Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre has long been on my list of must see places in the world. Today we spent the whole day exploring this beautiful coast. We had been given different tips from many people about how to go about exploring the Cinque Terre, but in the end you
just have to get started and work out for yourselves what best suits you in terms of travelling from one town to the next.

This is how you board the ferry - it took a little getting used to when the boat was wildly rocking on the shore.

An early start-outside Villa Ducci

We had set aside a full day, but knew we wouldn't get to all 6 towns. I say 6, because it's actually Portovenere and the Cinque Terre. We didn't, but plan to visit Portovenere by car some time during the week. We purchased full day tickets for the ferry so we could get on and off at the different towns as we wished. I was glad I'd taken a Travelcalm tablet, the ride isn't exactly smooth! We were rocking from side to side the whole way from the port of La Spezia to the first stop Manarola.

The beautiful views made up for the rocky ride.

We spent time in Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, catching the ferry in between each stop. The villages are nestled in to the cliffs and wind up hills. The buildings are beautiful pastel colours and people lie on rocks and footpaths to sunbake. The seafood is at its prime and there is something new to discover around every corner. So many little allies and hilly streets to explore. Of course the Cinque Terre is loaded with tourists making the towns very busy. However, we got a little lucky today and the crowds weren't that bad. We easily got a table in a little restaurant for lunch in Vernazza and had beautiful local pasta dishes and seafood, washed down with Prosecco and cold beer of course.

Monterosso al Mare was the last of the villages we visited for the day and by far my personal favourite. There is the old town and the new town to visit with a walk between the two. I was feeling quite hot and bothered by the time we got there and decided to buy a hat off a guy selling them on the street. Usually I completely avoid buying things from these sellers as they are likely to rip you off. However, the heat really was getting to me, so I caved. I paid 10 euro for a hat Shannon has labelled 'a gentleman's hat' although I'm pretty sure they're trendy for men and women! Of course later I saw the same hats in souvenir shops for half the price, but I had made the mans day so I wasn't too fussed and couldn't be bothered trying to get the price down!

The last ferry leaves Monterosso around 5. We had found a nice little bar to cool down in with beer and a spritz for me and a lot of water! It was peaceful and the shop owners and bar staff seemed more relaxed now that the crowds had started to thin out. We enjoyed a cold gelati on our walk to the train station. Yes the train station. We caught the train back to La Spezia as it was a 25 minute journey. Neither of us wanted to rush back with the last ferry and endure 2 and half hours of the rocky boat! I know that words cannot do this beautiful place justice. I hope that some of the photos speak for themselves.