Cinque Terre

April 23rd & 24th--We spent the past 2 days in the Cinque Terre (The Five Lands) area off the coast of the Ligurian Sea. This area is part of the Italian Riviera. The Cinque Terre consists of five villages built into the cliffs overlooking the sea. Hiking paths, boats and trains connect the villages and cars can not enter this area. It is probably the most beautiful, scenic area we have seen in our travels to date. We ultimately visited 4 out of the 5 villages during our 2 days, only missing the 3rd village, Corniglia because of the steep climb required to reach the town center.

Thursday--We left Florence early on Thursday morning in order to maximize our time in the Cinque Terre. After a painless 2.5 hour train ride, we arrived in the 4th village, Vernazza. We had booked a hotel room here for the night. We took the short walk through the village to the harbor front area where there was a restaurant owned by the same couple who own the hotel. Here we picked up our room key and headed up the multiple flights of stairs that cliimb through the village to reach our room. Our room was located high above the village center, right under the castle that used to protect the city. There was a terrace right near our room that looked out over the sea. We dropped off our stuff and went into the town to check out the harbor and beach area. We had decided on this village because it was described as the most dramatic, but also including a natural sand beach. We had decided that would be fun for the kids. Well, when we got to the beach, it was about the size of a large living room (ok, maybe a little bigger, but not much). It was also right in the middle of the town square and looked more like it was used for the fishing boats to land on than for sunning and playing in the water. While it was very sunny out, it was probably still a little cool for true beach/water activities anyway. The next village over, Monterosso, was described as the most like a "beach resort", so we decided that we would eat lunch, grab our bathing suits and then take the boat over to check out the beach scene. We had lunch at a restaurant that was built into the side of the cliff overlooking the water. It was a little pricey, but the great seafood and scenery were worth it. We then headed down to the boat dock to catch the boat. Well, we were a little out of luck, because the next boat did not leave for another 2 hours. This did not sit well with Mr. Austin who thought the boat should be there when he wanted it to be. To top it off, a very dark cloud seemed to be rolling in over the mountains. We decided that a little hike along the trails would be fun for the kids to kill time, so we headed up the mountain. We had heard that the hike between Vernazza to Monterosso was the toughest hike, but since we weren't planning on making the entire journey anyway, we thought it would be fun. Well it stated with a bunch of stairs up through the city and continued with a very narrow pathway up through the mountain along the edge of the seaside. While we were blessed with amazing views of our village, it was very rough and rugged and a little tough for the kids. After making it about a 1/4 of the way, we turned around and headed back towards Vernazza. When we got back into town, we decided to stop for Gelato to reward ourselves for the hike. (You should see how many excuses we can come up with for Gelato stops!) Just as we got our Gelato, it started POURING rain. We were under a table umbrella, but the wind was blowing a little and so we were getting wet. We noticed that there was a hair salon right across from us so we decided it was a good time to get Austin's haircut again. Once inside, Abby decided that she also wanted her hair cut. So when it was all said and done, three out of four Gathright's got their haircut...can you guess who was the lone holdout????? While we were getting our haircut, the showers passed through and the sun came back out. At this point we decided that it was too late to get any beach time so we decided we would take the boat over to Monterosso and have dinner. We changed clothes, caught the next boat and then headed over. It was a very quick boat ride (each of the villages are only a couple of kilometers, at most, from one another), but much enjoyed by the kiddos and provided spectatular views of the region from the water. When we arrived at Monterosso, we walked along the waterfront for little while to enjoy the views. Then we noticed a playground and decided that the kids deserved a little playtime. Amy and I enjoyed a nice glass of Chianti while we watched them play. We then went and had dinner at Belvederes, which was a great Italian restaurant on the harbor. We again enjoyed a great meal of Italian specialties (pasta and pesto) and seafood. After dinner, the boats were not running so our only option of getting back was train. Unfortunately, as we arrived at the train station, the train heading back to Vernazza was leaving and the next train was not for another hour. So we found a little bakery nearby and enjoyed dessert. We then headed back to the train station only to find out that our train was delayed 35 minutes. So we sat in the train station waiting. Austin fell asleep waiting and I must say, it was no fun caring an extra 30 pounds up through the village to get to our hotel! Our room consisted of a king size bed and one twin bed with a private bathroom. It was perfect for us! The kids and Amy got the big bed while I took the little one. We were all pretty exhausted and fell asleep quickly.
Friday--7am. Well, apparently the church bells followed us. While I think we would have all liked to have slept in today, it was good we were awoken so we could get an early start to the day. The sun was shining bright and the temperature was cool...a perfect morning in the Cinque Terre. We went down to the local bakery and picked up some pastries for breakfast. We then took them down to the harbor front and sat on the rocks overlooking the water and had breakfast. The colors of the rocks were really pretty...some were shades of purple. After we enjoyed our peaceful breakfast, we went back to the room and checked out. We decided that we would try to combine hiking and boats today to see the remaining three villages. We took the train to the 1st village, Riomaggiore. We then took the hiking path towards Manarola. This was an easy, flat, paved path cut into the cliffside along the water with beautiful views. It was only about a 2o minute walk and so it was perfect for the kids. The pathway is nicknamed Via dell'Amore: Pathway of Love as in the 1940's it was a meeting point for boys and girls from the two connecting towns. It has continued to be the local lover's lane and has a section with a cluster of padlocks as locking a padlock with your lover is the current craze. While we didn't lock a padlock, we did lock lips and Abby captured the moment for us with the camera! We continued our hike into Manarola. We had originally intended to take the boat to the 3rd village, Corniglia for lunch so we could visit all five villages. However, we realized that Corniglia is the only village not on the water, but instead perched up on the cliffs above the water, so the boat does not stop there. Since the kids were not up to hiking up the hill this morning we decided to settle on a view from the boat. So we stopped off at a deli and picked up some sandwiches. We then hopped on the boat and took the ride past Corniglia to our original home, Vernazza. Here we perched back up on the rocks and ate our picnic lunch. We sat around enjoying the views and the laid back atmosphere of the Cinque Terre. After 5 packed days in Florence, it was great to have this relaxing break. We had some time to kill before our train back to Florence so we stopped off at the playground right next to the train station. Amy decided that she would go mail her postcard at the nearby post office while the kids played. After a few minutes, I see Amy come back "fake crying". Words can not even explain the next few minutes but I will try. At first I couldn't figure out what she was doing but she seemed to be trying to get down to the creek that runs below the street and playground where we were. I finally got enough words out of her to realize that as she was walking to the post office, a gust of wind came and whisked the postcard out of her hand. Amy describes it as the postcard "fluttered around" in the air and ultimately over the rail and down to the river. Well apparently, this must have been a 500 dollar postcard, because she was bound and determined to retrieve it. She was half way down the side of the creek before I could gather up the kids and go after her. By the time we got down to her she had just jumped over the creek and was standing on the other side holding up the postcard like it was some found treasure. The kids were somewhere between laughing and crying as they couldn't figure out what their deranged mom was doing. She made it back to us and we headed back up to the playground. Amy was laughing so hard that it took me a minute to realize that she had not made it all the way over on her "leap" and so her right foot had landed in the water and was completely soaked up past her ankle. So, she sat down with the kids and took off her socks and shoes to dry while I took care of the postcard mailing duties. Let's hope this postcard makes it to its destination! We then caught our train to La Spezia where we were to catch our train to Florence. Amy and Abby went to get the tickets while Austin and I grabbed our suitcase from the storage (we had stored it earlier in the day so as not to carry it around with us.). Well, just as we are getting the bag, I see Amy at the other end of the tracks yelling at us to run. So Austin hops on the suitcase and I take off running with him. She is yelling at us to go to track 3 and that our train is leaving in 1 minute. We hop on the train just as it is taking off. As we are pulling out of the station, I notice that the sign for the train says "Sarzana". Something didn't seem right about that "destination" so I asked Amy why she was yelling for us to get on the train on track 3. She said it is because that's what the lady at the ticket window told her. We did not have a good feeling about this train, but at least knew we were going in the right direction. We decided that we could hop off at some train station and verify we were on the right train. After about 15 minutes, we arrive at a train station and Amy looks out the window and notices that the sign says "Sarzana". The train "turns off" and we realize we have gone as far as this train goes! The station was pretty small, but we found the ticket window and handed the lady our ticket. She writes "15:00 and 2" on it and we realize that the train to Florence arrives at track 2 at 15:00...in 5 minutes. Well, that train had also stopped in La Spezia (where we just were) 5 minutes AFTER the train we RAN for. So why the ticket lady told Amy to run for the train that was leaving and had a train change vs waiting 5 more minutes for the direct train we will never know. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the same bad karma that caused the wind god's to rip the post card from her hand and the water god's to pull her foot into the water! Finally, we were on our way back to Florence was some good laughs to go along with our relaxing trip to the Cinque Terre.