Cinque Terre

We finally made it to one of the most beautiful places in Italy, Cinque Terre! The night before, we got back from Rome after 11pm and then caught the morning train at 6:55 which left little time for sleep but somehow we managed. Cinque Terre stands for "The Five Lands" which are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Our first stop of the day was Manarola. We stopped in this area just for a little bit to walk up the mountain and along the coast to get some photos. This area is one of the best views in all of Italy. 

To our surprise, a couple of our friends (Betsy and Lexi) that we had met in Greece were on this trip as well. Christine and I had been wanting to visit these girls in Florence before they headed back to the US, but it was looking like we weren't going to be able to fit it in. Since we weren't going to be able to see them again, we were so so happy to see them unexpectedly in Cinque Terre. We are so glad we got to meet you all in Greece, girls!

We then caught the train and headed to Vernazza to grab some lunch. Our Bus2Alps guides recommended a fried seafood place. It was a little hole-in-the-wall but had the best food. Tina and I LOVE seafood and are always looking for the best places. We had a mix of cod, calamari, shrimp, mussels, and veggies. 

After lunch, the guide took us on the hiking trail that led from Vernazza to Monterosso. Natalie and I were towards the back and got away from the group once we got started because we kept stopping to get photos. It was such a gorgeous hike with breathtaking scenery. The hike took about two hours and was worth every minute. We even stopped to get some freshly squeezed lemonade along the way. 

The view of Monterosso in the distance was incredible and we were ready to jump in the ocean after that hike. We finished the last bit and met up with the other girls to lay on the beach for the remainder of the day. It felt so good to finally have hot, beach weather.

We decided to give paddleboarding another try since we loved it so much the first time in Amalfi. So I joined Christine, Megan and their friends who are studying in Florence to try this again. 

Ignore the water spots from the GoPro on some of these pictures. After an amazing day relaxing on the beach, we headed back to Vernazza before catching our train back to Milan to have some dinner. Most of us got a pesto dish since pesto is the famous dish of Cinque Terre. We had an amazing view of the sun setting on the water as we enjoyed our last little bit of the day. 

Cinque Terre was an incredible end to our amazing, tiring, eventful weekend. The fun of the weekend may be over, but coming back to Milan isn't such a buzz kill. We love our home sweet home.