As most of you probably know from seeing my Facebook and Instagram is that Aaron and I just got back from our 10 day vacation exploring Italy, Malta, Spain, and France. We had a wonderful time and now I get to share all about our trip with you guys over the next several posts.
Our first stop was Cinque Terre. Since moving to Italy, we have been told visiting these 5 beautiful villages surrounding the Cinque Terre National Park was a must. The villages are located on the Italian Riviera and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seeing them in pictures is beautiful, but seeing them in person was absolutely amazing.
Our first day included driving 3 1/2 hours to La Spezia, a town right outside of Cinque Terre, and checking into our apartment. We decided to stay in La Spezia because driving around the city and parking our car would be much easier, plus it was just a short train ride away from the villages. After checking in, we walked up the street to the train station, ate McDonald's {so not my choice, but with a hungry toddler you eat whatever is available} and bought our train tickets for the day. Our first city to visit was Corniglia.
Corniglia is the only village not located on the sea. Because of this we had to climb 385 steps after we got off the train to get to the town at the top of the hill. It was hot, and tiring, but the view was so worth it.
So.Many.Steps.
The view from part way up.
Drinking fresh water straight from the source.
Church of S.Pietro.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Time to walk back down the stairs.
There's the train station we had to walk down to.
Our second and last village to visit on our first day was Monterosso al Mare. This town is known for their beach and is the biggest of the 5.
The view when we walked out of the train station.
Church of San Giovanni Battista
I love the black and white striped details.
After walking around the village, we rented an umbrella and two lounge chairs at the beach and went swimming. Well the boys went swimming, I played with Connor in the sand and layed out most of the time.
I can hear him saying "cheeeeeese" as I look at this picture.
Hello relaxation!
Sand everywhere.
"You can have a lick mom."
After swimming for a couple hours, we ate dinner at Cantina di Miky. This place was recommended by a friend and it absolutely did not disappoint. We started our meal with prosecco, bread, and calamari. Then for our main course I ate a fantastic steak with onions, peppers, and roasted potatoes and Aaron ate swordfish, with bacon, onion, strawberries, and cucumber in a butter sauce. We were too full for dessert, but Connor wasn't. He picked gelato from a gelateria on our way back to the train station.
Connor was starving!
Me and my mini-me.
I think he enjoyed it! ;)
That's it from our first day. Tomorrow I'll post about our second day visiting the other 3 villages.
XOXO,
Jenn
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