Beautiful Cinque Terre

We had three nights in Riomaggiore, one of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre region on the coast of western Italy. The views looking out over the village and over the water from our self-contained apartment were gorgeous (see photo from our garden balcony). On arrival, Lorenza met us and showed us where to park the car on the outskirts of the village then it was a long sticky walk down to the village and then a further 136 stairs up to our apartment. Luckily Lorenza delivered cold beers to welcome us!

That evening, we had a fantastic seafood dinner at a little restaurant overlooking the main street. Giovanni, the head waiter, even showed Adrian how to extract the meat from Scampi (cross between a prawn and marron), and then ceremoniously fed it to Adrian in front of a watching restaurant!

The next day we explored some of the nearby villages. We travelled by both train and boat, with the latter being more scenic and definitely the more punctual form of transport. At Corniglia, we decided to walk from the Station to the village rather queue for the shuttle minivan. 360+ stairs later, two sweaty walkers emerged at the top - the weather was very hot and sticky by now. Heather took opportunities at each landing to take photos and recover! Each of the villages we visited was unique and quaint in its own way, but we still think that our's is the best (see photo from the ferry approaching the village).

Our last day was spent taking it very easy. Adrian had run the length of the five villages in the morning (see separate posting), but unfortunately Heather spent the day in bed due to a stomach bug. The local pharmacy and many trips by Adrian up and down the 136 stairs came to the rescue. Within 24hrs of leaving she was well on her way to recovery. We will definitely return to our apartment Casa Lorenza and the lovely Riomaggiore.