About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, February 04, 2008

ABC Wednesday - "C" is for Cinque Terre

In October 2006, I visited Italy for the first time. Notice I say the "first" time because I intend to return one day and see more of this Charismatic Country as well as revisit many of the places I saw then. However, for today's purposes I've Chosen to highlight the area called the Cinque Terre in the north-west region of Italy. It was by far the most Captivating, Curious, and Compelling spots of my trip. Rick Steves has more information on the area here.




Built along the Coast of the Mediterranean Sea, this area is Comprised of five villages in the province of La Spezia in the Luguria region of Italy. The Coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all encapsulated in a national park by the same name. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The five villages are Manarolo, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, and Riomaggiore. The Cinque Terre is Characterized by the Craggy slopes which have been Cultivated into vineyards by means of a system of terracing.
Seafood is plentiful in the area's Cuisine and it is also famous for its pesto, a sauce made with basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino Cheese. I sampled some at lunch the day we toured the area and I absolutely give it an A+. Also, a Common locally baked product is focaccia and farinata which is a savoury snack like a Crunchy pancake made from a base of Chick-pea flour.

In addition to wines made from the locally grown grapes, grappa (a brandy made with the pommace left from winemaking) and limoncello (a sweet liqueur flavored with lemons) are also popular and well-known drinks in the area. (And yes, I sampled both but preferred the limoncello. One of the ladies in our group had grappa every day but to me it tasted like rubbing alcohol. )
We arrived by boat in Riomaggiore. It was an amazing sight as we approached the first little dock! Climbing the tiny little alleyways, which I realised were streets, we finally came out on the small market part of the village. I couldn't believe how many Cats wandered the streets, too! They were everywhere. This Cat was sunning itself in a plant pot by the side of the street, totally ignorant of all the people milling around.
We realised we'd arrived on laundry day because Clothes were hanging from windows and balconies to dry in the natural sunlight. This turned out to be a Common sighting all over Italy.

From Riomaggiore, we walked along the Via del Amore (below) to the next village of Manarolo. A brief visit there and then we hopped back on the boat that took us all the way to Montarosso al Mare where we dined on pasta al pesto. The views from the restaurant that overlooked the Mediterranean were stunning and we enjoyed the rest from all the walking up and down hills and along mountainside Cliffs along the Mediterranean Coast.

Then we made a brief stop at Vernazza but skipped Corniglia and Continued on to Portovenere, a larger town directly across from our base in Lerici. Notice the brilliant Colours of all the buildings.
We ended the day by Climbing to the Church at the top of the Cliff in Portovenere. I even lit a Candle inside for my late husband and mother, even though I'm not Catholic, and the process left me feeling rather Calm and Cathartic. I hope you enjoyed these photos from my visit to the Cinque Terre and encourage all of you to include this area in any future plans for your trip to Italy. For tourist information click here.

And for more information about ABC Wednesday click here.

78 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shots! Guess that's one place I wont have a chance to go to, as all my travels are in the far east :)

Sharon said...

What a copious number od interesting "C" Things! Very interesting with great pictures.

Yes, we will be keeping track of Edmund on is adventure. We are looking forward to it. I teach 2nd grade.

dot said...

I don't suppose I'll ever go either but I sure enjoyed your pictures. The buildings are such pretty colors. I'm not so sure I'd like all those cats hanging around. lol

Max-e said...

Hi Leslie, your post has certainly made Cinque come alive. Nice pictures - makes me want to g there.

Lilli & Nevada said...

What a wonderful set of photos for the letter C
Everything is so colorful
loved the cat sunning itself

jmb said...

Funnily enough I'd been to Italy quite a few times before I got to Cinque Terre.
Very nice post Leslie, showcasing this interesting region.

geewits said...

That was great! That just makes it tougher to decide which parts of Italy I want to see.

Rune Eide said...

An area Containing so many Cs with such Captivating Colours must be worth more than a Cursory interest!

FO - 2 said...

Charming place!
The houses are so colourful.
Love it! :)
Lovely post!
Happy ABC! :)

meggie said...

Oh I would love to go there, & see it all for myself. I would love to take my Granddaughter, whose ancestry is Italian, but she know nothing of it. A sad story.
Loved your photos, & your excellent commentary on it all!

Casdok said...

It looks and sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

ArneA said...

I love Italy, and have been visiting Cinque Terre by boat.
see my photo from Toscany

Liz Hinds said...

that was alovely trip to Italy, thank you.

I especially liked the photos of the village in the valley and the town on the side of the sea with its slanting buildings.

Daryl said...

Oh I love Italy too .. it took me over 25 yrs to have a return visit but it was worth it ... thanks for sharing your photos!

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Hi
That a great C for Charming ITALY, we have been ther last winter (see my blog) and I hve lived ther for 6 years too. I like the photo's all very much, I did not know about the beauty of this part in North Italy thanks for showing.

Come and see my ABC's photography
JoAnn Holland
Participant in ABC wednesday

Petunia said...

very beautiful shots!

Dragonstar said...

Fascinating! I don't have to leave my chair to visit all sorts of places!

Andrea said...

Nice colorful houses all bunched up together. I live in the country so I do not have houses real close to me.

Gerald (SK14) said...

O what a lovely trip - nice to hear about places I've never really heard about before.

bonnie said...

Your photo of Portovenere reminds me of one I saw last week on a blog, (probably Norway). Do you remember it? I want to visit Italy one of these days. It is a must on my list.

Katney said...

Those village shots and the coastal road bring back memories. I didn't visit the same spots, and it was over 40 years ago, but much of that part of the coast is and was the same.

DeeMom said...

wonderful pictures adn information. I will keep this area in mind on my next trip to Italy.

Thanks

Linda said...

Very clever! It looks like it was an amazing place to visit.

Neva said...

A great "C" post!

VP said...

Oh I love Italy, but haven't been to the part you've shown us today! Hopefully one day...

gma said...

Bella!!!
I would love to go there!!!

Janet said...

Gorgeous!! Like a little travelog. I loved the cat sitting in the flowerpot, and the clothes hanging to dry.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures of the villages, how could you not go camera crazy with such vistas.
Happy wednesday.

Edmund (the explorer) Nesbitt said...

Italy sounds a place for exploration!

Trubes said...

Hi Leslie: Lovely pictures and description of the Cinque Terre. We are going to Antibes, on the Cotè d'azur, S.France, in June , which is not very far from the Italian border, in that region. So that is definitely on the 'visit list', even an overnight stay, methinks !
Thanks for the info.

Di.xx

Anonymous said...

What a great C post - such gorgeous images. The cat in the plant pot is my favorite.

Thanks for visiting me. The next time you're in Wales - make sure the Gower Peninsula is on your schedule. You won't regret it!

Miss_Yves said...

Beautiful landscapes !
Italy is marvellous! I am waiting for the letter "I or "S"for Italy or Sicile!
Miss Yves

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Love that cat in the flowerpot - and all the photos! Great description of the "Cinque Terre", too.

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