The Five Lands

After saying our good byes to our sweet little village of Greve, we headed to the rugged Italian coast to hike the Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre translates to "five lands", referring to five little settlements that, until recently, could only be accessed from one another by a hiking trail that hugs the cliffs above the Mediterranean. Now the "five lands" are connected by a train as well. When we arrived at our bed and breakfast in the southern most town of Riomaggiore, our host, Maddie, informed us that the trails were closed, except for the one to Manorola, the next town up. A flood and mud slide destroyed the path, filled the villages with more than 12 feet of mud and washed three victims out to sea. Maddie bluntly stated that their bodies were found in France. We decided that we couldn't complain that our plans would have to change.

We began our exploration of this area by trying to follow the directions that Maddie had given us for a hike that circles around Riomaggiore. Somehow we got off the path and ended up on the narrow passage ways that the locals use to traverse the almost vertical hillside. It took us through backyards and into tiny garden plots that are terraced, with the sea below. By the look on the Riomaggiorean's faces, we knew that we were out of place, but enjoyed our brief "behind the scenes" tour of this little town.

We then found the more trodden path for which hikers from around the world come. The views of the Mediterrean were stunning. A few rowboats bobbed in the sapphire sea below and variegated plants hung from the black cliff walls, with clusters of pastel villages clinging to the hilltops.

This first section of the Cinque Terre hike is known as Via dell'Amore or "track of love". All along this lover's lane are padlocks that couples have written their names on and locked their love. Ezra was especially fascinated by these little trinkets hanging from the fences lining the path.

We also walked past a wall of grafitti, scrawled mainly with expressions of endearment. We spent a few minutes finding our favorites.

After reaching Manorola, we jumped on the train which took us to the northern most town of Monterosso. This village is set right on the sea, with a bit of beachfront. We picked up a gelato and then skipped rocks, built a sand castle and beach combed.

We took the train back to Monarola, found a pizzeria and then walked the path back to Riomaggiore with the sun setting as our backdrop.