ABC Wednesday - L is for LERICI

My first real WOW moment when I visited Italy in 2006 was when we arrived in the town of LERICI. We stayed 5 days and nights, visiting the town and its surrounding countryside and neighbouring cities and towns, and boating across the bay to the Cinque Terre. Back in February, I wrote "C is for Cinque Terre here.

My friends in England will appreciate that English writers Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley lived some three miles north in an isolated old boathouse called Casa Magni and anchored their sailing boat in Lerici. Their closest neighbours were the villagers of the tiny hamlet of San Terenzo. Percy Bysshe Shelley was drowned on July 8, 1822 in the Bay of Spezia upon returning to Lerici from a journey to Leghorn and Pisa. His corpse eventually washed up on the beach at Viareggio, located approximately halfway between Livorno and Lerici. The popularity of Lerici with the Shelleys and with Lord Byron earned the Gulf of Lerici its nickname as the Gulf of Poets.

LERICI is one of the mariner communities which take part to the Palio del Golfo, a rowing contest held in La Spezia every first Sunday of August.

LERICI is twinned with Horsham in West Sussex, England, although Horsham no longer records this as an 'active' twinning on its official website.

This was the view that greeted me from my hotel room patio!

Roomie and I decided to take a stroll into the town center. Above the hills stood gorgeous Italian villas like the one below, surrounded by palm trees swaying in the evening breeze.

We arrived just when families were emerging with their children to take in the sunset. Children played on this merry-go-round while mothers, fathers, and grandparents lovingly watched over them.

The fountains were beautiful against the brilliant pastel colours of the ancient buildings.

Upon arriving back at our hotel, armed with a full-bodied bottle of red wine purchased at the local wine shop, Roomie and I settled down to watch the sun set over the Mediterranean.

This was our view towards the west.

The next morning we set off for the Cinque Terre and I got this shot of the castle from the vantage point of the top deck of the boat.

and finally, here are the "Lerici Ladies," as we dubbed ourselves, along with one of our guides. In this photo, we're perched on a crag overlooking the water in the town of Riomaggiore.

If you are interested in seeing a short video clip of the town of LERICI, done by our other guide Umberto, click on the youtube link below. Just watch the first 3.20 minutes because after that it's our other guide Richard showing his two houses just outside of Lerici that he rents out. Of course, feel free to watch that, too, if you're interested in seeing what it's like to live there. I hope you enjoyed this little tour of one of my favourite places in Italy. When we get to the letter "P" I'll write about that place. Stay tuned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vR1hCGOczE

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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.

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