Days 9-10: Cinque Terre | rick-steves-italy-1

Where are we?

This famous aria, which premiered in 1904, is from

Act II of Puccini's opera MADAME BUTTERFLY.

The English translation is

"one beautiful day, we shall see..."

. Lucca

DAY 9

"When in Cinque Terre, do as the..."

Un bel di vedremo -

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PLEASE ACTIVATE AUDIO PLAYER

Cars are not permited beyond designated parking lots so we left the bus and took a short train ride to our destination, Monterosso el Mare. After disembarking, we were met by representatives of our hotel who kindly transported our luggage while we walked the scenic pathway.

Our approach to the CINQUE TERRE was met with winding, hilly roads and breathtaking views. The Cinque Terre (five lands) sit among the rocky coastline of the Italian Riviera. The five lands are all a short distance apart and can be accessed by efficient, almost hourly running trains.

The group was divided among two hotels owned by the same family. Hotel Pasquale, which had a spectacular view of the beach and our hotel, Villa Steno, poised on a hilltop with stunning vistas of the city and distant sea. We were given time to settle in and explore our new surroundings before reuniting at Hotel Pasquale for a group dinner. The hotel offered, for a nominal fee, overnight laundry service ...an opportunity I think most of us took!

Our dinner was catered by the very gracious and hospitable hotel owners. Felicita gave us a demonstration of pesto making complete with samples and recipe. The whole meal was accompanied by frequently filled glasses of Prosseco, a sparkling Italian wine that cleans the palate.

DAY 10

Another GLORIOUS morning! The whole day is ours to swim, hike, rest, etc. We decided to hike the challenging coastal trail from Monterosso to Vernazza. What was supposed to take 1.5 hours took 3. While it was rigorous, we wouldn't have missed the experience. After lunch and a little people watching in Vernazza, we took the train back to Monterosso.

The remainder of the day was filled with a swim in the Ligurian Sea and a night time visit to the Capuchin Church and statue of St. Francis with a wolf. From here we were able to view what's left of the old castle and all five of the Cinque Terre towns.