Today is the fifth of July and it has been about four months since the start of my self-quarantine from the COVID-19 epidemic. China is now facing its second wave, while the other parts of the world are still in their first.
As I am writing this blog, I consider ourselves lucky to be able to visit this beautiful country before the pandemic. So, to continue our adventure from Milan, we hopped on the train to reach our next destination, the ever photogenic – Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre, which means “Five Lands” in Italian, is a collection of villages along the coast of Northwest Italy. These are namely, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. These villages and their surroundings are all part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thus I have succeed in checking another box off my bucket list!
We took the train out from the hustle and bustle of Milan and left for Vernazza, our first stop and also where our Airbnb is located. We had picturesque views from our train window and were excited when we were about to reach our destination. When we disembarked, we were greeted with strong cold winds and a heavy downpour. Donning our rain jackets and waterproof spirits, we lugged our bags (two large suitcases, one tote bag and a backpack each) through pebbled streets and hiked up to our Airbnb location. The journey to our Airbnb was definitely not an easy feat. After hiking for about 15 minutes or so, we finally reached our humble abode nested on the cliffside of Vernazza. Fortunately, our hosts were helpful and immediately let us in to the warmth of the cozy little home. We rested and dried our apparel, waiting for the weather to clear up and once it did, the view was nothing less than spectacular. It was worth it.
We then left for our next destinations, the four remaining villages. Our next stop was Riomaggiore. The trains were not empty but when we arrived and roamed the small town, it was. Silence blanketed the narrow streets leading towards the hilltop. Only a lonely cafe was open, serving coffee to a few guests. We were wondering where the other travelers, like ourselves, were. After walking around, we finally found out that they were all by the water, watching the sunset. In front of our eyes was the view that we have been looking for, the one that was on every postcard sold at every train stop’s gift shops.
We then returned to Vernazza to get some rest. Early next morning, we left for Manarola. This time, we headed directly for the beach. As expected, the sight was breathtaking. I corrected myself and realized that this was the image I had in my head whenever I search for Cinque Terre on the Internet. We took sometime in Manarola, enjoying the calm weather before returning to our Airbnb and finally leaving Cinque Terre towards our next destination.
Despite the short time we had in Cinque Terre, it was memorable. Usually, Cinque Terre is a hot spot for tourists. They would flock to climb mountains, enjoy cups of gelato or swim at the beaches. But during winter, the whole city became silent as if it was letting the rainbow painted houses and pristine beaches to speak for itself. Kristie and I were fortunate to have it rain only on the first few hours upon our arrival. However, I would like to revisit during the summer to enjoy its beaches and swim in the ocean. For first-time goers, I would suggest to visit during the fall as you would be able to avoid overcrowded beaches and rain altogether.
Food was also quite hard to come by when we were there. We had to eat instant noodles for dinner. Not many restaurants and cafes were open, but we were lucky to have one open in our village.
After taking a short break in Florence (we promise a blog post for this is coming), we headed to Pisa, the city of the astronomer Galileo Galilei. Known for its famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, the old city is also home to other historical sights situated near the city’s Piazza del Duomo or also known as Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). We bought a museum pass to visit all the famous buildings under an affordable price. The Pisa museum is actually a good place to get away from the crowd of tourists and to learn more on the history of Pisa.
The trip to Pisa was not long as we only had a few hours to roam the city. We were only able to indulge ourselves with gelato while enjoying the view of the sunset. For first timers, I would suggest to take some time to hit all the historical sights in the Square (and make sure to climb up the Tower). This would only take a few hours and therefore, a one-day trip from Florence will suffice. In conclusion, you should definitely go to Pisa if you haven’t been, it is after all a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Both Cinque Terre and Pisa are great destinations for one-day trips if you are along Tuscany as they are not too far from our next stop, the renaissance city of Florence. Follow us to explore the charm of the city and why it is my favorite city in Italy.
