Day 5 Pisa & to the Cinque Terre: August 3, 2007

I think I have found heaven! Tonight I arrived in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) which is 5 little towns on the North Mediterranean coast of Italy. They were only accessible by sea until the 1930's. It is so beautiful here, it really does actually look like this!

But first, the day in sequential order.

I checked out of my hotel in Rome and wrestled my bags to the main station and found my track and a very slow train to Pisa. The faster way is to take a fast train to Florence and then change to another train for Pisa. I was thinking that the slow train might be better because it was direct. Bad thinking! It stopped in every little town up the coast and it took 4 hours.
In Pisa I decided that I should run the drill to see how long it would take if I were showing my tour people. So I put my bags in Deposito Baglio, went outside and got a bus to Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) and went to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I did not go up the tower this time, because I did not have a reservation, and you just can't get one in August for the same day. I wandered around and bought gelato and a Pisa purse and enjoyed the scene for a little while. It's really a circus! There were American Indian dancers set up with a big sound system and people watching and dozens of tourist stalls and a thousand tourists. It really is amazing though, and they seem to keep all the tourist stuff on one side, so it's not in your pictures and it almost preserves the atmosphere. This picture shows the old city wall around the Field of Miracles and the Tower in the distance.

The stop in Pisa took 3 hours, and I did not even go up the tower, which would probably add 2 more, including being there early for your appointment and wait time. So I should allow 5 hours.

I decided I'd had it with slow trains, so I bought a ticket for the IC Inter-City Express to La Spezia, which is where Alyssa Young served her mission and also the jumping-off point for the Cinque Terre. It only took one hour to get to La Spezia, and the ride was really cool. Kind of like the drive from Portland to Newport, Oregon crossed with fabulous Italy! Really green and mountainous, in and out of tunnels, nicer homes and wonderful!

In La Spezia I bought a 2-day train pass for the Cinque Terre, which also is your (get this, it's required) permit to hike. I hopped right back on the train and was here in Vernazza in 30 minutes, even though this is the 4th of the 5 towns. Since most of the ride is in tunnels with only glimpses of the sea, I was totally unprepared when I got off and crossed under the station, and this fabulous little one-street town appeared! It's built in a deep canyon and all the buildings are rich colors and there's a tiny little beach and I was so hot and I wished I could paint! The picture above is what I took the minute I came out of the station.

I found my room up 4 long flights of stairs that serve as an alley. The room is old and quaint and cute, with knotty pine paneling and a little kitchen. I SO want to bring you guys here! It's really just a restaurant, but they also have 4 rooms. Actually, only the son speaks English, the rest just muddle through like me in Italian, and the Mama owns it and speaks no English, but I talked to her anyway. In the picture, find the orange umbrella in the center of the picture. My room is just off a passage that goes uphill from a hole in the wall right behind that tree!

I immediately got rid of my stuff and went swimming in the little harbor-beach you see in the first picture. The water was cold and I sat on the beach for awhile and watched the late afternoon sun. I sure hope my pix turn out!

Tomorrow I want to take the train to all 5 towns and do a little hiking and maybe even rent a kayak.