Monday, October 27, 2008

The Five Lands


Cinque Terre Coast
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
Sunday morning, Scott and I caught an early train headed for the Cinqe Terre. It's an area on the Italian Riviera where five little villages are built right on the coast line. Geographically, it's not far away from Milan, but we had to switch trains twice, so it was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived.


Riomaggiore
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
We found a room in Riomaggiore, the southernmost town. We spent the evening walking around and eating some of the local cuisine, including pesto.


Riomaggiore
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
Since the town is so compact, many of the main roads are little more than alleyways. If it weren't so quaint and adorable, it would almost resemble a ghetto.


Riomaggiore
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
We woke up early Monday morning, and headed north. All five villages are easily within hiking distance, though some areas are a little steep.


Scott
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
When we started our hike, it was sprinkling a bit, but we didn't care. It kept the temperature a little cooler and made for better photography.


Manarola
Originally uploaded by currtdawg



Vernazza
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
Normal people would see this rocky, treacherous coastline and maybe use it for hiking or diving. But the Italians, who've never been accused of doing things the easy way, decided to build entire towns along it. I'm sure glad they did.


Vernazza
Originally uploaded by currtdawg



Monterosso
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
We hiked all the way to Vernazza, the fourth town. We decided to take the boat to Monterosso, not because we were tired, but because we wanted to see the town from far off.


Monterosso
Originally uploaded by currtdawg
Monterosso has a pretty nice beach, and by the time we got there, it had cleared up somewhat. The water was warm, and if we would have had our swimming trunks, we would have gone for a swim. After a stroll along the beach, we had a late lunch, and then took the next train back to Milan.

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