Pisa and Cinque Terre

Last weekend, Erin and I took a trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre. We hadn’t originally planned on going to Pisa, but it actually turned out to be an easier way to get to Cinque Terre, so it worked out in the end. Pisa was an interesting city, but there was basically nothing else to do there besides look at the Leaning Tower and visit the Duomo.

Cinque Terre was absolutely beautiful. We actually lucked out quite a bit as, according to the weather forecast all week, it was supposed to rain while we were there. We had packed accordingly and everything in our backpacks was wrapped in multiple plastic bags to make sure it would be dry. I also packed a few extra pieces of clothing and an extra sweatshirt in case it rained. However, when we got there, it was very bright out with just a few clouds in the sky, not to mention very warm. Oh well, at least we were prepared. We arrived in Monterosso, the northernmost town in the Cinque Terre, and, after getting a little lost a couple times, found our way to the hiking trail leading to Vernazza, the next town over. The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza is the hardest of the four hikes, but it also has the best views. The trail was very narrow and offered fantastic views of the vineyards and olive groves on the hills themselves and the Mediterranean Sea to our right. Often there was nothing but a steep drop to one side of the trail and the face of the hill on the other. At the end, it rose high above Vernazza before leading us down into town. The town of Vernazza was very quaint and the scenery reminded me a bit of Taormina in Sicily. I’ll post some pictures of the hike and Vernazza once I am able to more easily access my pictures.