Bookworms and Travelbugs

The Cinque Terre is a gorgeous coastal region consisting of five (cinque) hamlets. Looking out the window on the train from Pisa to Monterosso Al Mare, it turned a corner and we were instantly greeted by a stunning sunset over the ocean. We checked into our hotel, La Spiaggia, in Monterosso, which is the end of the Cinque Terre region going from Florence. This is also the only town with a beach, which was right in front of our hotel.

We left our luggage in the room and headed out for dinner. Walking along the oceanside promenade in this sleepy softly lit little town after the hustle and bustle of Pisa felt amazingly calming and relaxing, with the waves crashing on the rocks around us. After grabbing a quick bite, headed back to our room to get some shuteye.

The next morning, we opened our French windows to the vast glittering endless ocean in front of us! This is a hotel where ocean view rooms are allotted based upon request and availability, no premium charges. I had to peel myself off the balcony to get ready for breakfast and the much awaited hike! After a decent hotel breakfast, the hotel owner gave us a map and marked the trail and viewpoints for us, and gave us an amazing lunch recommendation (La Posada).

We then started on one of our most amazing hikes ever! We began at Monterosso towards Riomaggiore on the popular trail #2, and enjoyed some of the most spectacular views we’ve ever seen.

Monterosso from the trail

We walked through the trails and enjoyed the beauty all around us. Like everywhere in Italy, we heard street musicians playing pretty much throughout the trails, smelled the flowers and heard the lovely church bells as we’d come closer to one of the towns. The gorgeous colorful cliffside homes with waves below were an amazing sight from the distance as well as up close.

Vernazza

Vernazza was on of the towns we went into, walked the quaint cobblestoned streets, got a gelato and climbed up the pretty tower we’d been seeing in the distance

Vernazza -View from the tower

We stopped for lunch at La Posada in Corniglia (as suggested by our host), where we had amazing bruschetta and pastas, followed by panacotta for dessert with the house wine. the delicious meal in the lovely garden setting, with the awesome ocean view provided us with the perfect little break in our day.

Corniglia – View from the restaurant

Corniglia

Post lunch, we continued on the trail towards Riomaggiore, where we stayed until what happened to be one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen.

S took pictures of the sunset and the town lighting up slowly, and also fielded about a million questions about his GoPro 😉

The fun and lively little towns, with their sunny patios and amazing viewpoints, the exceptional coastal trail gave us a glimpse into a rustic, marvelous Italy, the one away from museums and monuments.