Cyn and I packed our bags and shlepped ourselves down the four flights of stairs then walked to the Pussy Piazza for the last time. We called a cab and got the driver to take us to the car rental agency near the airport.
We have rented a Volkswagen Puma which is small but perfect. We brought one large bag between us which will stay in the trunk for the rest of the vacation. And we each brought a carry-on which we will fill at each stop with the clothes/electronics/shoes we need for that particular location. That way we don’t have to drag more than we need from the car to our AirBNB.
With Cyn at the wheel we took off through the beautiful Italian countryside. Lush green hills lined our way with snow topped mountains in the background.
The trip to Cinque Terra was supposed to take two and a half hours but …. We got lost … twice. And we ended up caught in what the Italian road sign called a ‘traffico blocco.’ We were literally stopped in a line of trucks going nowhere for more than half an hour.
Then we had the road to Corniglia (the middle of the five villages in Cinque Terra where we are staying) to deal with. It is a bunch of switchbacks down a mountain with the drop literally at the edge of the road and very little space for oncoming traffic to pass. I was terrified and was unsuccessful in suppressing my fear. Cyn was delighted.
We got to Cinque Terra about 3 pm and it is more than beautiful. It is a lovely pastel village of clay roofed stone homes and shops:
and our AirBNB, which is just off the main square up a flight of stone steps ( there are always f-ing steps!) is magnificent! It is set in a lemon garden with a private terrace overlooking the Ligurian Sea. Cyn got the main bedroom this time (I had the best room in Florence) but my pullout in the living room is a double and it super comfy. It cost us $511 for two nights and is our most expensive accommodation … but so worth it! This is our view.
After settling in we took a tour of the town and walked up the hill to the small church which was built in the 1200s. Then we strolled as far as we could in the other direction and found a bar with a panoramic view of the sea. I had a negroni, Cyn had an aperol spritz, and we shared a delicious charcuterie plate of sausage, cheese and bread.
That was not the end of the libations. We went back to the main square where we had wine and bruschetta. And finally we stopped in at a lovely restaurant where we share a plate of salad and seafood pasta, which was delicious.
We returned to our AirBNB to watch the Sun set and to continue our cribbage match (which I am so far winning) over a final glass and of wine … a relatively slow day in advance if a big trek tomorrow!
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