Manarola, Cinque Terre

The second portion of our Italian adventure takes place on the rolling sea-side hill towns of the Cinque Terre. After getting stuck in a 3x4' elevator for 10 minutes at our Milan hotel, we quickly made our way to the tram that took us to the metro that took us to the train station that took us to Manarola, Cinque Terre. One steep, windy hill and we made it to the lovely Casa Capellini. Our host, Gianni, came to the balcony when we rang the bell and proceeded to guide us up three flights of narrow stairs. She and her husband live on the second floor of this fabulous accommodation that offers, I think, the best view in the town. Our beautiful bright room had a lovely balcony that sat high above the town offering a perfect combination view of vineyard, Ligurian Sea and colorful stacked houses.  

Cinque Terre Photos

After we settled in we made our way to a path that wanders through the rolling vineyards. The land is divided into plots which are owned by the residents of the town and on which grow a variety of grapes and other Mediterranean fruits. Aptly named, the "Vineyard Walk" offers some of the best views of the town and sea. At it's highest point you can see the train station of Corniglia, Manarola's neighboring northern town. The houses of Manarola are stacked like a box of bright crayons, their facades only changing in luminance as the sun moves throughout the day.

Cinque Terre Italy

Manarola is one of the sleepier towns of the Cinque Terre and we loved it because of this. By day, tourists would flow in and out of the tunnel that lead to the train station, but by supper time only the residents and it's overnight guests were left to soak up the magic of the sunset. By nightfall everything was silent, including the large bell tower that sat atop the hill and, right outside our window. At 7 o'clock, though, the bell would announce the day's arrival and just like that, little car engines would start, laundry was pulled in from the balconies, old men would congregate at the local fish truck, and kids would ready themselves for school. I was reminded of the Busy Town of Richard Scary -- the bustling by day of the towns citizens and, just like Busy Town, Manarola had need for only one of everything - a single grocer, one little post office, one church, one fish truck. By the second day we were already recognizing people about town and loved it.

And so, we would rise with bell toll and make our way down to da Aristide for a yummy cappuccino and the most melt-in-your-mouth chocolate pastry (I don't know what it is about being abroad that makes Nutella a breakfast staple, but I'm totally okay with it).

cinque terre

Cinque Terre ITaly

Most of our meals in Manarola consisted of salami, ciabatta, fruit and "un etto" of some unknown delicious cheese. The local grocer would kindly lend his corkscrew so we could enjoy our meals and the sunset with some red wine.

Cinque Terre Italy

The Cinque Terre is known for the hiking trails that connect the five towns, the most popular route being Trail 2 which stays near the coast. The portion that connects Manarola with Corniglia was closed, so we took Trail 6 which went UP AND OVER instead of gingerly along the sea. We had the first portion of the hike to ourselves (a sign that most people took the train instead), and meandered through vineyards, backyards, up hills, up stairs, up rocks, through olive groves until we reached the most magnificent views and our Busy Town of Manarola became a little dot down by the sea. We took a break in the quaint town of  and then made our descent to sleepy Corniglia, the trail busy now with a variety of people. I'm not going to lie, you guys, I was a little negative Nancy when I realized that we had to rinse and repeat the incline/descent from Corniglia to Vernazza, but once we arrived and refueled with some gelato and white wine (in that order), it was totally worth it.

CInque Terre Italy Cinque Terre

After our 5 hour/6 mile/incline/decline adventure, we enjoyed our first Italian restaurant. We sat, street-side near the window and dined on pasta and caprese while watching the daily tourists make their way from the sea to the train. Afterward, we had the sun and the sea all to ourselves as they slowly came together and we sat, wondering how in the world it could be that we were really there. That night we both awoke and stood on the balcony as the crescent moon hung directly over the point where town sloped to meet vineyards and the horizon line completed the upside down triangle. Not a sound, just the two of us and the stars and the moon and the little Ligurian Sea-side town that we didn't want to leave.

The following day was spent sans-camera by the sea. Manarola's boat ramp turns into prime beach front property as visitors recline all the way down the s-curved concrete entrance and onto the dark rocks that line the perimeter of the swimming hole. Our legs were grateful for the time off; we swam and watched giant men with killer handlebar mustaches dive-bomb into the refreshing water.

cinque terre

We love everything about you, Manarola.

_

A Surprise Visit to London, England

We've settled back into a busy schedule in a chilly, rainy Columbus, our hearts glad to be with friends again. When we're not forcing them to watch the unedited 8mm video footage, our spare time is spent editing the 1,500+ images and 45+ minutes of movie, occasionally stopping to reminisce when one of us asks "Remember that meal?" And so, without further ado, the first installment of our Italian adventure: Our journey begins in the very early morning, Columbus, Ohio, with a pot of coffee appropriately percolated in our "Made in Italy" coffee carafe . Two car rides, one flight and two layovers later, we found ourselves comfortably settling into our seats (I was already 3 levels into my Tetris game), when the pilot announced that our plane had a large dent, presumably from another plane and we needed to de-board and re-board a new plane. Three hours and one lost passenger later, we're back on the original plane (which did a number on my anxious husband's drugged nerves), and made our way from NYC to London. Having missed our original connection from London to Milan, we happily welcomed the opportunity to spend our new 6 hour layover with the Queen. (She ended up being very busy but we kept ourselves occupied, nonetheless.) We raced through immigration (where our excitement to spend only 4 hours in the city was met with a bit of skepticism), pulled some extra layers out of our bag for the 40 degree weather we hadn't packed for and hopped on the metro toward the city's center. What does one do if only given four hours in a marvelous metropolis such as London? Find your location on a map and then follow your husband's handy compass' direction south to the River Thames -- feel free to swing through Hyde Park and by the Parliament Square on your way -- Big Ben, the London Eye and Westminster Abbey all await you. Don't be afraid to wander through back alleys for you never know when you might stumble upon culinary greatness. We enjoyed the most delicious sun-dried tomato, prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich with a glass of pinot grigio at a quaint slow-food cafe nestled on Lexington Avenue, Fernandez & Wells. We took a seat alongside locals on lunch break at a narrow butcher-block counter top, just feet from friendly staff as they prepare any one of their fresh meat, cheese and bread plates.

London was fabulous and we were so thrilled to add a city/country to our itinerary, even if it was for only a short visit. Though we missed our reservations to see the Last Supper in Milan, the spontaneous chilly afternoon adventure was well worth it.

Photos of London

Photos of London

Photos of London

Photos of London

Photos of London

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