June 18, Saturday- Au revoir French Riviera et Ciao Italia! But before we depart M wants to go to a grocery store to pick up some nice French wines… how unlike him!!! This was an adventure unto itself as Navi seemed a little confused, but we finally do manage to find the right streets to get to where he wants to go.
We thought about the last few days in Monaco and Nice – nice to do a quick visit to and see the beautiful architecture – T really loved looking at all the wonderfully ornate buildings with their wrought iron balconies. J is too young to really appreciate it, later he likely will. We enjoyed the sunshine and atmosphere, although we were disappointed with the food in Nice, we think it’s because we stayed in Old Nice, which seems over-run with tourists, so we only found restaurants that seemed were more concerned with feeding as many people as possible rather than quality. Like most places, you often have to avoid the tourist district to really enjoy quality food. Oh well, it was a cool stop and now we’re going back to Italy!
We are on route to the area of Cinque Terre on the coast south of Genoa (Genova on the maps). We still wonder why somewhere along the line - the English names were changed for cities and countries - from their actual name. The Italian names are so much more romantic! Firenze, Roma, Milano, Napoli etc… Our drive to Cinque Terre takes us along the coast of Italy past the Italian Riviera towns where cruise ships stop – San Remo, Savona, and Genoa. Once past Genoa, we travel inland until our exit to take us past the coast town of La Spezia – a naval base town, the big centre before entering the Cinque Terre National Park. We marveled at the number of tunnels we drove through during only a 4 hour trip – more than 100 tunnels, many more than 1 km long. Riomaggiore is the southern most town of the 5 villages that make up the Cinque Terre national park that is also a UNESCO site. It has been designated a national park because of the landscape and terracing that occurred long ago which the local men and women toiled to claim for growing food (similar to the Amalfi Coast only steeper).
We arrive in Riomaggiore to find that there are basically only a few streets. The main street down into the center of town is narrow and steep. Apartment buildings and shops are built side by side, most often connected and stacked behind each other as they clamber up the hillsides. There is the occasional steep narrow staircase to lead up to the next level.
T’s first impression was – how cool is this – this is somewhere totally different than anywhere else we have been. Our apartment is situated in the town site. Our Iphone is out of power (forgot to charge it as we hadn’t been using it out of Italy), so we can’t phone the lady who has the key to the place. We luckily come across a parking spot along the road down into the village and M and J venture out to find the apartment while T stays behind in the vehicle charging up the phone.
With the help of a few kind Italian ladies, M is able to get a hold of the woman who owns the apartment and her friend comes down to meet us. He returns to get the car and we only have 20 minutes to unload the vehicle within the town, as the street is narrow and not designed for much traffic. Maurizio takes T up to the apartment which is up two flights of steep, narrow marble stairs, through an opening in a concrete wall and then up a couple of more flights to our apartment. We are pleased to see that it has air conditioning, a large bedroom, bath, and kitchen with 2 burners (no oven) and decent sized living room with a sofa bed for J. The haul of the luggage up the narrow steps was workout enough for T for the day! All 3 of us are pleased with the location. We are in going to be right within this small little town – should be cool. M and Maurizio go to find a parking spot up on a road higher above the town.
We walk down into the village about 150 feet and find a small grocery store where we pick up groceries to make dinner. We are really looking forward to cooking our own meals for the next while. There is a small butcher shop here as well, where we go to purchase chicken breasts, which on our request the butcher trimmed the breasts, sliced and pounded into scallopine. We have come to enjoy shopping in the towns we stay in and experience that small business atmosphere and great service. J has also gotten into enjoying the trips to the supermarcatos.
After dinner, T decided to visit the local laundromat. After filling the machine, she went outside to sit on the concrete bench provided for locals/tourists to enjoy and people watch. It was lots of fun just watching all the people wonder by, hearing a group of Italian ladies sitting on a doorstep gossiping, the men were not in sight. It’s Saturday night and the place is hopping. The entire main street within the village is one consecutive hill down to the water edge. The train station and ferry wharf is located at the bottom of the hill which is how most people arrive to this village. There were numerous people who struggled up the street toting their luggage looking for their room. They were likely thinking “when will this hill ever end?” - the answer - not until you are at the end of the village. It’s an awesome way to soak up the village atmosphere.
June 19, Sunday – Today we are going to explore the village. It is sunny by the water, but the mountainside behind the village is catching clouds.
We go for a walk to locate the car – it is through narrow staircases, pedestrian only alleyways, past a 13th century castle offering us a great view of the water as well as town. We enjoyed looking at the pastel buildings and marvel at beautiful flowers and terraced gardens. We located the car – M looked at it and realized he left the windows wide open overnight. Fortunately, for us, nothing was missing! It was parked in an out of the way place with little traffic. We walk down into the village, check out the train station, get a map of the national park. The wind is up today, so the waves are crashing against the breakwater and creating some spectacular splashes which we enjoy and photograph.
We find a couple of other little grocery shops where we pick up a few other things we want for dinner. We come across fresh Genovese pesto, one of the specialties of this Ligurian region, which we are very pleased to see and J is really happy as he loves to have this on his pasta. We remind him that he can’t have this everyday otherwise he’ll tire of it and won’t want it anymore – and we can’t have that!
Later in the afternoon, T goes for a walk to explore the roadways while M and J hang out for a while at the apartment. We meet up at the local Bar Centrale, the stop to enjoy a gelato, cappuccino, cocktail or food. We get engaged in conversation with a woman and her two grown daughters who are here from Southern California and enjoy our chat immensely. It is nice to chat with others! We end the day with another greta home cooked meal and then watch sports on English language TV.
June 20, Monday – It’s getting caught up on the internet day today - M spends time getting the blog ready as well as getting together files which have our travel info for the next couple of months. We do not always have internet service which tends to be a drag at times. Sometimes the thought of “what did people do before the internet?” enters my mind, says T. Again we walk around the village and decide to go into La Spezia to find a WIND store as we can’t get the Iphone to hook up to the net. Also, we need to fuel up the vehicle as we will be going into Genoa later this week and there are no fuel stations here. After 40 minutes in the store, we think the problem is solved, if not, we will be tack tomorrow. Gelato is in order for J as he has been very patient. We come across a big supermarket where go in for a gelato treat and find some groceries for the rest of the week. Here the selection is much greater and the prices lower.
With errands accomplished – M learned how to deal with self-serve gas stations which are different here than in N.A. as some take cash not credit cards – we are happy. It’s back to Riomaggiorre , a 10 km drive toward the Cinque Terre coastline. After dinner, we head down to the water via a new way which takes us through the only flat playing surface we have come across here. It is lined with little bikes with training wheels and there is a sign stating no soccer playing. This gets us wondering where do older children play around here? It is very different than what we are used to in N.A. Off of this play area, M and T followed J down a narrow stairway coming out at the harbor right next to a table at one of the local restaurants. We had no idea it came out here – it was a cool walkway though. M thought he should apologize to the couple sitting at the table dining. J wanted to go down and sit on the rocks, which we did and enjoyed watching the sunset with many other people doing the same.
June 21, Tuesday – We enjoy a late breakfast after J’s sleep in and a workout. We are going to the next town of Cinque Terre, Manarola.
The village is reached by foot, along the walkway Via Dell’Amore, which is perched on the mountainside; it is just under 1 km. To help offset the environmental footprint of tourists, park passes are offered at an affordable price to get people around the park without people travelling by car (hiking and train). There are numerous paths offering hikers variety. The length of the park is 9 km from the Monterosso at the north to Riomaggiore. We purchase a two-day park pass, which allows us to ride the train between the 5 towns as well as walk on the mountainside - hugging pathways offering beautiful vistas on the gorgeous seascape – the Mediterranean.
Via Dell’Amore is famed as a lover’s stroll. As we walk along we see all kinds of locks – which couples left attached to fencing to signify their commitment to one another.
J thought we should get a lock too – M said that’s what our wedding rings were for… The walk along the path is hot (about 33 C today) yet we do enjoy the beautiful views. The walkway is fairly busy. Apparently the weekends on the paths are busy – we can believe this because our village is certainly quieter than on Sat. and Sun.
As we arrive in Manarola we come across an art gallery where we find a pastel picture which all three of really like and reminds us of the village we are staying in. We decide to buy it and arrange to have it shipped back to Calgary. Now we are going to explore this fishing village. Manarola is once again, like Riomaggiore, perched in between the confluence of two hillsides. However, this village is built on one side of the narrow valley while the other hill is terraced.
Again the buildings are pastel colored and are apartment buildings perched upon the hillside again appearing stacked. We do enjoy walking through a couple of narrow shaded walkways. This village goes higher up the hillside away from the harbor. We walk down the main street to the harbor, passing a number of tourist shops and restaurants. We arrive at the water, a different harbor setup than our village. There is no beach, only some flat rocks which people are lying on and using to jump into the water.
There is a portion of the water quite protected behind numerous rocks keeping out the waves – here we see a number of children playing in the water. J looks at the water longingly. We decide that we would head back to our village as there is a typical rock-beach (where there is no sand just many stones), but it’s shallow enough that he could walk in from the shore.
Once back at the village, we walk along the pathway to the rock beach. The beach is very busy and lots of people lounge on towels even though it’s a rocked beach. We had packed our bathing suits, so like many others, we change behind a towel and head for the water. Now, walking across a rock beach bare foot is a challenge and something none of us enjoy. It must be quite amusing to the beach lounger watching three soft-footed Canucks hobble over the rocks! We finally get to the water and feel relief to be in the refreshing water. M chuckles as he comes across a rock in the water where he can sit about chest deep, battle the waves, and enjoy the sea. J has a pair of goggles and uses to dive looking for fish and trying to catch one. He saw about 10 different kinds of fish in wonderful colors but he lamented that they were just too quick for him! What a way to spend the rest of the afternoon! Another great meal cooked with local foods here in our apartment. Tonight we decide to just hang in the apartment and M reads Jonathon Livingstone Seagull to J – a great tale!
June 22, Wednesday – We have our typical morning – wake, dress head down to Bar Centrale for a couple of wonderful cappuccinos and say hello to the local owners and enjoy the village happenings, work out, have breakfast and then get ready to go out for the day. We are taking the train to the last town of Cinque Terre , Monterosso as it has the largest beach in the national park and J wants an actual beach day.
We head to the train station which overlooks the water and board the train that is heading in the direction we want to go in. It speeds past a couple of the villages within the park and T and J wonder “did we get on the wrong train?” M tells them to relax, if it doesn’t we’ll just catch a train heading back. But alas, it does indeed stop at our desired destination – so we have no worries.
We head straight for the beach and try to locate a piece of beach not occupied by a body, yet that is not in a part of the beach where you have to pay to have a spot. We do indeed find an area, drop our stuff and J + T head for the water. This beach is not sand, but tiny pebbles, so both wear sandals when they enter the water – wonderful and refreshing. It is in the mid 30’s today with no breeze, M is bathed in sweat as he awaits his turn for the water, he is looking after our stuff. M enjoyed his turn immensely while T baked on the shore. Finally they switched and to M’s amazement T actually got her hair wet. This is a rare occurrence… Finally with bodies thoroughly roasted and toasted, we head off to a restaurant to lunch with a view of the beach, and enjoy the slight breeze.
While at the little terrace restaurant, M had a great chat with some Jewish people who had brought their own smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, and bread to sit at this restaurant table. M was scouring the menu for smoked salmon and he became perplexed when he couldn’t find it …. The lady leaned over and whispered “we brought our own” “We’ll share some with you but you’ll have to join the Jews”. He hesitated on this and her reply was “Oh, he’s thinking about it…” They all laughed and then one of the ladies prepared a slice of bead with on the fixin’s . He thoroughly enjoyed and then proceeded to have a conversation on travelling to Israel, which we want to do later on. We walked around this village a bit, which is the largest of the 5 villages, much more developed and the busiest. Once we see all the people, we are so glad we are not staying here.
June 23, Thursday – J wants to go kayaking with M today. T wants to check out Venazza, which is the town next to Monterosso. So, they decide to have lunch near the harbor of our town today and then split up. Lunch was about trying the local cuisine, which differs from other parts of Italy. While we were waiting for a table, a woman who was sitting by herself at a table for 4, invited us to join her. She is Irish, and was in Cinque Terre with some friends and comes every year, so she knew the restaurant was good. We had a great lunch and a delightful hour of conversation her.
The boys rented a kayak and T went off on her own via train to Vernazza. Both enjoyed their time. M and J spent time at the beach after kayaking and T walked around the village to check the place out. There was an area where people could swim using a beach entrance. As with the other villages, there were all kinds of pastel colored apartment buildings lined along the main road of the village, heading down to the water. It was the second largest of the villages.
Having talked to some ladies who were well versed in “Rick Steeves Cinque Terre recommendations” Bar Centrale is THE place to go for mojitos. So after dinner, M and T decide to find out for themselves if indeed this was true and after tasting them – we whole-heartedly approved, and J had a gelato. M enjoyed his mojito so quickly and so much, that he had a second! We definitely have to take AMT here tomorrow night.
June 24, Friday – We are up early today – 7am – which is the earliest T has gotten up since, she can’t even remember. Today we are driving to Genoa (Genova) to pick up Anne Marie and Sydney Toutant, from Calgary who are here to visit for 6 days. The trip to Genoa takes under 2 hours. We decide to go early so we can check out the Genoa Aquarium. All three of us enjoyed the morning looking at the displays and colorful marine life. It was a great way to spend a few hours and learn a few things along the way.
After a quick lunch we were on our way to the airport. The flight was early. M quickly scrambled to write on a napkin, TOUTANT, so he could be like one of the limo/tour guides waiting to pick up customers – that was good for a chuckle.
Bags loaded in the station wagon, we were set for the drive back to Riomaggiore. J had been so excited “to have someone else to have a conversation with other than my parents”. We chatted along the way exchanging stories – the girls weren’t too jet lagged, which was great. Once back in Rio, we weren’t allowed to bring the car down into the village due it being a holiday (and perhaps a language barrier difference between M and the traffic cop…) so T hopped out with Anne Marie and Sydney and led them to the apartment while M and J went to the other part of town our parking spot (that we got as part of the apartment). Anne Marie and Sydney had a good laugh when they saw the 3 flights of stairs complete with 3 90-degree turns and through a little doorway to find the apartment – truly typical small seaside village Italy.
Once inside – AMT unpacked the two things we requested to be brought over from Canada – 1 roll of Duct Tape and a package of Velveeta Cheese slices for J. Oh happy day!
We had planned to take the ferry from Riomaggoire to Monterosso with them so they could get a look at the Cinque Terre area (and we could see it from the sea which gives a different perspective than from the walkway). Sydney, who wanted to catch some rays, as the weather in Calgary has been terrible this spring, and J headed to the beach for a couple of hours.
M, T and AMT walked slowly through the village, checking out a couple of shops, and then arranging for ferry and return train tickets. As ferry departure time approached, we headed to the beach to collect Sydney and J. The wind was up some, so, the water was a bit choppy. It made for boarding the boat, somewhat tricky. Everyone enjoyed the view and all survived the waves.
Once we reached Monterosso, and gelato in hand, we headed to the train station to catch the next train back. We had to wait a while for it to arrive.
We had a reservation for dinner at the little place near the harbor where we had lunch yesterday. We were late for the reservation by 15 min. but our table was still held, and we were seated at the table closest to the water. A celebratory clinking of glasses and a good meal was a good way to welcome our friends. After dinner, we took AMT and S up the staircase and walkway which J had led us on the other night to give them a flavour of the village. As were we, our guests were amazed at the narrowness, and closeness of the buildings “this is cool” was said a few times.
We had to make one more stop – Bar Centrale for mojitos, and of course a gelato for J. We were not disappointed in our cocktails and enjoyed the busy atmosphere tonight as it was the patron saint feast day today and the narrow village road was lined on either side with flower petals – we knew something was going to be happening. Sure enough, just after we returned to the apartment we heard singing and music. . AMT, M and T scurried out of the apartment to see what was up. There was a large procession with banners, crucifix, picture of Our Lady, priest, and many people carrying candles and a band. With the amount of people in the procession, it seemed that most of the townfolk must have been taking part.
June 25, Saturday – Today we need to checkout by 10. Everyone was ready to leave on time. M and AMT went to get the car located across the village – that way she could go for a walk along some of the walkways to get a view of the village and sea – she enjoyed that. Everyone lugged their bags down the numerous flights of steps and stacked them and awaited the arrival of our chariot. This morning was a busy time on the street with all the delivery trucks and various tourists, having no idea the road is a dead end. M wisely decides to wait up the hill about 100 ft so the four of us scurry up the hill lugging bags behind us to get the car out of the busy spot. Even though M carefully planned the packing process, not all bags fit into the back. The three in the back had to have a couple of bags on their lap – they were ok with this.
Check-in to our next place isn’t until 3:30 so we decided to go check out Porto Venere, a coastal village south of Riomaggiore. The drive took us about 30 minutes inland to La Spezia and then along the coastal road to Porto Venere. When we purchased our pastel the other day, the woman in the gallery had said to check it out as it was much quainter and much less resort-like than Portofino “you’ll love it”. All of us were very pleased with this beautiful coastal town. We knew that parking would be at a premium, so we took one of the first we could find. This left us with about a 10 minute walk to the centre of the little town. It was already very warm out but we all enjoyed the feel of the breeze as we walked along the road above the harbor. As we near the centre of the town, we noticed a castle overlooking the harbor.
We were all into checking the place out, so we walked over toward an arched portico. To our surprise it lead into a narrow alleyway between pastel apartment buildings. There were a number of shops along the way we checked out. We bought a few things and enjoyed exploring the place. We decided to check out a couple of staircases eventually leading us to the entrance of the castle. J decided against checking out the castle so he sat in the shade with the purchases of the day admiring the view of the busy harbor. The rest of us went up to explore the upper castle. This castle was dated back to at least the early 1200’s. Perched on the top of the hill, we got breathtaking views of the sea & lower castle/church out on the point on one side and the very busy harbor in the opposite direction.
By mid-afternoon, the harbor was speckled with sailboats of various sizes, a few “smaller” (by Monaco standards anyways) yachts, and even a Disney cruise ship.
After a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant and of course our essential gelato, we head back for the car. Four of us decided to walk along the waterfront while M decided to go “the tried and true way” and we agreed to meet at the car. When we finally met up at the car, M had the car repacked so at least one of the bags which had been riding on the laps was now in the back.
We arrived in Lavagna and met up with Piercarlo who owns the apartment we will be staying for the week. We arrive at a three story salmon-colored villa over looking Lavagna with a Mediterranean seascape, including Portofino Prominary. We are pleased with the accommodation, as it is spacious with numerous balconies and a lovely dining al fresco area. We are up in the hills and the foliage is wonderful. Once settled, we head out to the local grocery store and everyone has input into what goes in the cart. Once stocked, we off to go home for a nice dinner, some good white wine, and just chatting on the deck as the sun goes down.
AMT sums up her assessment of our Italian lifestyle as we sit around the table with “Man all this family does is goes in search of the next gelato shop. We’ve been here for 2 days and we’ve had 4 gelato stops already. “
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