Since our first month abroad, my friends and I had planned on spending yesterday in Cinque Terre. Since it's only two hours from Florence by bus, it makes for an easy day trip. We left very early in the morning for La Spezia, the train station that would take us into the first of the five small towns in Cinque Terre. Unfortunately, when we arrived we were told that the trains were on strike. Usually, we would have also taken trains in between the towns instead of hiking for hours, so the strike definitely changed our plan. On top of all this, the area was extremely foggy and dreary, making the views almost impossible to see. However, we were still determined to make the best of the day. We took a bus as close as we could get to the town of Monterosso al Mare, and explored. Although it was cloudy and drizzling, we still tried to capture the best views we could. My friend Kristina (who was visiting me from Spain), my friend Tessa and I ate at a cute trattoria recommended by a local. Cinque Terre is where pesto and focaccia originated, and their seafood and white wine is also very good. Knowing this, we ordered an amazing seafood spaghetti dish and an order fresh pesto pasta. It was great!
 |
| Overlooking Monterosso |
 |
| Seafood Spaghetti |
 |
| Monterosso |
After our meal, we took a ten minute ferry to Vernazza, the next town over. It has one of the most picturesque views and is very small, just like the other four. We hiked up a couple hills to get good pictures, ate gelato, and looked in some of the small stores.
 |
| Vernazza |
Around 5:30, we walked back to the busses up a series of steep hills. It was a great day, but I would definitely love to come back when the sun is out and the trains are running! It was beautiful in the fog and rain, so I can't imagine how pretty it must be in the sun. Someday I'll be back!
No comments:
Post a Comment