On Friday morning me and two other friends, Alex and Emily, left for Cinque Terre. We had to take the train to La Spezia, which is at the end of Cinque Terre. This popular summer vacation spot is on the north west coast of Italy and literally means '5 lands.' It is a collection of 5 'islands' or small villages that include: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Moterosso.
Travling on the train was quite the experience. Everything concerning track number, time of departure, etc is clearly in Italian, and fairly unorganized- making it pretty challenging to find your train and go. We finally got on the train around 1230pm- which was not heated and pretty dirty.
We got into La Spezia around 330pm and it was pouring rain, which was expected but still pretty cold and wet. We checked into our hotel right outside the train station- called Hotel Firenze, oddly enough. The hotel was very cute and our room had 3 single beds and a flat screen! haha. We trucked out in the rain to find this pizza place we had heard of called Pia- apparently the oldest in the town. We found it, and it was certainly worth how many times we got lost. It first opened in 1887 and still stands today! We each ordered a pizzeta; a tiny personal pizza which is cooked in their large brick oven. I got a margarita (the standard cheese/sauce pizza) and it was extremely tasty- probably the best I've had in Italy yet. One thing we learned was that the farther you get out of Florence, the less English people speak. Especially in small towns such as this one- everyone is very friendly but speak barely a word of English, so it can be difficult at times! When we were paying, they gave us a little dessert for free which looked like a tiny slice of pizza, but it had melted nutella on it- to die for, as usual.
We then picked up a local bottle of wine and a few pastries for the hotel room. Both, but especially the pastries were amazing! For the rest of the night we relaxed and got a great night's rest for our adventures the next day.
On Saturday morning we went to the free breakfast the hotel serves- again, amazing. And the view from where breakfast was served was of the hills and beautifully colored buildings that comprise the town- it was great.
We arrived at the train station around 11 and got a special ticket to ride the train along the coast that you can hop off and on as many times as you want at each of the 5 stops for 6 hours. Our first stop was at Riomaggiore. As we were pulling into the station we literally started screaming because our train was hanging between two huge cliffs and you could see the waves crashing against the coast- it was an awesome view. We walked down to a small trail that was literally almost hanging off the cliffs and took in the ocean breeze. Considering it was raining all day, we still took in the amazing atmosphere. Just the sound of the waves crashing filled us with excitement. We later walked around the tiny village, complete with brightly colored (yellow, pink, and orange) houses and clothes hanging to dry from each window. It was like we were on the movie set for Mama Mia.
We hopped on the train a little later and stopped at the last stop, Monterosso. This stop was a little less hilly and we were able to actually walk on the beach! I got a rock from the beach- there weren't many shells, more rocks, and we walked along the little path by the water. We had some time before the next train came so we stopped in a cafffe and got some hot chocolate to warm our souls. We were right on the water and the combination of the view, hot chocolate and serenity of the town gave me such a strong sense of peace inside, one like I have never felt before and it was truly a moment I will never forget. We also saw a little black cat outside running from the rain! It felt bad for the litttle guy, haha. Another funny thing about these small towns is that everyone knows each other and the community is like one big family. It was nice to see.
We hopped back on the train and got off at one more stop, called Vernazza. Almost all of the businesses in this town were completely closed for the season. We saw a marina where many boats come in during the summer months and take people out into the sea for tours, etc. We also stopped into a little church right on the water. It was kind of creepy because there was no one there, but you could just feel the history.
We waited for the next train back to La Spezia for quite a while, and it was kind if cold and rainy but we finally made it back. We had to wait in the McDonald's in La Spezia for about 2 hours for our train back to Florence. Of course I couldn't resist but the McDonald's here actually have some healthy options! In case you were wondering, I got a sandwich on multi-grain bread with chicken, lettuce, tomato and a special sauce. It was quite satisfying.
The train ride back was a little frightening because it was difficult to navigate where to go without many people who spoke english. Also, traveling at night is certainly not as safe as during the day, and you can thank my blonde hair for making us stick out at all times. After a day in the rain, the unheated 2 hour train ride was a bit difficult to endure. But we finally made it back to Florence, safe and sound and I was proud of us for making it and felt like I had certainly gained some life experience. It was also one of the first times I felt like I was coming back to Florence, a sort of new temporary home and not just another foreign city! In addition, I got to see one of the most beautiful natural scenes of my entire life!
All in all, it was a wonderfully relaxing, eye opening trip!
xoxo
Amanda
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