Cinque Terra

Another even busier week.  Not sure how it can be.  We are actually getting more organized and getting more done, but the President seems to find for us to do.

For the last couple of months we have been planning to go on a trip with the Keeffers, A military couple stationed in Pordenone that got here a week after us.  They drove over on Thursday and spent the night in our apartment.  We got up, had breakfast and loaded up the car and drove south to see Cinque Terra.

We drove to La Spezia, a port town on the east coast of Italy  About a 2.5 hour drive.

How can we find the words to describe this area.  I am tempted to just let the pictures do the talking for me.  Everywhere we looked it was gorgeous.  Even though  we had alternating sun and clouds, it was still beautiful.  La Spezia is an Italian navy port as well as a shipping port. 

 

Cinque Terre is a series of five small towns along the coastline.  You can hike between the villages or take the train but you cannot drive between them.  The only parking in the villages are for residents.  You can park at either end and catch the train.  It is only 12 euro to ride all day back and forth between the villages.  There are so many things to see.  High cliffs, seaside areas, and fishing wharves.

These are hardy people to walk up and these stairs every day.  No handrails either.

This is the fifth village and more of a resort area, people swimming, sunbathing, night life, etc.

Waiting at the train station

The Keeffers - waiting to catch the train to another village.

 

The villages are steep and going down to the center of the villages is easy going down but not so fun coming up. 

Here is a fishing harbor and we decided the fishermen probably made more money taking tourists out in their boats than actually catching fish these days. 

Yes, if you look close we did go to the gelateria on the right.  A gelato a day keeps the soul bright.

This area is fairly isolated even today.  Historically, these villages are here to escape invaders and pirates.  Life was simple and hard.

Italians really love colorful things and houses.

 

Italians invented skywalks before we did.  (They are actually braces to keep the walls from falling)

 

It is just breathtaking from all angles. 

 

Here's the train tracks between villages

I waited while the not afraid of heights and steep stairs people climbed up to the top of the village.

All I can say is the  trip was fabulous.  When anyone visits us, this is definitely on our have to see place.  We had a great lunch at a restaurant that was recommended by a friend of Elder Keeffers, a villager who now lives in the states.  Good choice.  I had pasta with a very fresh and  flavorful tomato sauce.  Marv and Elder Keeffer had tronfie pasta with a pesto and green bean sauce that was sooo good.  Most food here is always made fresh and never frozen or packaged.  We are trying to take good notes on how to cook things.  Our day in Cinque Terre was great.  At the end of a beautiful day, we got in our car and it is off to our hotel near Pisa at Camp Darby.