Cinque Terre

Another Short trip Erin and I took from Florence was to  Cinque Terre .  We had to leave super early since it's a couple hours train ride from Florence but the early departure did make for some awesome photo op's on my favorite bridge!

Once we got to Cinque Terre we were so excited, it was gorgeous.  Erin loves anything beach and ocean related and she'll take any opportunity to see the water (I'm not kidding, the girl has driven to California by herself to go sit on the beach). I on the other hand am not quite as enthusiastic about the ocean but I have to say, this place is AMAZING.  It's five (cinque) small towns on the northern Italian coast and there is a hiking trail (as well as a train) that goes along the coastline and connects them all.  The views are stunning, the towns are adorable and the trail is wonderful.  It's the whole package.

The start of the trail at Cinque Terre National Park

We couldn't just walk down the trail, we of course had to climb up or down each little path we saw.  That's the fun part right?

Don't worry, we climbed down despite the "dangerous descent"

The path between the first two cities is known as the "Walk of Love" because of it's beautiful views and the tradition for couples to come and lock padlocks along the trail.  There were locks everywhere, as well as various other things tied and wrapped around railings.  

People also write messages all along the walls of this section of the trail, some writing right on the walls, others attaching little paper notes.

There is also this awesome section with windows that make "light stripes" on the ground that look sort of like like the abbey road cover :)  I was very entertained!  Love happening upon a random beatles find!

We just had to do it

more of the love locks

Made it to Manarola, here's a view of the train that goes between the towns

We decided to stop for lunch in Manarola at this adorable little cafe, complete with flower pots on the patio :)  We were excited to start seeing flowers everywhere, spring was finally coming! We were ready for some warmth!





After lunch we made our way to the last town, Monterosso, where they have an awesome beach.  It warmed up enough that we really enjoyed hanging out on that beach for a while.  In fact, I'm pretty sure we both fell asleep for a little while!

looking back at the wonderful Monterosso beach

When we were finally able to drag orselves away from the beach relaxation we hiked up to the monestary to get a closer view of the Francis of Assisi statue, and ended up making friends with an adorable kitty along the way :)

back on the trail again

He had a little stubby tail that makes me think he has a tougher side and a badass story but was very friendly and willing to get a little love from us. 

One of the most picturesque parts of Cinque Terre is the view of Manarola from the trail. It was my favorite town and I love how all the buildings pile on top of one another and mimic the natural line of the mountain side.  

It was definitely a sight to see and something I'll always remember as one of the coolest places I've ever been.

   

  

Human Chessboard!

We were in Cinque Terre in March 2012, and it was in the process of recovering from some devastating storms and landslides from the previous winter.  This meant that some parts of the trail were closed and under construction, so we took the train between some of them instead of hiking the whole way.  If you have to wait for a train somewhere though, this is the place to do it.  How many train stations have views like these?  

Vernazza was the town hardest hit by the weather, and most of the buildings were devasted on the ground floor by flooding.

There is a campaign going

 to aid the town and help 

it recover (it's http://savevernazza.com/ if you're interested in helping or learning more).  

Since many of the ground floors were ruined they have been boarded up.  However, there is a positive feeling of hope because people have come in and painted the boarded up doors with vibrant designs and inspriational messages for recovery.  

presidential security

When we got to Vernazza we noticed that there were tons of people there, and about 3/4 of them were uniformed police.  Once we got the the town square we asked around and found out that the president of Italy was actually there that day, right there inside that church.

He came out and was whisked away in his black sedan.  It was all very exciting. We're practically bff's now.  (Now when we see a particularly crowded area we always say the president must be nearby, which coincidentally happened on one occasion in Rome.) 

By this time it was getting close to sunset, so we started making our way back to the first town Riomaggiore.

But of course, we had to stop again in Manarola and see this beautiful place with all it's pretty lights on :)

Apparently I can't stay still enough but I love this pic :)

Back in Riomaggiore there is a tunnel from the train stop into the town and the whole things is a huge mosaic.

We wandered around for a bit before heading back to the train to Florence (through La Spezia and Pisa if you're planning a trip and want to know which train takes you to the magical land).  This was definitely one of my favorite things we did while staying in Florence and in Italy over all.  Actually, make that my most favorite thing.  It was amazing.  I wish we could have spent some more time there, and hopefully I can go back someday and see it recovered and in all it's glory, especially Vernazza.  Seriously, this place is a don't miss for Italy trips.  GO THERE!