Cinque Terre Italy: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

It was Day 8 and 9 of our trip.

We stayed in a lovely little family-run rental called La Baia di Rio in the southern part of the village………Riomaggiore. And because we were driving, parking played a huge factor in our decision. Not to mention driving is not encouraged due to the accessibilty of the towns. Because of Cinque Terra’s reputation of trails, beaches and natural beauty, the villages are now considered to be touristy, although that was not our experience. There were other coastal destinations we considered but they were not on the way to Milan. And our stay in Cinque Terra was only one day which is hardly enough time to enjoy these serene coastal towns.

Before I get into the rest of our trip, I gotta say there was a bit more preparation involved in planning this short lived visit. Diana was not comfortable driving the winding roads especially after reading how dangerous they can be. There was mapping the route, researching toll roads, finding hotels with parking and the traveling between villages. Being the closet race car driver I am, I rose to the occasion. I immediately scoured Youtube videos for tips on the route. I was sure someone had filmed it and there were plenty to choose from. After watching endless videos I knew this would be more exhilarating than frightful.

And so it turns out, the drive was majestic, gorgeous and absolutely fun. Finding our hotel on the other hand was not so easy but nonetheless very entertaining due to a language obstacle involving directions with a lady who later turned out to be the mother of our host Emiliano.

We were pretty tired by the time we got there. We drove from San Gimignano to Pisa and from Pisa to Riomaggiore. The very handsome Emiliano graciously made a reservation for us at Dau Cila Ristorante by the sea. He told us reservations had to be made early at most restaurants in the area. We had time to kill so we grabbed a beer and cappuccino at this unique place called Lo Scalo Lounge Bar. While sipping away we noticed a lot of people walking around with alcohol so we figured it must be ok. There was still an hour left until the restaurant opened so we decided to take our drinks and find a spot by the hypnotic ocean to watch the beautiful Riomaggiore sunset.

The restaurant Dau Cila was lovely. The waiter was attractive and the food was divine. After dinner we explored the surrounding areas. Word of warning………… no matter how many times someone tells you or you read it on the internet, it cannot be overstated, this place has steep walking terrain. There are hills everywhere! Even the steps are steep. I mean it! It was ridiculous…….but I loved it. It’s part of Cinque Terra’s unique character. After our aimless excursion, neither of us was sure how to get back to our room. But we made it, by pure luck.

Good food, drinks and steep steps.

We slept well that night.