Cinque Terre, Italy 6/9/16

After Pisa we caught our train and made our way to the coast of Cinque Terre. 

Train riding. Cinque Terre is a little tricky to get to meaning we had to transfer from train to train.

Cinque Terre means "five lands" (Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Corniglia) and is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. In each of the five towns colorful houses, vineyards cling to steep terraces, and and harbor are filled with quaint fishing boats making each little town magical. 

This was our first glimpse of Vernazza.

Then after walking a short distance through the colorful buildings you come to this beautiful scene.

Terraced vineyars.

Colorful buildings.

Dreamy turquoisey water and heart throb men.

View of it all together.

Another.

And one more.

All the little fisher boats are so cute as they line the little harbor.

Then it started pouring, which only made our time in Cinque Terre that much more magical. 

We talked to a local about the rain and she said that it was unusual to have so much rain and that it was affecting their tourism. However, it didn't stop us from exploring.

Turquoise water turned to emerald.

We ran for some cover under a little restaurant over hang. We stood there for a good half hour until the rain let up a little so we wouldn't be completely soaked.

Lunch at the Lunch Box.

That homemade lasagna though.
We were able to let the rain pass a little and skype my family in this little restaurant.

Then we started up some stairs to get a view of Vernazza and the coast.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

Then we just kept climbing and climbing for more views until we were too far gone and officially on the Sentiero Azzurro hiking trail which cost money, so we paid and continued on the hike (we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into hahaha.)

They actually have trails that link all 5 towns and the whole hike can be done within 6 hours with light stops between (yeah we thought it was just a nice trail connecting the towns...no we started with the hardest part of the hike hahaha.)

We started at Vernazza heading towards Corniglia. 

This is what I found regarding that part of the hike...now I know...

This where things get a little trickier! This trail climbs up to the highest point of the Cinque Terre (and back down) so expect a fair amount of climbing and descending. Officially graded as ‘medium difficulty’ the trail features are stone steps but they tend to be quite steep, uneven, and not always well-kept. Trekking poles or a walking stick are recommended on this section for walkers who like a little extra help on steep inclines.

It may be more physically strenuous but the views are absolutely stunning. You’ll also find lush olive groves and exotic plants and flowers along the way, too. Length: 2 miles (4km); 1 hour 45 minutes to walk.

Yeah we were laughing because we had heard the hike was easy and what we were experiencing was very strenuous, especially after it had just been pouring so the trails were slippery. Keep in mind I was wearing sandals and a skirt...hahaha but the views and experience was DEFINITELY worth it and we would do it a million times more!!!!

Example of some of the trail.

And some more.

But along the way there is beautiful flowers and plants everywhere to compliment the sparkling turquoise water.

View of Corniglia and then Manarola in the distance.

Wild cherries.

Lemon orchards.

Dancing break.

Much needed.

I love him.

Like, A LOT!

Back to hiking.

Along the path was a cute little house/restaurant where we bought a lemon slushi made from the lemons growing in their yard. MMMMM.

Getting closer.

A cute random house along the hike.

Corniglia, HALLELUJAH!

Last part of the hike before walking into Corniglia.

We reached Corniglia just in time, because as we were walking into the town it started pouring again so we stopped at a little market and bought doughnut peaches and watched the rain.
We were worried we were going to have to walk to Manarola in the rain but luckily we were able to catch a bus, and the best part was the bus ride was included in our trail hiking tickets we bought earlier!

Manarola was probably my favorite because of how amazing the views are.

It just looks unreal.

Waterfall in Manarola.

Colorful walls calls for pictures of course.

Beautiful flowers everywhere.

After walking around Manarola we made our way to the train to head to Riomaggiore.

Beautiful floor in Riomaggiore.

Another.

Trails along the water and cliffs.

I love the boats everywhere.

Lovely.

After looking along the little harbor we made our way to the other side of Riomaggiore to get some food.

We were starved at this point (meaning I was getting hangry) so we just chose a random restaurant to eat at.

My thin pesto pizza was delicious.

Jeff tried something native, fried anchovies, calamari, and veggies.

Let's just say he's not a big anchovies fan.

I can't get enough.

I don't know what kind of rock that is but it's beautiful, especially with the water.

Before catching our train back we decided to have a nice snack at one of the restaurants overlooking the ocean.

Jeff is a cheese fan so he ordered cheese with pears and honey with some bread. All of it is served cold, but in my opinion, would have tasted 10 times better warm.

If it weren't so cloudy we could have caught a beautiful sunset...next time!
After our little treat we made our way to the train where we waited forever for our train back to Pisa. It's normal for trains to be late in Italy, but we were worried we were going to miss our connecting train to Pisa.
Once the train arrived we jumped on to La Spezia, once to La Spezia we got there just in time to catch our train to Pisa (or so we thought.) We jumped on the train in our terminal and then the train left two minutes early (THAT IS NOT NORMAL FOR ITALY.) So we hurried and asked someone where the train was going and when they said, "Parma" we were about to cry hahaha. We had no idea where Parma was and we didn't have internet on our phones to figure out what to do. So we said a prayer and got off at the next stop. Did I mention that the train we were supposed to catch was going to be the last train from La Spezia to Pisa and then the last train from Pisa to Florence??? Yeah we were freaking out. Once off the train we got onto another train heading to Pisa, once on the train we met our Chinese friends Zoie and Ai who made the same mistake as us and were headed to Florence as well. They luckily had internet on their phones and we were able to team up and figure it out! ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS.

Once we made it to Pisa we looked into splitting a cab but that was outrageous so we bought bus tickets and waiting an hour for it to show up. Luckily the nice hotel across the street let us chill in their lobby.

Pisa at night.

When the bus showed up we were relieved! We all jumped on and made it back to Florence around 3:30 in the morning! It was quite an adventure and we couldn't help but laugh the whole time.

Check out our part 1 video that showcases Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Cinque Terre! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel!!!