Cinque Terre

5 (Cinque) Terre

 

 

Today, from the port of Livorno, Italy, I took a full-day excursion to the picturesque Cinque Terre, an immensely beautiful set of 5 villages linked together on the Northern Italian Riviera.  Known as traffic-free, lowbrow, sea hugging fishing and (mostly former) winemaking areas, they are a remote group of five communities who banded together during the middles ages to protect themselves from pirates.

 

Because they have remained isolated from the rest of Europe and Italy (tourism is in its infancy here) each village holds its distinct heritage and dialect, unchanged for centuries.  Geographically, they are located a on the Northern Italian Riviera, a few minutes apart by boat or rail, or they can be hiked.  Many residents use the train as their sole means of transportation among villages and to larger cities as gasoline is expensive and by train, the route is direct and the towns are only 5 minutes apart. 

 

All five towns are connected by good hiking trails in the National Marine Park that protects wildlife and maintains beaches, breakwaters, trails, walkways, and docks.  Some speed demons are even known to hike all five in less than two hours, but I hear that 5 hours allows for a more reasonable pace.  I saw several couples with walking sticks/(cross country skis) in the towns, a signal they are serious trail hikers.  At this printing, the trail is not accessible in its entirety due to residual damage from October 2011 flood (and “politics”).  A train or boat ride is required to connect some towns. 

 

 

The towns are (from East to West): 1. Riomaggiore IMHO, the most beautiful from the sea), 2. Manarola, 3. (The completely hilltop) Corniglia (smallest with population of 250 and inaccessible by water due to lack of harbor), 4. Varnazza, and 5. Monterosso (largest with 1500 residents).

 

We began our outing with a 1.5-hour bus ride from Livorno to La Spezia followed by a walking tour of the nearby charming village of Portovenere (Port of Venus), considered the gateway to the Cinque Terre.  Next, (11:00) we boarded a ferry and enjoyed spectacular scenery as we cruised along the entire Cinque Terre.  The weather was perfect, the sun brilliant, breezes pleasant, as we glided along, feasting on the picturesque sites.  I was fortunate to secure a prime viewing spot up front and starboard. 

 

  
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

People boarded and disembarked at each harbor.

 

Our tour guide Andrea, passionate and knowledgeable, told us all about the history of Livorno, La Spezia, Levanto and other places; shipbuilding in the region; Carrera marble (we passed the mountains en route) ; regional wines, local cuisine (birthplace of pesto and focaccia and famous for anchovies) and beverages, and even a few words in Italian.

 

Our first stop was a visit to Vernazza, with the only natural harbor among the 5 towns and known as the Jewel of the Cinque Terre.  I really enjoyed soaking in the local flavor and watching passerby as a sipped a strong cup of cappuccino in a local harbor front piazza café.  I had heard these villages are fiercely committed to preserving their traditions, architecture, heritage and overall look rather than succumb to the lure of commercialism that has rendered many places the status of “any town Europe”  Hopefully, it will be a long time before Mc Donald’s and Prada invade!!

 

Next, we visited the largest village, Monterosso, which most closely resembles a (small-scale) resort complete with beach and kayak rentals.  We took a brief guided tour that included Piazza Garibaldi, Church of St John the Baptist, and Oratory of the Dead, then, I explored the village’s narrow passage-ways and nooks and crannies, on my own.  Here, I discovered as in many southern European cities, it is common to encounter cobblestone streets, narrow walkways, pastel colored buildings, residents lingering over a drink in a café, and clothes lines displaying colorful laundry.

 

 

I truly enjoyed this excursion that exceeded my expectations.  It offered rich history, beautiful scenery, and interesting commentary on a variety of subjects.  I was especially impressed that our logistically complex tour (bus, to walking tour, to free-time, to ferry-ride,  to walking tour, to free-time,  to ferry ride, to walking tour, to free-time, to a walk to train station, to train ride to Levanto, to bus back to the ship—all in ten hours) was so smoothly implemented and free of problems.

 

I will certainly add hiking the 5 (Cinque) Terre to my bucket list

Here is Rick Steves' blog post about Cinque Terre:
http://blog.ricksteves.com/?p=11264
 

 

Taormina Sicily-Godfather Tour

Godfather Tour in Sicily

 

 

GodFather Tour in Taormina, Sicily

We took an all day tour called The GodFather Tour from our cruise ship with a great tour guide.  Along the way, we drove through scenic roads along Letojanni, winding around slopes of the mountain, dotted with tiny picturesque hillside villages.  With sea on one side and hilltop villages on the other, The coastal scenery was breathtaking while the drive was a bit treacherous.

We took the Godfather tour.  Here were some highlights or our visits to Taormina, Savoca, and Forza D’Agrò

Savoca-Set of Godfather Films

Visiting Savoca was like taking a step back in time. It is a typical, simple, traditional town set on the hillside of the foothills of the Peloritiani Mountains. It's no wonder that Director Michael Coppola chose it for his Corleone Sicily scenes.  This is where Al Pacino and Cast shot the Godfather Film.  While in town “a must” is the stop for a Lemon Granita ( Italian ice) at the famous BAR VITELLI on the corner of the town, one of Coppola’s favorite spots, and seen many times throughout the film. Finally, we visited the church of St. Lucy where the scene of the wedding between Apollonia and Michael Corleone!

Church of St Lucy from Godfather Films

 

Forza d’Agrò, without a doubt one of the best examples of a typical village of the Province of Messina, which still conserves its medieval street layout, and on all sides of the town, we were surrounded by most incredible views.

 

Taormina-50 minutes north of the port of Catania

Known as the Pearl of Sicily, Taormina is a charming hillside town on the east coast of Sicily, Italy.  Perched on a terrace overlooking the Ioanian Sea, it is known for its delightful medieval character and breathtaking sea and St. Etna views.

 

Besides the ancient Greek theatre, it has many old churches, lively bars, fine restaurants, and antique shops. Taormina is approximately a forty-five minute drive away from Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna.

We had free time to explore this lovely city with Mount St Etna as a backdrop.

Venice-europe's best preserved big city

Grand Venice

 

View entering the city from our private balcony

Today, I experienced the grander of Venice, one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world. This car-free wonderland of a hundred islands laced together by 400 bridges and 2000 alleys,

welcomes millions of tourists per year.

Everywhere you go, you see reminders of its glory days as a great trading empire, its leadership in the Italian Renaissance, and it's appetite for decadence.

Passing through picturesque waterfronts as I left my cruise ship on a motorboat transfer to St. Mark's area, I began the day with a guided walking tour of the most renowned sites including the Doges palace and St. Mark's Square and Cathedral.

Here is a video of our motorboat ride to St Marks:

Our first stop was the Doge’s Palace, the ancient residence of the governor of the Republic. Well known for its ornate façade and multi-arcaded loggia, the Doge’s Palace is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. Inside the palace, we climbed the famous golden staircase, saw prison cells, crossed the bridge of sighs, and admired the grand paintings.

At St. Mark's Square we strolled pass the stately buildings, elegant cafés, and enjoyed the colorful locals, musicians, artists, and the famous pigeons. Of course, we saw the famous Clock tower, towering over the city, adjacent to St. Mark's Cathedral.

We ended our tour by visiting a local glass show room where we saw artisans at work, producing the famous Venetian glass.

 

 

 

more:

Next, we followed the signs through the narrow cobblestone maze of streets to the famous Rialto Bridge. Here we visited this distinctive and dramatic stone structure that crosses the Grand Canal. The views from the top reveal life along one of the canals, where you see gondoliers, happy tourists, and delightful cafés.

In Venice, you navigate by landmarks, not by streets.

For lunch, we enjoyed traditional margharita pizza in a quaint Italian restaurant.

Although the crowds were big, in November there are a lot fewer people than in summer and the weather is cooler.

 As we made our way back to St. Mark's Square, darting in and out of colorful shops, we looked for the Vaporetto station.

The public transit system is a fleet of motorized bus-boats called Vaporetti. They function like city buses except that they never get a flat, the stops are docs, and if you get off between stops, you may drown. 

Our goal was to tour the entire Grand Canal from St. Mark's Plaza back to the crew ship port by taking either Vaporetto #1, the slow boat which takes 45 minutes or Vaporetto #2, which makes fewer stops and takes 25 minutes. Tickets cost 7 Euros.

As planned, we sat right up front in the Vaporetto which afforded us unobstructed views of  all the great landmarks from the stately buildings along the way including Ca’ d”Oro, The fish and produce market, numerous merchants' palaces, and the Accademia art museum.  We rode along with locals, 20,000 a day of whom commute into the city every day.

Our ship stayed overnight so I had scheduled an off-the-beaten-path walking tour for the following day. Unfortunately I was sick and stayed on the ship. I will explore that adventure during my next visit to this wonderful city.

Ride Up The Grand Canal:

 

 

 

Leaving Venice From Our Private Balcony: