Day 6: Cinque Terre
by Land and Sea
Monterosso al Mare: a seafood feast​
After a few days of city travel, our small group was excited to head to the Riviera. Destination: Cinque Terre. The "Five Lands" are a precarious collection of villages built into the cliffs of the Ligurian Sea. We hoped off our coach and on to a train and arrived at our final destination after a quick walk from the station.
We celebrated our journey with a group dinner at il Piccolo Diavolo. A bountiful meal of fresh seafood, homemade pasta al pesto, and a limoncino toast.
Our first plate of fresh seafood.
Pasta al pesto.
We're still dreaming about this one.
Dad and Mom enjoying a limoncino toast.
Our hosts at Albergo Amici, Monterosso al Mare prepared a breakfast feast that fueled us for the day of hiking ahead. Trail map in hand, and our sneakers laced up we were ready to hike the five lands.
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Our early departure from the hotel afforded us the luxury to take our time and truly enjoy the picturesque hike through the cliffs high above the sea.
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The first leg of our hike took us from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza. In that hour and a half we traversed up and down steep stairs, and cut into the terraces seeded with olive, and basil groves.
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Our first stop after arriving in town was a gelato shop - because there's nothing better than gelato to fuel the next hike.
Next, we hiked to Corniglia. That time we stopped to share a pesto panino. Our journey ended with a ferry ride back to Monterosso where our fatigued legs were thankful for the rest as we reflected upon the majesty of the jagged coastline we'd just traversed.
Richard and Sarah.
After a rejuvenating soak in the sea we joined our group on the terrace of the hotel. High in the hills, over a light meal, we traded stories about our journeys. Looking out over this town on the sea, we all gained perspective on how truly special this day was.
