Fear Factor - Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre, Italy
We left our apartment near Modena at about 9.30am, the plan was to check out Parma on our way to the Cinque Terre, however once we hit the road we decided to just keep driving and get there, so we had to bypass the Barilla factory tour. Being cheapskates we didn't take the toll roads to Parma but it did take us an extra 1/2 hour, but it was ok, it was the scenic route and so we drove through some very pretty country towns.
As we neared Parma we calculated the route on google maps and realised if we took the toll road although it would cost us $$$ we would arrive in Monterosso al Mare about an hour and a half earlier then if we decided to continue to be cheapskates.... so as much as we hated the thought of paying tolls, we took the toll road and headed out onto the autostrada.
Now normally I don't swear but .... f#*k, that road is cra.....zy, I pretty much feared for my life for the next 2 hours. Travelling at ridiculous speeds through mountainous ranges with sheer cliffs and European cars overtaking us at even more ridiculous speeds and trucks beeping at us for god knows what, was not exactly my idea of a good time .... But as it seems Waz was in his element. Despite the fear, when I sneaked a peak out the window the view of the hillside towns were spectacular.
Driving into Monterosso was even more of a challenge as we snaked our way up, down and around the seaside towns, but again the view was extraordinary and I constantly had my camera out the window trying to capture the unique towns on the cliffs by the sea. As we drove into the town the streets got narrower by the second to the point where we were dodging tourists, 3 wheeler mini utes, local kids on bikes and dogs. We followed the signs to our accomodation - Hotel Villa Steno and we were extremely lucky that they had reserved a special car park for us (trust me in a town with no cars this was a real bonus).
We checked into the hotel and were pleasantly surprised by the English speaking Italian host. Our room wasn't quite ready so we were offered a complementary drink on the terrace while we waited. Taking our proseco and birra out to the terrace we both had another Kodak moment, the view once again took our breath away as we gazed out over the rustic terracotta tiled rooftops, past the sixteenth century bell tower and out onto the impressive shimmering grey blue Mediterranean Ocean. We were in our very own Calendar page. Another quick selfie, our bags into our room and we were off to explore.
First things first .... Lunch. We found a restaurant with an amazing seafood menu and ocean front views and stopped for a quick bite to eat before heading out for an aerobic afternoon of hill and stair climbing. Crossing the first hill we soon discovered the other side of Monterosso, it was the tourist side filled with resort style apartments and plenty of cafés, bars, and souvenir shops, not to mention gelato vendors. It was on this side of town however, that we stumbled across The Giant - representing the God Neptune, this reinforced concrete sculpture although very damaged and missing his arms dominated the beach in a very masculine way. After the giant we made our way towards the highest point of town to check out The Convent, and then a bit higher again we found A castle that can be dated back to 1254, however today it is the village cemetery and houses thousands of elaborately decorated tombs and Italian family plots. Resting high above the town this peaceful place was both beautiful and historic, we spent some time and just wandered around the serene resting place reading the tomb stones and thinking about those who now sleep eternally, watching over and protecting the town.
Back on flat ground (if there is such a thing in the Cinque Terre) it was aperitivo time, and the usual Campari and soda for me and birra for Waz was the perfect way to watch the sun go down on the 5 lands. As the church bells rang out at 6.30pm and the locals came out of church, we were fascinated by the 4 local ladies who decided to take a seat outside the church and discuss all the important matters of the day. We people watched till dark and then took a walk along the streets searching for the perfect place for a bite to eat. We choose a place that looked busy knowing that was generally a sign of good food. Waz ordered the pesto gnocchi and I chose the boiled octopus in a delicious tomato sauce. Content and full we left the restaurant and started our journey up the numerous steps to our home for the next three nights.
After a good nights sleep we were up and ready to start the day, after breakfast we descended all of the steps once more and headed to the station, our plan was to get a Cinque Terre pass which gave us unlimited use of the train and walking tracks for two days. We decided the best way to see the towns was to start at the furtherest town and work our way back to Monterosso. So we started at Riomaggiore. Getting off the train we made our way up into the town, past the little shops selling their local specialties such as lemon soap, limoncello, lemon marmalade and lots of little nic nacks like ceramic wine stoppers and olive oil pourers, lemon printed tea towels, aprons and table cloths, and other kitsch Italiano souvenirs. We wound our way up and around the narrow stair pathways and peeped over private garden walls to get a glimpse of the most amazing terraced gardens filled with citrus trees of all varieties, grape vines, absolutely huge healthy herb bushes, and tomatoes redder than I have ever seen before. On our way back to the station we stopped at a crepe vendor and got ourselves a cappuccino and a lemon and sugar crepe. Served with a piece of grilled lemon, the favour was fabulous, the lemon flavour is almost sweet, very different to the lemons we grow in Australia.
The next town was Manarola and this was a very special little town. Built on a high rock 70 metres above sea level, it was charming and romantic. The tiny harbor featured a boat ramp, picturesque pastel houses facing the sea and a tiny piazza with seafood restaurants. We ate at one of the restaurants recommended by Rick Steves, Il Porticciolo, and it certainly lived up to his flattering review. The grilled octopus and grilled tunafish was so good we couldn't stop raving about it. My second serve of octopus in two days and I was pretty impressed with the local speciality.
The weather in Manarola had turned pretty bad, it was cold and blustery and the ocean smashed against the rock wall that protected the town from the fierce sea. Realising we only had about 40 minutes after lunch to explore a bit more we raced to the top of the town to check out the local church, and a few more of the narrow streets. The beauty and modesty of the town won us over, and again we enjoyed checking out the tiny terraced yards filled with creeping gourds, winding grape vines, abundant lemon trees, and snoozing pussy cats, even the washing lines hanging out of the windows told a story of simplicity.
Back to our hometown, we had to quickly freshen up before meeting up with an American couple we met in Venice. Meeting on the Marano, Burano boat tour we got chatting to Jared and Natalie and realised we would be in Monterosso at the same time so we made a plan to catch up for a drink. Well let me just say that drink turned into about 6 bottles of Vino Rosso, a fabulous seafood dinner, and a great night of interesting conversation, made up words, crazy antics in the wind tunnel and plenty of laughs. Hopefully one day we will meet up again. It seemed a long stagger home from the other side of town at two am in the morning so hopefully couple of panadol and a litre of water would help us wake up in a few hours as fresh as daisies. We'll see.
Mmmm.... so much for being as fresh as daisies, oh well up and at em, we still had another two of the 5 lands to explore and only one day left to do it. Although the sun was out and the temperature was lovey our day got off to a sluggish start as we set out for the train to Corniglia. Once we arrived at the station and got off the platform we found ourselves looking high up at the little village perched on the rocky summit. 365 picturesque stairs later and we were onto the path into town, lucky for us a drinking fountain was awaiting our arrival. Corniglia was founded around the year 1000, and still to this day maintains its charm. With its stone houses and ancient doorways there was beauty everywhere we looked. We even found our way onto a magnificent terrace overhanging the sea at the very edge of town, these views of the coastline were spectacular.
Another church, some more lovely gardens, a gelato for the walk back to the station and we were back on the train heading for Vernazza, the last of our Cinque Terre towns to explore.
A single cobbled street lead us through the town and out to the marina.Colourfully painted timber fishing boats lined the eating area where the matching colourful umbrellas shaded the thirsty tourists from the midday sun, as they sipped on their local vino and devoured the delicious local seafood on offer. The aromas coming from the cucinas were amazing. Among the boats we started to notice the cats sneaking around the restaurants in search of a dropped prawn shell or lobsters claw. They were big friendly cats, and most seemed happy to have a pat.
Getting peckish ourselves we decided we should try one of the other local specialties, the hand made pasta called trofie with the local pesto sauce. It was so tasty yet it was cooked up very simply, with a bit of boiled potato through it and a few green beans, it really was good hangover food. Feeling the need for an afternoon siesta we made our way back home to revive a little.
Later we decided to take one of the other walks around Monterosso and wind our way up into the lemon groves. A beautiful walk that followed a stone path with masterfully crafted hand built stone bridges along a small trickling creek through the citrus trees and deep into the forest. As the sun set we thought it wise to turn back and do a little tourist shopping before finding a bite to eat and having an early night. Although our last day in the Cinque Terre was coming to an end we had thoroughly enjoyed our time exploring the fascinating little hillside villages. Tomorrow we were back in the car to take the scenic route along the ocean to Pisa and then onto Florence which would be our home for the next two days.