Hello from Italy! If you could do me a favor and “like” or leave a comment on the platform that you get this blog from, I’d greatly appreciate it. A comment would be a bonus! Thank you for reading my musings.
The pace-slowing in Florence after Rome continued. With our next destination in northwest Italy, the train passed through Pisa and a visit was essential after a fine train ride.
Trains are great for sleeping on, but don’t miss your stop!My view of Pisa: the station’s piazza. Janet and I had been to Pisa before so I looked after the bags.It’s a twenty minute walk from the station to the tower and there’s not a lot else to see, even though Pisa is quite a large city.These are from our visit in 2001!Then it was onward to La Spezia. The train was crowded but we enjoyed our first class tickets – they had been the same price as second class when we bought them!
La Spezia is a large port city that is the gateway to Cinque Terre (literally meaning five lands). The five small remote fishing villages hug the coastal mountainside and offer breathtaking views. Historically only connected by rugged trails, Italy built a main train line through the town in the 1920s with lots of tunnels and bridges. It took us a while to get our bearings. Heading to the first town (Riomaggiore) and walking from there to the second town (Manarola) on our day of arrival helped us work out how things worked.
First, lunch in La Spezia! I tried the local dish mescuia which was like a pulse soup. The pork and potatoes reminded us of an English roast, and the shrimp were interesting.To access the hiking trails, you need to buy a pass. They sell a “trains and trails” pass that allows you to hop on and off the trains too which was convenient. Our AirBnB hostess warned us that they can get completely full if there’s a cruise ship in port, but we fortunately avoided that.Much of the first train journey is through a tunnel under the mountains. When we popped out on the other side at the first town – Riomaggiore – the view did not disappoint.This was the view back toward the station.The easiest and most popular trail hugs the cliffs between Riomaggiore and Manarola: Via dell’Amore or Lovers Lane. To add to the confusion, this requires an additional ticket with a timed reservation, but the reservation’s time was not followed. The ticket inspectors spent much time explaining this to bewildered tourists who thought they had already bought the required ticket.The views from the trail were amazing.While it was nice to imagine that the trail was made because lovers from Riomaggiore and Manarola wanted to meet, it was actually built by railway workers in the 1920s when constructing the line. Naming it Via dell’Amore was great marketing! There are many padlocks in the trail. Landslides led to the trail’s closure in 2012 and it had only recently been reopened when we visited. It was smooth and flat and an easy walk, though paying so much for a walk was odd but it was a national park entry fee and building the trail had been expensive.The Manarola station was on a bend. Express trains whizzed through without stopping.Taking a boat between the towns was an alternative but they looked very full.Getting on and off the boat looked precarious!Manarola was very pretty. We enjoyed a gelato but the narrow streets and many tourists made it very crowded. The crowds thinned as we took a short trail above the town which gave many great views.Our walk took us above Manarola and through traditional farmland. We could see up the coast to the next town of Corniglia as well as enjoying views back toward Manarola including its cemetery.Our trail took us back to town and its crowds. A tunnel took us to the rail platform where the camber allowed the express trains to whizz through around the bend.We ate Indian food for dinner that night as a change from the Italian. It was good!
Even though it was an easier day, we were very tired but I think we still felt some effects from Rome. Again, we had a very comfortable Airbnb close to the center of town. Our room on the 4th floor (5th by US counting) and a rickety old lift added some spice 😁.
"Cajunlimeys" combines Lousiana (Janet) and England (Peter). For "limeys," check out scurvy in the English navy.
We love adventures and use blogging to write a photo diary to preserve our memories. Some crazy friends enjoy following us and my notes might help others plan.
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The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 