The Cinque Terre is a picturesque are of the rugged Italian coastline that includes five quaint villages. The area is also known as the Italian Riviera. January is not a peak tourist season for these areas, so they were more like ghost towns during our visit, which was fine with us because that meant we didn't have to deal with crowds and could easily find parking. Our first stop was Riomaggiore, the southern-most village of the Cinque Terre.
(R) Harmony and the boys hanging out on the steps while I climbed out along the boulders on the shoreline to take some photos.
(Below) There was a nice rocky beach at Riomaggiore. However, a locked gate on the main path prevented Harmony and the boys from accessing it. I climbed over some large boulders along the water to get to it and I brought back pockets full of stones, so the boys could chuck them in the water- one of their favorite activities.
We did the "Rick Steves" guide walking tour around Riomaggiore and caught some great views of the town and coast.
(R) Harmony and the boys hanging out on the steps while I climbed out along the boulders on the shoreline to take some photos.
(Below) There was a nice rocky beach at Riomaggiore. However, a locked gate on the main path prevented Harmony and the boys from accessing it. I climbed over some large boulders along the water to get to it and I brought back pockets full of stones, so the boys could chuck them in the water- one of their favorite activities.
We did the "Rick Steves" guide walking tour around Riomaggiore and caught some great views of the town and coast.
(R) Orange trees
(R) Standing by a lemon tree
(Above) The Riomaggiore train station, which is the best way to access the Cinque Terre during summer.
(Above) Riomaggiore from a road above.
(Above) The roadside scenery along the rugged, rocky coastline reminded us of driving in parts of the Western United States.
Back in late October 2011, two of the Cinque (five) Terre were severely damaged in mud slides. Below are a couple of shots of the road leading into Vernazza. We first heard about the mud slides from one of the clerks at Camp Darby, but didn't realize how extensive the damage was. The road was completely washed out at one point, so we turned around.
Because of the mud slide damage, we were only able to reach one other town- Corniglia. The scenery along the route was amazing. You can see below that Corniglia is built on some rocky cliffs above the sea.
We visited Lucca, a historic Tuscan town north of Pisa, on a Monday morning, which was a mistake. The place was deserted and the museums were closed. We later heard that if we'd come one day earlier, we would have seen a large market and experienced some other fun activities. It was too bad. We got lost wandering around the streets, which all seemed to look alike, on a frigid morning. We didn't stick around too long and headed back into Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and cathedral once again before catching our evening flight home.
(Above) Remnants of old Roman-era columns
(Above) The Riomaggiore train station, which is the best way to access the Cinque Terre during summer.
(Above) Riomaggiore from a road above.
Back in late October 2011, two of the Cinque (five) Terre were severely damaged in mud slides. Below are a couple of shots of the road leading into Vernazza. We first heard about the mud slides from one of the clerks at Camp Darby, but didn't realize how extensive the damage was. The road was completely washed out at one point, so we turned around.
Because of the mud slide damage, we were only able to reach one other town- Corniglia. The scenery along the route was amazing. You can see below that Corniglia is built on some rocky cliffs above the sea.
We visited Lucca, a historic Tuscan town north of Pisa, on a Monday morning, which was a mistake. The place was deserted and the museums were closed. We later heard that if we'd come one day earlier, we would have seen a large market and experienced some other fun activities. It was too bad. We got lost wandering around the streets, which all seemed to look alike, on a frigid morning. We didn't stick around too long and headed back into Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and cathedral once again before catching our evening flight home.
(Above) Remnants of old Roman-era columns
