We were relieved to be reunited with our luggage in Florence. Bill rented a car, and after a slight problem getting the car to go in reverse, we hit the highway to Levanto. We stopped for lunch in Montecatini and picked a restaurant on a whim. The menu had so many delicious dishes that we - especially Joel and Jo - had a hard time choosing. Jo deliberated for a long time, then finally made her choice, whereupon the waiter asked, "For today or tomorrow, Signora?" (Thus began a week-long ragging of J & J about their indecisiveness at mealtime.) ;) We each ordered something different and passed our plates around the table so that everyone could have a taste. The food was wonderful!
After lunch, we encountered the first of several difficulties with Italian plumbing when Jo & I tried to wash our hands and could not figure out how to turn on the water. (We eventually discovered a button on the floor.)
The drive to Levanto was beautiful. Along the way, we saw vineyards, olive groves, and citrus trees dripping with ripening fruit. As we approached Levanto, the roads became curvy and narrow. In Levanto, the streets were so narrow that it was difficult to navigate without hitting pedestrians or parked cars. The street where our hotel, the Stella Maris, was located was tiny. Determining street names was a real challenge. We drove around the block a few times (narrowly missing bicyclers and walls) before we found our hotel, the entrance of which faced a pedestrian alley. Finally, we found it and hauled our luggage up the stairs.
The building in which the Stella Maris was located was built in the 1700s and still featured original frescoes on the walls and ceilings. Our room was beautiful. The floors were marble. There was a fresco on the ceiling above our bed. After we stashed our luggage in our rooms, Joey & I set out to explore. A few blocks away was the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea. We walked along the waterfront for a while, then met up with Bill & Jo. We had drinks and antipasto in a little bar, then walked next door for dinner.
On Monday, we bought train tickets and explored the cities of the Cinque Terra. Joey & I rode past the first few towns and got off the train in Riomaggio. We didn't see much. We walked up a very steep hill and saw only houses and little gardens. Deciding that there wasn't much there to investigate, we walked back down the hill and wandered into a tiny restaurant. We had bread with pesto, a couple of glasses of local wine, ravioli, and spaghetti with mussels. Mmmmmm! Our next stop was Corniglia (pronounced "Cornelia"). At first, we thought there was nothing to see there, either, but then we walked down some stairs, went underneath the railroad tracks, and came out on the other side to a beautiful view - narrow cobblestone streets lined with colorful houses and shops. We headed toward the sea, stopping for gelato along the way. As we sat near the water's edge enjoying our gelatio, we decided that we would eat or drink in every town, all the way back to Levanto, and that's exactly what we did!
This Cinque Terra area was a hiker's dream (or nightmare, depending on which "leg" one took). As we sat in courtyards, swilling beer or wine and downing pizza, we saw lines of people making their way up paths on the distant hillsides. Silly tourists...there's a train! ;)
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Mmm, Gelato- my favorite!
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