On Saturday morning we started our holiday adventure, it is about a six hour drive from Geneva, the girls did awesome and we completed the trip with no stops! Although the drive is only six hours, it is a very intense six hours for the driver. To get into Italy from France for us, you have to pass through the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The tunnel is seven miles long, and in order to keep a steady, safe flow of traffic they monitor when people enter. Only one car is able to enter at a time, and at times the line has a wait time of many hours. Fortunately, we had left so early we avoided waiting in line. Once we got through the Mont Blanc tunnel, we probably went through at least 80 more tunnels on curvy, narrow, Italian roads.
We arrived in Riomaggiore early afternoon, which proved to be harder than expected to find parking. I had read that the villages are small, and since they are car free and not built for tourists, parking is very difficult to find, but didn't expect having to park along the street about a mile away from the village. All of the villages are car-free so you must travel by train, boat, or by foot to get to and from each village. Once we were parked and situated in the apartment that we had rented for the weekend, we started to tour the village of Riomaggiore. Riomaggiore was founded during the 8th century when people settled there to grow grape vines and olive trees without fear of pirate raids. We all agreed that this village had the best 'curb appeal.' We ended the day eating in a restaurant along the street and enjoying pasta and seafood. The Cinque Terre region is known for its fresh seafood and pesto, so of course Chris had a lot of seafood and I had pesto on everything!
Riomaggiore from the coast-
On Sunday, the Easter bunny had visited, so the girls enjoyed looking for their baskets. Then we set out for Easter mass at the Church of San Lorenzo, which is located in Manarola and was built in 1338.
Inside of the church-
After church, we headed back and changed into hiking clothes and set out for our first hike. Unfortunately, some paths are still closed due to the mud slides that this region endured in 2011. We took the boat to Vernazza and from there hiked to Monterosso. This is a two mile hike described as the "most difficult, but most rewarding." I did not know that little fact before I decided to go, which was probably for the better. We were a little worried about how Adalyn would do, but she did awesome. The views were breathtaking- it was an amazing experience to share as a family.
Rest stop- village behind us in the picture is where we started...
This picture shows just how challenging the trail was- many stairs up and down-
most much narrower than this one.
Water break- and hiking beans! (jelly beans)
WE MADE IT!!!
Adalyn was so excited when she saw the beach We headed straight for the beach and within minutes the girls had their toes in the sand and sea.
They loved being chased by the tide-
After spending some time on the beach, we were all hungry and exhausted so we ate dinner and headed back to Riomaggiore. Everyone slept well after hiking/walking over eight miles that day.
On Monday, we woke up ready for another day of exploring the villages. We took the train to Vernazza. Vernazza has many cool shops and restaurants. We walked around the village and visited a castle with another amazing view. After lunch, we then headed back to Monterosso to enjoy the beautiful warm day on the beach. The beach was busy with great people watching- so we spent a few hours just hanging out and soaking up the sun.
Chris and Adalyn climbed this...
If you look closely you can see Adalyn's teal pants- they went way up there-
On Tuesday morning we drove back to Geneva. We had an absolutely amazing holiday in Cinque Terre and would recommend this destination to anyone interested in hiking, breathtaking views, authentic Italian food, and wine.
Other pics:
Napping along the coast!
Loved walking hand in hand around the villages-
Flower season in Europe-
down by Lake Geneva this past weekend
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