Day 34: Cinque Terre

We met Mattia before 8 am. There are only four of us plus Mattia our guide/driver heading to Cinque Terre, a two hour trip.

It was a beautiful drive. We passed through areas where the beauty was breathtaking -- especially looking up at the mountains. We were able to see some of the mountains which were/are sources of marble for artists such as Michelangelo!

In 1997 the Cinque Terre became a world heritage site. In the years before the early 1950s when the roads were built the only way to get to the area was by boat.

Between all the villages the population hovers at about 5,000 inhabitants.

The key products produced on the terraces hills of the cinque Terre are olive oil and white wine.

From wine-searcher.com:

The classic Cinque Terre wine is a dry, aromatic white made of Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. It is characterized by crisp acidity and a delicate bouquet of hay, citrus and green apples. A salty whiff of minerality sometimes serves as a reminder of the vineyards' coastal situation.

We first stopped at Manarola -- beautiful!

I found a the church and went in, lit a candle and said a prayer:

I thought about Sheri Lewis and Lambchop as I saw this on the church:

We were able to walk around, get coffee and enjoy the views before the boat came to take us to Vernazza. 

The area by where the boat came in was being dredged of rocks -- really fascinating to watch.

The boat ride to Vernazza was fast -- it was the next stop. 

Mattia got us a reservation at Belforte -- we had a beautiful table overlooking the water!

We met Mattia up by the post office -- thank goodness! Vernazza was very busy by the time lunch was over. Here are some pictures along the way:

Mattia drove us over to Corniglia -- the only town in Cinque Terre that doesn't have a port. We walked down from where we parked into the town -- beautiful!

We walked around -- again I found a church in which to light a candle and pray:

It is a very quaint town:

Here's Mattia:

We went up to some vista points:

We also stopped for gelato!

What was a bit scary was driving on the roads to and from Corniglia -- very narrow and winding -- Mattia did an excellent job navigating the roads.

On the way back we were able see this -- that isn't snow -- it's marble:

Back to pack and get dinner at our favorite restaurant.

A blessed day indeed!

Although I didn't walk as far today the walk was rougher -- hills!

Total steps walked: 13,615. 5.25 miles.