Monday, January 4, 2010

{ italia sette! }

day
VII
cinque terre
We woke up to a gorgeous morning in VERNAZZA.
After carrying our bags up way too many painful steps
to leave them for the day, we got on a boat to begin our hike
at the first of the 5 villages, MONTEROSSO. In love again.
It's easy when you're surrounded by such vast beauty.
Great beaches adorned with
perfectly colored bright striped umbrellas.
We enjoyed another breakfast of crossants and OJ
(seriously, that's all we can find to eat, carbs, carbs, carbs)
and began the hike back to VERNAZZA.
That section is supposed to be the most difficult
but we were just fine...and in flip flops of course.
We saw all kinds of people with
hiking boots, camel backs and hiking poles
but I like to keep it simple.
Well, don't think my MZ Wallace purse
with 6 pounds of cameras and lenses is keeping it simple
but it's my kind of simple.
After VERNAZZA, we went to RIOMAGGIORE where we had
probably my favorite meal of the trip...
shrimp and bean salad with tomato bruschetta
and of course a coca cola light...my newest italian addiction!
After RIOMAGGIORE we hiked to MANAROLA,
then to CORNIGLIA and took the train back to VERNAZZA.
It was nice to have a day to explore and wander.
So much of our trip was on a deadline,
I needed a day, schedule free!
In VERNAZZA, we quickly ate what was probably
the best pizza we'd had on our trip so far
and just barely made the train to LA SPEZIA
to then make our connection to FLORENCE.
We were a bit tired and had dusty, hiking feet,
but we had to explore FLORENCE when we arrived.
Within 5 minutes of being there I knew it was a city
I would love forever and we found the most unforgettable gelato
at a little place in the square called Gilli.
Another great day in paradise.

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