Cinque Terre, Italy

Equipped with a full CamelBak (backpack water reservoir system), 5 wonderful and enthusiastic hiking partners, and tightly knotted shoelaces, I embarked on the breathtaking and lovely 9 km hike from Riomaggiore to Monterosso on a trail that curved along the coastline. We trekked over rocks, into ravines, through olive and grape vineyards, and past many a cute and colorful seaside town. This path was ours alone for the day, as well as any of the main streets of the five towns we encountered; it was the peak of off season, and we were free to enjoy the Italian Rivera without any tourist crowds, lines, or congestion. The hike was a perfect activity to make this last weekend one of the most relaxing, memorable, and beautiful that I’ve spent here in Europe.
When we arrived on Friday evening in Riomaggiore, town one on the southern end of the five, Patricia, our landlord, led us to our apartment, tucked away in the typical and narrow Ligurian alleyways called carrugi. It was steps from the harbor, where we watched the sun sink into the sea both nights we were there.
And we did get our pesto! When we had sufficiently scoped out the town, we dropped into the Cinque Terre Coop grocery store and picked up pasta and locally made pesto to cook for ourselves in our kitchen. It’s been said that the Genovese grow their basil plants on their back porch, and pick a few leaves from it to make fresh pesto. I tell myself that the pesto we ate was made like that.
Just a petite summary from a fun weekend; feel free to check out my pictures!