Indulging in Italy: Part 1 (The Cinque Terre)

W.O.W.  What an amazing trip to Italy!!!  Our two and a half weeks in the beautiful country were the best way to end our almost-year of travels.  Guillaume and I flew out of Montreal on Sunday, May 27th after a weekend in Ottawa with friends.  We spent one night in Rome, then were off to the region of Cinque Terre for three nights.  Cinque Terre is located on the western coast of Italy along the Mediterranean Sea, north of Rome.  This region wouldn't have been on our radar if it wasn't for Guillaume's mom and sister recommending it to us!  They travelled to this region a few years ago and loved it.  Thanks, Claire and Catherine, for the wonderful recommendation...a sure highlight of our travels in Italy!     

Can you believe I waited until Day 2 to have my first gelato?  Crazy, I know.  No worries, though...I made up for that lost day throughout our time in Italy.  I had gelato at least once a day (and on occasion, sometimes even twice)!  When it came to Italy and food, I certainly wasn't going to skimp.  :) 

Cinque Terre is an absolutely breathtaking region.  The region is comprised of five small fishing villages just kilometres apart from one another, scantily constructed along the cliffs of the coast.  It's a part of the greater region of the Italian Riviera and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.  The only way between villages is either on foot (like it was for hundreds of years prior to modern transportation) or by rail; cars have been banned from the region for over 10 years.  

Have I mentioned yet that the food in Italy was out of this world?!  Actually, that would be an understatement.  If you're a foodie and/or wino like me, then you'd love it.  Guillaume's delicious meal above was full of fresh seafood caught off the coast of our little village, Riomaggiore, a few hours earlier.  Homemade pasta, steaming hot seafood, local wine...can you really get much better than that?!  

A part of the trail between the villages of Riomaggiore (pronounced Ree-o-ma-jore-ay) and Manarola.  This is a breathtaking trail to take around sunset (as you'll see below).   

I think I could handle living here...   

A gate with locks attached to it; the keys are thrown into the sea for good luck and with wishes attached.  :) 

An ideal visit to Cinque Terre would be for at least a week, hiking from village to village each day, exploring the beautiful region.  The region is equipped with well maintained trails ranging in difficulty, and really caters to tourists.  We were only lucky enough to hike for one day from Corniglia to Vernazza, the fourth and fifth villages.  

Although we weren't able to do more hiking, we did at least explore each village by hopping on and off the train.  Three days was perfect for this.  

Panoramic views all over!

The flora was, like everything else, beautiful.  

I don't think I've ever taken so many pictures of flowers as I did in Cinque Terre.  :) 

Waiting for the train.  I don't think it'll be this beautiful as I wait for the metro in Montreal.  :) 

Oh, the fresh food!  I've never seen lemons this big in North America!   

Waiting again as a sailboat slowly passes by in the background.  

A view of the village of Corniglia from the hiking trail to Vernazza.   

So sad... In October 2011, the Cinque Terre Region received a torrential downpour of rain in just four hours what they usually receive throughout a whole year.  Three people died in one of the five villages, and one in another.  There was major damage and destruction to village infrastructure, farming land, homes, and businesses.  You can imagine how devastating such a flood could be when the villages are built along the cliffs; in some areas, the houses and land just washed away.  Because of the flood, many businesses and hiking trails are currently closed.  

What a great day for a hike!  Sure wouldn't want to be there in mid-summer, though....it would be way too hot!   

Grape vineyards and lemon orchards along the trail.   

Freshly squeezed lemonade to quench your thirst along the trail?  Well sure! Why not?   

More vineyards along the trial.   

After our morning hike, we spent the afternoon on the beach.  We had pizza and beer for lunch, read, swam and sunbathed.  What a perfect day!  

After our hike and afternoon on the beach, we took the ferry from the fifth village to the first village (the village we stayed in).  It was a great way to see the little towns from the water.  Above: the Village of Riomaggiore. 

Can you believe the size of these roses?!  They were huge, and they smelled so good!!  

Out for a romantic supper.  Sure wish I would've gotten the name of this local wine made in Riomaggiore (and bought a bottle!).  It was so tasty!   

Cheers to our last night in Cinque Terre!  I think that deserves a celebration, don't you?  (Note to reader: while reading our Italy blogs, you may pick up on the fact that we "celebrated" any excuse we could think of.  Maybe it made us feel a bit less guilty for eating and drinking so much...)  :)

Go big or go home!  We were certainly not ready to go home, so we went big.  This was Guillaume's main entree.  We also had an appetizer, another entree for me, one bottle of wine and gelato for dessert.  It's a good thing we don't do this all the time (for the sake of our bodies and our pocket books)!

Enjoying a stroll along the coast after dinner.  Ah, that's the life.... 

...the sweet life in Cinque Terre!

Stay tuned for one more blog featuring our time in Italy, as well as one final blog to close off our year of travels.  What fun adventures!!!