Cinque Terre Recap

Thursday, March 24, 2011 (Part 7)

What a day we had. The walking/climbing today was wonderful. The scenery was spectacular. I think we walked a total of about 6 or 7 (or 8 or 9) kilometers, which is only several miles, but these were really hard miles -- and they were 60-70% steps! I'll bet we walked up or down 2,000+ steps -- really! And our trekking today took ALL DAY. We left the hotel at about 9:15 a.m. and we returned at about 5:00 p.m.

But it was a great day. This hiking is what we came for, and we loved it. The weather was also fantastic, and Katherine and I both got some nice color on our faces. We capped off the end of our athletic adventure by doing some snack shopping. We found a local butcher and bought a half pound of prosciutto. We also found a grocer and bought some

water and a loaf of fresh bread.Upon returning to our room, we sat on the balcony, in the late afternoon sun, and enjoyed our snack. It truly hit the spot.

Tonight, we had dinner at the Ristorante Belvedere. It is located on the water under the railroad tracks. Belvedere means "beautiful view." We were there after nightfall so we did not get much of a view, but the food was very good. Dad and I both had veal. Katherinehad seafood pasta, including large prawns --

which seem always to be served in the shell in Italy.

And so we have come to the end of our time in Cinque Terre, and

it occurs to me that we have spent as much time here as we did in Rome! But what very different places they are. We enjoyed both in equal measure, but for entirely different reasons.