of the trail. Our little adventure was successful and incredibly satisfying! I broke the law for the first time in my life (well...kind of. This is the extend of my criminal activity, and I doubt it was really breaking the law...more like ignoring a sign). We didn't spend much time in Corniglia as nothing, and I mean nothing, was open. An adorable little white cat followed us around the town for about 20 minutes, and that was the extent of our entertainment in Corniglia. I'm sure it's a charming little town in the summer, but there's not much to do in off season! I'm also really glad that we were able to do part of the real hike because the last leg from Manarola to Riomaggiore, also called Via Dell'Amore (Lover's Walk) is just that - a walk. It's a nice little paved walkway that takes roughly 10-15 minutes. The path is along the hillside overlooking the sea, so that's nice, but it's definitely not a hike as we did pass a woman in high heels smoking a cigarette!


We spent most of our time in Manarola, Vernazza, and Monterosso simply because there was more to do and see in these three towns, plus more businesses were open. We enjoyed being in a slow-paced town near the beach and away from the bustling, cloudy city for a few days. We met a few other couples from the states and a truly inspiring couple from Canada. We spent over an hour chatting with this lovely Canadian couple talking about all of our various travels and adventures. They were in their 60s and have seen so much of the world. I told Ian that I want to be just like them when we're in our 60s. I think it's so important to see the many different parts of the world. It helps me have a better understanding of the world in which I live and a new appreciation for the many different walks of life. I hope Ian and I can continue to be world travelers for decades to come.