Today, we made good on the promise of taking the kids to the beach, European style. As I explained to Charlie, I grew up in a beach town, so I pretty much understood the ethos... bring only what you need, pick a spot, enjoy the sun, cool off in the water when necessary. In Europe, there's this whole "rent a chair" thing going on... but that's optional. We don't need no stinkin' chair!
After about an hour, Katie came to me and asked to rent a kayak. Hmmm... That didn't exactly fit with my beach lizard image, but what the heck... my daughter wanted to do something with me. I'd be a fool to pass it up... I am not a fool. Or course, once one kid went for a kayak ride with Dad... all of them wanted a kayak ride with Dad...
After grabbing some focaccia bread with various toppings for lunch, we went back to the guest house, changed and then set off to collect the rest of the five Cinque Terre towns. We've been staying in Monterosso al Mare and we'd hiked to Vernazza so that left Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We decided start with the southernmost, Riomaggiore, and work our way up. So, we hopped on a train that stops there and headed south.
Or, at least we thought we got on a train that stops there. The Cinque Terre towns are small. They are not major stops on the railway line. So, the trains don't always stop at all the towns. When you're standing on the platform they call the trains that don't stop, "trains in transit". Yesterday, we'd experienced some waiting in Vernazza. Today, we got to be on a train in transit... the train we'd boarded took us efficiently all the way to La Spezia Centrale station, bypassing all the Cinque Terre towns.
Just a small setback... it meant getting on a train coming back the other way... after being sure that it really DID stop in Riomaggiore.
The Cinque Terre towns did not spring up around their train stations... and when they put the train stations in, they put them where it was convenient for the railroad, not the towns. That means all of them involve some walking to actually get to the town from the station. Riomaggiore is no exception.
In a, by now familiar, pattern you reach the town through a long pedestrian tunnel. Also familiar by now, is very vertical arrangement of the town. We walked up (and I mean up) the main street and wound our way to the Castellazzo di Cerricò at the top overlooking the sea and the town. It dates back to the 13th century and would have been a good defense against pirates.
Having seen Riomaggiore, it was time to move north to Manarola. Making sure to get on the right train this time, we made the 3 minute train trip to the next town.
Manarola has a small harbor that's become something of a swimming hole. There were people swarmed all around, including a bride and groom who looked like they'd come down for pictures.
The beach time and the traveling were starting to take their toll on our merry band and it was 6:30pm. We decided that the next town, Corniglia, would need to include a dinner stop.
We were becoming proficient at working the trains now, so the short train ride to Corniglia was uneventful. Corniglia is perched higher on a hill than the other towns. To get there from the station, you have to walk up nearly 400 steps (or take a bus) Naturally, we took the steps.
The town is very charming. Easily becoming our favorite because it seem less overrun with throngs of tourists and had more of an authentic feel to it. Maybe the steps keep out those looking for an easy stop. We found a pizzeria with a terrace and a view and settled in.
Rather than rush back to the station to catch the 8:30pm train, we decided to stroll around and explore and then catch the 9:30pm back to Monterosso al Mare. It seemed like a simple choice... we had not learned the ugly truth about regional Italian rail service yet.
Walking around Corniglia, we found that Charlie called, The Best Gelato in Italy, at Alberto's Gelateria. I have to admit, it was pretty darn good.
We found a cool overlook, watched the sunset, finished our gelato and headed back to the train station.
Then, we learned about regional Italian rail service. The train we wanted at 9:30 was over an hour late. Elodie and played some pretty competitive rounds of "I Spy" and "The Alpahbet Game" while we waited.
Finally, the train did come. We got on and returned to Montrerosso al Mare. It was a long day, but a good last day in Cinque Terre. Tomorrow, we drive to Lake Como.
