Northern Italy | Cinque Terre + Vernazza + Monterosso

We finally were able to go back to Vernazza. We ended up having a phone number to a man who’s family had two rooms available. We were a little uncomfortable since we were Americans in a foreign country, not knowing anyone, and just trusting that this man had two rooms. Matt and I were lead up one side of town and his parents were lead up the other. Our first night we were separated and we were told the next night they had a room we all could stay in together. It was odd that we were literally almost guests in someone’s home with a private door and key to our room. At times it was hard to trust these people we didn’t even know since they could easily get into our rooms where our things were. We had to just let it go, trust, and most of all be thankful we had a place to stay.

We never got a chance to visit all five little villages in the Cinque Terre, but Vernazza was so beautiful I was happy enough there. We decided to take one of the hiking paths over to Monterosso on our first afternoon. We ended up taking the hardest path of the entire area. Let me tell you, for me, it was hard. It reminded me how out of shape I am. BUT it was sssooo worth it! The views from the top are unbelievable!! It still takes my breathe away. And we had a great reward waiting for us at the end!

Some of the path was literally 12 inches wide. And this was a one way path with people coming from both ways. It was tough to share the path when you needed to. At one point I lost my footing when I stepped on what looked like a bunch of leaves, but it was branches and my leg gave way. It didn’t go down much, but is shows that this path was not for the faint at heart.

We could see Monterosso from here. It wouldn’t be long now!

Ahh our much deserved reward! We climbed out to these rocks and swam in the crystal clear blue Mediterranean Sea! I even cliff jumped for the first time!

We wandered the streets of Monterossos and had some lunch before catching the train back to Vernazza. This is one of my favorite pictures! I just love the angles, textures, and colors of everything!

Our first night we went to a place that was recommended to us, but I still don’t think I ever got the name. We found it just by how the location was described. I had their homemade pasta with pesto sauce. This was to die for! The food here was just amazing!

On our last day we just enjoyed the town and did some shopping. Our last night we sat out on the pier, had dinner, and watched a beautiful sunset go down.

I hope that I can someday come back to this amazing area of Italy! Tomorrow Matt and I split off from his parents and finish our trip alone.