The sea is quite rough today. We are skirting the end of a small storm. The rain is just past us, but the winds and rough sea is left behind. Along the sheer cliffs hang the five hamlets known collectively as the Cinque Terra tenaciously gripping the rugged coast. We head for the small port of Vernazza, but as we approach the sea is pushing us into a very small and very shallow port. So following the error on the side of safety rule, at the last minute, we thrust the two Yanmar engines into reverse and hightail it to La Spezia. It proved to be a very prudent idea. When we looked over the harbor the next day, it was little more than a shelter for small fishing boats. We could have eaten up 3 or 4 of them just tying to a berth.
La Spezia turns out to be an ideal home base to view the chain of villages from. We set up camp in the old harbor and find ourselves surrounded with great shopping and a short walk to the train station.
The Cinque Terra is a national park. You can jump on the train and get a day pass to hike between all five villages for about 7.50 euro. The next morning, after church, we get our most comfortable walking shoes on and start our pilgrimage. The trail between the towns is really spectacular. We are walking right on the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. The hike is not for the faint of heart however. Lots of stairs and steep climbs make it so most people bail after the first couple of towns. We continue all the way to the fourth in the chain before running out of time and steam. Somehow just taking a break, eating the local cusine seems like a delightful way to finish off the daylight. Not wanting to end this experience, we go back the next day and spend most of it lying on the beach and swimming in the warm waters of the sea. It is our most kickback relaxing day of our trip and we vow to wedge a few more down days into our full itinerary.
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