Cinque Terre, Italy

We stopped at Pisa for about an hour on our way to the coast from Florence. Here is the tower. It stands 23 feet off vertical. It began listing even as they were building it, yet they kept building. The did try to fix it, but it still leans and requires a vertical cable to keep it from squashing someone.

This is the Ligurian Sea, which is an inlet to the Mediterranean Sea. Here begins the Italian Riviera.

Manarola, Cinque Terre. This was the last stop on our tour. We had a free day. It was absolutely beautiful. The sun shone giving us a nearly 70 degree day. No sweatshirt or coat was necessary! It was wonderful! Five main villages line the coast and make up the Cinque Terre. The hills behind the villages offer remarkable hiking (or so I heard). We all split up to do our own thing. Heather and I walked along the cliffside path that went between our village and the next. We climbed 365 steps to the village, got a snack, then hopped on the train to be able to get to the next village in good time. We found a little local restaurant for some lunch. I had their local pasta with pesto. It was pretty good. Then we got some gelato. One scoop is just the right amount of dairy for me, so I was able to experience this Italian treat. It was delicious!

We found this arch on our way down to the beach from our hostel.

This is the beginning of the path we followed.

We waited for an hour in the warm sun for the train. In the distance you can see where our village is on the peninsula.

Vernazza, Cinque Terre. This is where we ate lunch.


The sun going down as we were leaving the last town. Good day.