THE CINQUE TERRE 2

After our Via Dell'Amore hike and crazy train experience, we headed back to Monterosso and spent an afternoon on the beach; we even rented our own little umbrella and sun chairs. It was very relaxing with the same gorgeous views mentioned here. 

For dinner that night, we chose a restaurant right by the coast and watched the most gorgeous sunset as we ate. 

The next morning, we moved over to Vernazza, town #4. We stayed at another great hotel, recommended to us by our good friend Rick Steves, Hotel Camere Fontana Vecchia (email: info@cinqueterrecamere.com). The hotel was inexpensive, clean, next to a little stream, and run by the nicest woman Anna Maria. 

Vernazza was without a doubt our favorite place of the entire trip. It was a gorgeous, little town, with a small little harbor and beach with sand and rocks to sun yourself on. The people were friendly, the little shops were adorable, and again, the food was to die for. We spent the day wandering around and doing a little shopping and then spent the afternoon laying out on the beach and rocks and swimming.

  olive and grape vines

 to the left is the little harbor and beach, to the right is the church with bell tower that chimed every fifteen minutes

After the beach and a siesta, we went back down to the harbor to eat dinner. We ate at a restaurant in the main area, an area where the boats in the harbor seek refuge during the winter and storms. We ate caprese, more pesto and pasta, seafood, and tiramisu. It was delicious with amazing views as the sun when down.

After dinner, we attempted the climb up to the castle, where the towns people took shelter when pirates would invade - no joke. Unfortunately, the castle was closed, but we did get a great shot of the view...

 hello Monterosso!

Then, we climbed back down, got some gelato and a beer and sat on the rocks in the harbor taking in every last bit of Vernazza knowing that the morning would bring a sad goodbye.

We finally managed to wander back to our hotel, not ready to sleep and remembering one of our earlier purchases that day, we grabbed two glasses and a bottle of limoncello. We sat on the little patio outside our hotel facing the softly, bubbling stream. The company and setting were lovely. The limoncello, not so much.

Cheers! (even though this stuff was not so tasty)

The next morning we said our goodbyes and promised Vernazza we would visit again...someday. Then we were off to Rome again where we saw the majority of its spectacular sites as mentioned here, and here. 

Thank you Italia for the most amazing adventure.