day four: Cinque Terre

We journeyed to cinque terre on Friday. We left Bellagio on the 6:40am ferry and made our way to Varenna to catch the train to Milan. On the train, we met a wonderful gentleman that was our on board friend, concierge, and caretaker. We actually never even got his name. We chatted about travel, work, family, and lots about Italy. Once we got to Milan, he was our defender from urban outdoorsman. He went with Grace downstairs at the train station to ensure that we purchased the correct tickets with the best connections. After boarding our train we separated to our respective seats but he came and found us to ensure we got off at the right station to make our next connection.
It poured rain during a thunderstorm as we entered into Cinque Terre. As we exited the station we found a small bakery and enjoyed the most tasteful foccacia bread while waiting for our room agent. We waited for our room while trying another regional specialty; anchovies, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Grace enjoyed the appetizer while Isaac only had a taste.
After our little snack we were allowed to finally make our journey up to the heavens. We winded through cobblestone side streets and little alleyways with a million steps. Then we approached the old lookout tower and ascended up through the tower. As soon as we reach the top of the stairs our apartment was right there. The view was a majestic although we cannot say the same for our bed or the cleanliness of the bathroom.
As we ascended into the heavens to reach our room the rain began to lift and the sky cleared allowing the sun the beam through. Cinque terre is an area tof 5 fishing villages that are connected hills of farmland. The villages are filled with faded pastel homes with bright primary color doors, crabbing baskets & boats blanketing the uneven cobblestone streets. The smell of salty foccacia and anchovies make your tastebuds water. As you walk through these villages you feel free as the laundry swinging against the Liguariuan wind. From Manarola, we strolled through the via dell’ amore that connected to the next village Riomaggiore. The views along the trail were breathtaking. The crystal clear aqua waves crashing violently against slate stones have caused layers of texture and patterns on the rocks. There’s a section of the trail where there is a tunnel of writing and locks of lovers. We took lots and lots of pictures. We did this path three times! In the evening we visited another town, Monterosso, the resort of the five fishing villages, making three for the day and were able to capture from great pictures as the sun went down.