Northern Italy

We needed an early start from Rome as we had a reservation at midday to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, 3 and ½ hours away.  We left the apartment at 7:45am and battled through peak hour traffic before getting to the Tollway.  26 Euros and several hundred kilometres later we reached Pisa with about 30 minutes to spare, found a free parking spot and made our way to the tower.  Unfortunately due to a wrong turn we ended up having to run the last few hundred metres because they are apparently sticklers for time.  As it was approaching 36 degrees it wasn’t an ideal way to get there.
Despite expecting a ‘leaning’ tower I was still quite surprised at just how far it leans.  It looks quite strange, especially with other buildings around to compare to.  Walking into the tower immediately feels weird because the floor is on an angle.  Climbing the stairs didn’t seem too bad, we think because the steps had been worn in a way that made you walk vertically.  Up the top you can walk around the rim which is strange because you walk down for half the distance then back up again for the rest. The way down we were on the outer edges of the steps and you definitely felt a lean out then in as you went around the building.
Our tickets also got us into the cathedral so we had a bit of a look at that before eating our lunch in the shade, having bought rolls in Rome and making lunch before we left.  

We hit the road again, this time avoiding the toll roads and driving through some medium size town where the main trade seems to be mining and shaping marble. There were numerous shops advertising statues and we also saw some yards containing huge blocks of marble.
The last part of the drive was on some more skinny windy roads as we approached Monterosso al Mare, our destination on ‘The Cinque Terre’.  The Cinque Terre is made up of five towns built on the clifftops and coastline of Northern Italy.  We checked in then walked into town to have a quick look around before getting a kebab and a beer and sitting by the beach. 
 There are 4 coastal walks between the villages but when we bought our ticket to go through the National Park we were told that 3 of the 4 were closed! We couldn’t work out why they were closed or how long they would be closed for, wondering if it was due to the storm we had at about 3:00am that morning.  We decided to try our luck because the forecast for the weekend was dicey and the ticket also included the train that runs along the coast so we could get that between towns if necessary.
The first walk was from Monterosso to Vernazza was expected to take 2 hours.  It is 3kms long but goes up over 300 steps to begin then continues up and down the hillside on a fairly rocky – and at times very skinny - path. It was very busy with plenty of people going our way and just as many coming from Vernazza.  The views were spectacular and despite both of us being bathed in sweat and stopping for photos we managed to arrive in Vernazza in 1 hour 40 minutes.  The second walk to Corniglia was officially closed but we saw lots of people on it so away we went.  It was 4kms long and we walked it in 1 hour.  The next two walks, including a short 20 minute walk called ‘The Lovers Walk’ were closed so we caught the train from Corniglia to Manarola and then to Riomaggiore.

Each town along the way is gorgeous and all bar Corniglia – which sits on top off a hill -  has a beautiful harbour.
The walks had taken us past vineyards and through some forest areas as well as breathtaking ocean views.  The heat was draining but we were pleased to have visited each of the five towns.  We returned to Monterosso via train.

Saturday we took a ferry from Monterosso to Porte Venere a little south of Cinque Terre.  The ferry stopped in at each of the 5 towns except for Corniglia and we were able to get a few different views of the harbours.  Porte Venere is a mediaeval town with a castle and a couple of churches.  We spent about 4 hours here looking around before returning late afternoon on the ferry.  Not quite as hot as yesterday but still warm and sticky.

Monterosso

Vernazzo



Corniglia

Manarola

Riomaggiore

Porte Venere


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