So this past weekend has been a really good one! Brady (a friend of mine from ballroom) came down to visit from Prague, where is he currently doing his own study abroad. He came in on Friday night and we took him out for true Italian pizza at this little pizzeria we found in an alleyway that no tourists (that we know of) have heard about. It's a little establishment with a HUGE pizza menu, and the owner of the shop is there every day, making his pizzas from scratch with fresh ingredients right in front of you. We got pesto pizzas (fresh pesto is a local specialty here, and sinfully delicious) and chowed down.
On Saturday morning, we got up early to catch a 10 a.m. train to the Cinque Terre area. For those of you that don't know, "Cinque Terre" translates to something like "Five Cities". And, true to its name, it is an area in which 5 little cities are nestled into little inlets and coves along the Ligurian coast. (From what I understand, pirates used to stash their ships in these coves.) The whole area has become a national park, and it is now protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
We bought a ticket for the ferry that travels along the coast and visits 4 of the 5 cities. I don't think I'll ever forget the moment when we caught sight of the first town along the coast. It was beautiful. The Ligurian coast is green, and a lot of it is actually sheer cliff. But then there were a hint of a few brightly colored buildings. As we got closer, we entered an inlet and all of a sudden there was a bustling little town climbing the mountainside. It's like it appeared out of nowhere. The buildings are bright and beautiful colors, and there were even some old bunkers from World War II nestled into the cliffside and some old medieval turrets from ancient castles. It was definitely a sight I'll never forget!
We spent the day wandering through the towns, going in all the little tourist shops and wandering down narrow, winding alleyways to see where they led. When we finished at one town, we would wait for the ferry and travel to another. As you can imagine, all of them were crawling with tourists. And while it was kind of crazy, it was also comforting to hear people speaking English around me again. Ha!
There was one notable moment during the whole trip, and that was at the last town we visited, Riomagiorre. It was the most peaceful of all the towns we visited. Its main street was quiet, and most of the town climbed up a really steep mountain, meaning lots of stairs and really steep paths. We were standing on Via Dell'Amore. It's this beautiful pathway that has been carved out of the rock above the town. After quite an exhausting climb, you're rewarded by the most breathtaking view of all the multi-colored rooftops and, beyond that, a stretching glimpse of the coastline on either side of you and the expansive ocean that seems to go on forever. Via Dell'Amore (translated to "the road of love" ) travels along the mountain and eventually connects you to another Cinque Terre town. Anyway, it's lined by a small chainlink fence and, much like the famous bridge in Paris (I can't remember the name right now), couples have carved their initials into locks, locked them to the fence, and thrown the key into the ocean. Legend says that in doing so, it will seal your love for eternity.
Regardless, it is an extremely romantic and peaceful place. There's no sound but the sound of the waves hitting the rocks beneath you and the chirping of birds. As I stood there, looking at the amazing view of the coastline, I couldn't help but feel blessed. It was one of those perfect moments where I was content to stand there and listen to the birds chirping and feel the ocean breeze ruffling my skirt.
Ah, the writer in me was getting carried away. :)
Anyway, after that, we caught the ferry and then eventually the train home. After such a long day, we were all sunburned and exhausted, but it was worth every moment.
To be honest, that was probably my favorite moment of this whole trip so far. Since I've been living in Genoa, which is a thriving port city, sometimes I forget that not all of Italy is bustling and noisy at all hours of the day. If I had the time and money, I would love to spend a week driving through the Italian countryside.
I wish I had some dazzling pictures to upload for all of you, but unfortunately, the internet here in Italy is rather archaic, and it seems to be getting worse the longer we use it. So I'm unable to upload any pictures for you guys.
Two weeks left. One weekend left. I'll admit that I've had quite a few moments of homesickness and doubt since I got here 3 weeks ago, but I can honestly say that it has all been worth it. And I hope to make every remaining day count.
Ciao for now, folks!
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