Today, thanks go to fellow author Patricia Stoltey for sharing her adventure to Cinque Terre, both pictures AND commentary.But first, please take a minute to go over to Kitchen Daily -- they've published an article I wrote about creating new holiday traditions. (And if you'd click the "like" button at the bottom of that post, I'd be ecstatic!)Patricia Stoltey's Trip to Cinque TerreMy husband and I visited Italy's Cinque Terre in 2000 and bravely attempted one leg of the hiking trail that connects the coastal villages of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Luckily, we only planned to do the section from Monterosso to Vernazza because it took a lot longer that we expected (mostly my fault since I was seriously out of shape for the climbing part of the trip).A few of these photos were taken by my husband. You can tell which ones because he always manages to get me in the photo, usually from the rear.#1: The path looked so easy when we first left Monterosso. Should we continue? "Sure," I said. "Piece of cake."
#2: Soon the trail began to climb and the wide pathway disappeared. In some places, stone steps made it easier to navigate, but there were no more handrails.
#3: Many sections of narrow dirt path circled the hills and wandered past hillside vineyards.
It's Friday Field Trip time again. This week, thanks to one of my faithful readers, Shawntel, we're going to Cinque Terre in Italy.
Shawntel is a newly married mother of three teenagers, a cat, a step-dog, and a horse. Within days a hedgehog will be joining her family. She didn't travel until she was in her thirties and immediately fell in love with it. Her first trip abroad was to England, Ireland, and Scotland with a large group of friends. Four years later, she loaded up and went to Italy, which was beautiful. Tuscany was exactly as she had pictured it and was lovely. Cinque Terre, however, immediately stole her heart. It was designated a National Park in 1997 and is a chain of five villages linked by hiking trails and a train. Gas-powered motorized vehicles are forbidden and though she's heard that electric busses are allowed, she didn't see one during her stay. She wants to share her love of travel with her kids, so they'll be taking a family trip to Italy in 2011.Enjoy!View from a tower in Manarola, the second village in the chain of five.
Looking back toward Manarola from our walk to Riomaggiore
