Thursday, June 28, 2012

Cinque Terra

Via dell’Amore (Lovers’ Lane) stretches between Manarola (where we stayed) to Riomaggiore, another of the five lands of the Cinque Terra.  We took this beautiful, although very hot, coastal walk.  The waters of the Ligurian Sea are crystal clear.  We were amused at the lovers’ knots tied on the metal screening used along the cliffs (the kind you see along highways to protect against loose falling rocks).  Knots and locks dot the mesh forming a display of proclaimed everlasting love.  From Riomaggiore we took a short train ride to another of the five lands, Vernazza.  All three are similar – steep hills with colorful apartment-style buildings rising higher and higher up the hills, narrow roads with no traffic allowed, little shops and restaurants for tourists and residents, clothing hanging out to dry (wait, that’s EVERYWHERE in Italy), and farms of grapes vines, lemon trees, and who knows what else terraced up and up.  (How the owners farm on this land is a mystery to us.)
Via dell'Amore
Via dell'Amore

Lovers' knots
Crystal clear water

Riomaggiore


Vernazza

Vernazza

Vernazza

Vernazza

More scenes from Manarola:

Our terrace


 Breakfast on our terrace

 From the community terrace at our hotel


The church in Manarola (above) and it's stained glass window from outside and then inside (below)





Terraced farming



1 comment:

  1. I... I can't even decide what part I liked best! All of the pictures are incredible! I just loved the wall with all the lovers knots!!! And the sea is the most beautiful thing!
    I really love seeing all the local scenes. It's like you are getting a real inside view and not just being tourists ;)

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