Le Cinque Terre

Le Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. These villages were totally isolated for a 1000 years, the only way to traverse the mountains was donkey. Completely self contained, they built terraces where they farmed grapes and lemons and other vegetation. A road was built in 1900 and train tracks were completed in 1925. The first walkway between Romaggiore and Manarola was built in 1925. So you could have lived and died in one village without ever leaving it or meeting anyone else from another village.

Vernazzo

Santa Margherita di Antiochia, built in 1300's

Corniglia or the other side of Vernazzo

Monterosso

At Monterosso, we lunch at Pozzo's (?) where we had the most delicious seafood salad and grilled seabass! It was the one of the best meals we had on the trip. The beauty of these villages is simply unbelievable. But the streets are filled with tourist shops. Interesting, an American choir was practicing in a church built in the 1300's.

Even laundry is attactive here!
This was spectatular! We traveled by bus to La Spezia, boarded a ferry to the different harbors, and then a very old and dinky train back to La Specia.