Another Day on the Northwest Coast (of Italy)
The plan for the day is Pisa, Cinque Terre, maybe Firenze. Nope, didn't happen.
QUOTE: "Cinque Terre is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline on the Ligurian Sea. In each of the 5 towns, colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces, harbors are filled with fishing boats and trattorias turn out seafood specialties along with the Liguria region’s famous sauce, pesto."
March 2, 2024 - Saturday - Cinque Terre
Another day of road time. A hotel room in Calenzano then off to Cinque Terre in northwest Italy. After skirting around Florence then passing near Lucca, then into the town of La Spezia to park the car. Catch an express train to Monterosso, the 5th village for lunch (where I had some pretty good Spaghetti ala Bolognese) then some sightseeing before heading to village #4. All of that took more than half the day so it was time to drive back to the hotel in Calenzano, very near Barbarino di Mugello. Here is some of what the coastal mountain villages look like.
After several days of clouds and rain, finally sunshine and blue skies on the coast of the Cinque Terre, or southern part of the Italian Riviera.
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I wonder if this is the "Leaning" Tower of Pisa, from a distance?
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| Stream running from under the hotel toward the river below. Lots of fog... |
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| ... and more fog. Things are starting to get green for spring along the rivers. |
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| Some random Q-Tip going down to the Ligurian sea to taste the sea water. |
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| Train Station and Orange trees in La Spezia. |
This is where the Expresss Train that goes through all 5 villages of the Cinque Terre starts.
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| Beach in Monterosso on the Italian Riviera. |
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| Almost deserted beach. Perfect time to visit. From pictures during the busy season show that it can get crazy with hundreds of people. |
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| If the water was warmer... |
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OH NO, the sea is pouring to the left.
(not a political statement) |
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| The sun is almost to shine. |
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| In the background there is a sculpture. |
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| This one - Il Gigante - Neptune, built in 1910 from cement by Arrigo Minerbi, was damaged in WWII. His work is also on bronze doors of the Duomo in Milan. The thing above his head used to be a giant sea shell, and his arms are missing. |
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| Smell the fresh sea air. It was a pretty amazing spot on planet earth to be on at that moment. |
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| Train station in Monterosso, Cinque Terre. |
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| The small bay of Vernassa, Cinque Terra on the Italian Riviera. |
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| Vineyards and orchards on the hills above. |
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| Looking back toward Vernasa, hoping to see that Gelato store. The clerk was from the Caribbean, I think, she spoke Spanish. And many of the service staff had traveled to Spain for a few years and learned the language. |
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| Gentle waves washing the rocks. |
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| Beautiful water. In warmer weather you would see bonze people walking around getting a salt water shower. |
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| Stone wheels in Vernassa. |
If you want to google about this area, you can look at Carrara marble and two sculptures: "David" by Michelangelo Buonarroti
, and "The Cloak of Conscience". Both came from a rock quarry in this area which we drove by. The quarry looked a mountain covered with snow. When it was bare rock/marble being removed for your home sculpture or counter top.
Also, there is an aqueduct that runs 3km that was built in 1823, to provide water for Lucca, Italy. It is still standing but a section was cut out for an interstate highway, the A4, I think.
