Cinque Terre...Five of the Best!

Cinque Terre or Five Lands, stretches along the northwestern coast of Italy. What a lovely place to visit!

Cars and motorbikes are not allowed in the Cinque Terre villages. If you're energetic and have good hiking boots, then hike the beautiful trail connecting the five villages. It will take you about 5 hours just to walk it, so choose another day for shopping and sightseeing. A shorter walk is the Via Dell’Amore or Lover’s Walk which is the section from Riomaggiore to Manarola. Doing the Lover's Walk will allow you time for shopping, sightseeing and stopping for a selfie with your sweetie as well!

Riomaggiore's small harbor and tower houses (case torri).

Monterosse del Mare is the most northern and largest of the five villages.
Vernazza was once the wealthiest and still considered the prettiest by many.
Corniglia is the quietest and most remote of the five. Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre village not directly connected to the sea. There are 377 steps up to the town. You can walk from the train station or take a shuttle bus.
Manarola is the fourth and oldest of the five villages.
Riomaggiore is the fifth and most southern of the Cinque Terre villages and is  nestled between two steep hills.   

·      The Statue of Neptune (Il Gigante) guards over the bay at Monterosso del Mare. It was created in the beginning of the 20^th century by sculptor Arrigo Minerbi as a decoration of Villa Pastine.

A busy day at Monterossos's Beach of Fagina

A beautiful sunset from any of the Cinque Terre villages is the perfect way to end your day. Add a glass of Italian wine and the day is complete!

Sunset from Riomaggiore

 

Thirsty in Italy!

 Everyone gets thirsty in Italy...

Pigeons in Sienna get thirsty.

Dogs in Fiesole get thristy.

AND... 

Humans everywhere in Italy get thirsty too, but for them the quencher is -

WINE!

Gondolas in Venice

Think of Venice and your mind’s eye immediately sees...gondolas! For centuries, gondolas were the chief means of transportation around the canals of Venice. Then, along came boats with motors - so much faster, making today’s gondolas far fewer and primarily a romantic experience for tourists.

Until the early 20^th century, gondolas were fitted with a “felze” or small cabin to protect passengers from the weather and for privacy, as well. The windows could be closed with louvered shutters – the original “venetian blinds.” 

In centuries past, gondolas were painted flamboyant colors. Today’s gondolas are painted black due to a 16th century decree attempting to stop nobles from trying to outdo each other with colors and ornamentation. Today's gondolas may be black, but still try to outdo each other in design and shiny brass adornments.

A gondola ride in Italy is wonderful, but find a gondolier who also sings and…Heaven!