Our Italian journey begins -- Venice & Cinque Terre

It’s been exactly one month since I graduated from the University of Georgia. I can’t say my life has changed drastically like many of my fellow graduates. I haven’t moved, or started a new job or entered the “real world” as they say. However, these past few weeks have been some of the best of my life, and I have created memories that surely will stay with me forever. I’ve traveled places I had only dreamed about or 'pinned', experienced different cultures, overcome various language barriers and learned (am learning) to be a savvy traveler. I can’t believe we still have three weeks left of visiting beautiful places. I’ve enjoyed every minute so far and and am looking forward to the rest of our journey.

After leaving the beautiful country of Switzerland we began our trek through Italy - starting with Venice. After having a long day of travel, we arrived a little after 8:00 p.m. We had a hard time finding our place, and as it was getting dark we began to worry a little. Eventually after numerous wrong turns and asking directions from many locals, we made it. We spent the next day wandering the streets and canals and having our first taste of Italian pizza, wine and of course, gelato. Before dinner we took a bottle of wine to San Marco square and enjoyed our surroundings and what seemed like the place to bring dogs to play together in the evening. For dinner we took a short walk to a restaurant on one of the canals. The night before, during our aimless wandering, we had seen this place packed with people and saw that it was rated high on Trip Advisor and decided to give it a try. It was a small restaurant, with all of the tables and seating very close together - very family-oreinted feel. The meal and the atmosphere were excellent. My favorite part was the pana cotta at the end :). We decided we were glad we visited Venice, but it was definitely a city you could see in one night and one day. The amount of tourists was a little overwhelming and it was hard to place a finger on the local vibe of the city. 

The next day we packed up and headed to the train station. We were running late, but managed to get on the train with two minutes to spare and we were on the way to Cinque Terre! Cinque Terre was one of the places I was most excited for and boy, did it not disappoint. We stayed in Monterosso, the northern most town of the five, at a precious bed and breakfast. Cristina, the owner, was young and very friendly and our room was quaint and a perfect retreat after a long day. There was also a cat there that I appropriately named Tom. As our usual first days in new places go, we spent the afternoon wandering the streets, taking in the scenery and enjoying our first beach destination since we’ve been in Europe. For dinner we went to a restaurant that Cristina suggested. Since Cinque Terre is the home of pesto and seafood, I ordered pesto gnocchi  and Drew ordered an entire lobster which he made sure to enjoy every bite of. He talked about his lobster meal “fit for kings” for days. 

In the morning we started the hike from Monterosso to the next village - Vernazza. The hike was a little over 2 miles and took about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was an incredible hike with the most amazing views and we had wonderful weather which was a plus considering some of the weather we had in the beginning of our trip. It definitely wasn’t an easy hike, with lots of climbing up and down the mountain, but it was one of the best I’ve done in my life. 

Leaving Monterosso

Hello Vernazza!

When we arrived in Vernazza we headed straight for the nearest pizzeria with a view and had a relaxing lunch by the sea. We wandered over to the rocks near the harbor and found a good rock to sit on and take in the views while preparing for the next hike. We walked around Vernazza for a while and then started the next trek to Corniglia. This hike was a little over 2.5 miles as well and took about the same amount of time as the last one. Again, beautiful views, wonderful trail scenery and a very enjoyable hike. In Corniglia we had some gelato, walked around the town and then boarded a train back to Monterosso. Unfortunately, the last two trails to the other towns were temporarily closed due to rock slides.

 That night we had a picnic out on the rocks during sunset and ended the night with a few drinks in old town. We were thrilled when we found an I.P.A as well as a summer ale - tasted like home and summer nights at Terrapin.

Our third day in Monterosso we spent laying on the beach, swimming and jumping off rocks into the ocean. It felt like the perfect summer day and I couldn’t have been happier. We had planned to take the boat and/or train to the other two towns that evening for dinner but unfortunately I started to feel under the weather late in the afternoon, and we didn’t quite make it.

Cinque Terre is definitely somewhere I will return. It was a perfect place to relax, as well as be adventurous, eat great food and it isn’t overly crowded. We debated staying another night, but in the end we headed to Florence early on Friday morning. I’ll write about Florence tomorrow, but for now we are on the train headed to the Amalfi Coast to Positano - another one of the places I am most excited for. 

Love from the train somewhere between Rome and Napoli,

Emily & Drew