The Cinque Terre

We flew into Pisa and stayed the night, then caught a train to La Spezia.  From there, we visited "The Cinque Terre."  These are five small, coastal, farming towns that are connected by hiking trails and train.  They were beautiful and quaint - just what you would imagine an Italian village to look like.  Unfortunately most of the trails were closed because of flooding last fall, but we did enjoy hiking the most famous trail, the Via Del Ammore between the first two of the five towns.  We took the train between the rest.  

Our day long visit here was a nice respite from the fast pace of our trip.  We sauntered, ate, enjoyed the scenery and a nap on the beach.

Looking back at Riomaggiore

Cool little street

Looking toward Monterosso

First Gelatto in Italy - but definitely not the last!

Colorful buildings in Vernazza - my favorite of the five

Flashflood damage in Vernazza harbor

Terrace farms and gardens covered the hills

On Monterosso Beach

Relaxing on the beach.