I am living a picture post card. Every time I look out the window, I think I am in a tourist shop with a rack of glossy post cards…except this is real. Leaving Florence was hard…it was so beautiful and we left so much unseen. Home of so many great artworks…we must go back. Back in the car for another picture postcard drive across Italy from Florence to LaSpezia and CinqueTerre. We chose the scenic route through the vineyards and small villages…words cannot describe the beauty…right out of the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Driving is easy…Dad heard that driving in Italy could be difficult but that just hasn’t been the case. We made the hour and a half drive to LaSpezia, the gateway to CinqueTerre. LaSpezia is somewhat industrialized and home to a large Mediterranean port and an Italian Naval Base. As we left LaSpezia, the road narrowed and the grade increase…numerous switchback and majestic views of the Med. The road continued to narrow as we finally crested the mountain and started our descent into the 5 villages of CinqueTerre. CinqueTerre is actually a large wilderness national Italian Park. It’s made up of five historic villages, each one carved into the mountain. As a kid, Dad had a large set of wooden blocks of different colors. He would stack them..crate shapes, villages. That’s what Riomaggiore looks like. Children’s blocks…all different colors stacked end to end…side to side…built against a mountain of rock stretching into the sky…streets made of stone. We crested around the bend and drove slowly into Riomaggiore, the first of the five towns and our base for the next two nights. We rented a hotel room (through bookings.com) at the very bottom of the village overlooking the sea. Our host, Paolo, met us at the visitors centers and drove with us to our parking spot, next to his house. No vehicles are allowed into the village with few exceptions. Dad loaded up the backpack, Paolo took the small backpack with my things in it and we began our trek into the village. We took an ancient elevator from the road down to the plaza in front of the old church. Paolo told us that it was built in 1300…one of the first structures in the area…folks in the early century were hesitant to settle in the area because the threat of pirates was high. Pirates would pillage the villages, steal all that they could, and conscript men to work the ships. I’m sure there was rape included in the conquest…but Paolo did not mention it.
We left the church plaza and began our descent to the sea…narrow, ancient passageways, stairs…more stairs….more stairs. We finally passed through the main plaza of the town with a few shops and restaurants and continued our descent through a tunnel passageway under the train tracks…and finally down to the sea. The train runs between LaSpezia and the five CinqueTerra villages. According to Paolo, most of the people working in Riomaggiore live in LaSpezia, a 20 minute drive but a 7 minute train ride. I have always heard how reliant Europe is on the trains…they are easy to schedule, reasonable, clean and convenient…so much driving since you can see so much without focusing on the highway…Dad is clearly more relaxed once he gets on the train. At the bottom of the town, we found several surprises. First was two Michelin rated restaurants. Paolo said they were both excellent (they were). The spectacular view of the water crashing into the rocks…the only place Dad could compare it to was Big Sur…except Riomaggiore is clustered with ancient houses…built up the mountain into the sky..and the colors of the rainbow…yellow, blue, red, orange. Stunning. After climbing four flights of stairs (Dad struggling with his backpack, knees and back), we arrived our our suite…two floors both with views of the water. The top floor had a small kitchen, table and an outdoor portico where we could sit and smell the ocean. Paolo left us contact information and restaurant recommendations for both Riomaggiore and in Vernazza, one of the other towns. As he left Paolo encouraged Dad to try the local wine…a full bodied white wine made with grapes cultivated on the mountain sides. I must say, Dad took his advice and partook greatly of the local wine!
After chilling on our balcony (with local wine), we walked back down the stairs to improve our view of the sunset…into a large group of…tourists from Singapore. Maybe 50 of them. They were very nice and made a huge fuss over me. While both restaurants looked amazing, we elected to eat at the one which was a little more casual. They opened at 7 and we were first to be seated…shortly after they opened…within thirty minutes, the place was packed…all locals…families…and everyone knew everyone. The interior of the restaurant was beautifully renovated…the artwork modern amidst the stucco walls and ceiling posts. On the side against the mountain, a large piece of the mountain uncovered…and, according to the waiter, when it rained the water poured over it like a waterfall. Just beautiful. The meal was equally beautiful…artful. Shrimp ravioli with the shrimp positioned around the entrée. Beautiful sea bass...and the local wine, full bodied vin blanc…for 15Euro a bottle. Such a meal. And I didn’t get a bite. We finished the meal…joked with the locals including a young woman and her boyfriend sitting next to us…they LOVED me. Considered tossing Dad overboard…but just for a moment. We slept with the window open and the smell of the Sea permeating the air…the sound of waves crashing against the rocks lulled me to sleep…not that I needed the assistance.
The next morning, Dad awoke and (of course) had coffee withdrawals. So we dressed warmly and headed up. To. The coffee shop which opened at 8. And surprise…the manager was the same woman who sat next to us the night before with her boyfriend. She actually opened early for Dad…made the cappuccino…and we enjoyed it while waiting for fresh croissants the smell waiting through the shop. And a second cappuccino to go with the cream filled pastry delight. Ahhh. We went home, showered. And headed up to catch the train to visit the other towns in Cinq use Terra. A trail links the towns, but a mudslide had compromised the trail and the Italian National Park Service is in the process of rebuilding it. I looked forward to the walk through the forest and trails…but alas, we took the train.
From the windows of the train, we gazed one direction at the Med and the other at the hillside covered with vineyards. Ancient…there’s that word again…time standing still. We rode the train for about 20 minutes to Vernazza…another picturesque town in Cinque Terre. We decided not to visit the last town, Monterosso al Mare, because it was just one big, expensive resort. Dad enjoyed the company of a couple from Singapore. He has been there and they spoke English so the conversation was buoyant. They are part of a large group touring Italy. We walked the opposite direction of the tourist gaggle heading to town and the water. We quickly found ourselves amidst vineyards growing on the side of a terraced hill…like they have done for centuries. The Monks started the vineyards in the times when they built the church and monastery. So nice that I don’t have to dodge cars and grass is prevalent. We strolled through vineyard and entered a maze of passageways…stairs heading toward the water. Left turn…stairs…right turn…stairs. Dad said that, according to the sign on the trail, more stone was used to build the villages in Cinque Terre than was used to build the Great Wall of China. I don’t know if that’s true…but I do know that we walked over much ancient stonework…including the stairs. We did a slow walk down into town…the streets and shops looked much like Riomaggiore…but I like our village better. Needless to say, no Starbucks…no McDonalds…no Nordstroms. All small quaint shops and restaurants…but the cappuccinos are far better than anything made by the chains in the states. Every restaurant, big or small, has a cappuccino machine…and every one serves Tira Misu! We had lunch at the little restaurant recommended by Paolo…Dad had a bowl of spicy pasta…bread, local wine and coffee. We strolled around some more…it was Sunday so many shops were closed but the view is what we came for. As the shadows began to lengthen, we caught the train back to Riomaggiore and relaxed before dinner. Dad wasn’t starving…I was but I’m always hungry…so we ate late at the other restaurant recommended by our host. Dad had a lovely pan-grilled Branzino fillet with wine. We were the only ones in the restaurant so it was a much quieter experience than last night. Restaurants owned by same family so the décor was very similar to its sister restaurant.
Dad had several conversations with the woman at the coffee shop and her boyfriend (he also works at the coffee shop) about the possibility of moving to this area for several months. They recommended LaSpezia. Good location, easy train access to Italy and the rest of Europe. A little industrialized along the seaboard for Dad…but I’m sure he will research it. The woman has a friend who helps find people apartments…I think Dad will reach out to consider options.
Dad and I sat on the balcony and enjoyed our last evening in Italy for now. So diverse and we’ve seen a lot. From the Holiday market and square in Verona…and the ancient Opera arena, to the canals and passages of Venice…to the overwhelming history of Florence..to the postcard beauty of Cinque Terre. We need more time here…but I find myself longing for the quiet of our cottage in Mougins. Dad is mulling over the climb back up the hill to the car. OMG, can he just enjoy the moment? I guess not…
But I will. Ahhh…the smell of the sea…the noise of the crashing waves…the ghosts of souls from a different age. Italy.
Ciao…Maggie (Ciao Bella) and Doug
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