Italy

CORNIGLIA: terzo di cinque in Cinque Terre

7-8 May 2022

Steve – no snooze button

Steve woke me this morning. He was rather persistent at 7:20 am, like I was missing breakfast of something. The day was bright and sunny, I could hear the waves splashing against the rocks below my balcony, an express train was rumbling through the tunnel under Manarola. I guess Steve was right, I needed to get up and explore more of the Cinque Terre. Once Steve saw I was out of bed, he flew away, probably to peck at the patio door of his next client.

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By Pat, ago

Trekking Cinque Terre: Corniglia to Vernazza

Leaving one sole in Corniglia, the other in Vernazza

7 May 2022

Look back at Corniglia from the Azure Trail.

The Azure Trail is mostly an easy upper trail connecting Corniglia to Vernazza. It is an easier climb because I start out at around 330 feet above sea level from Corniglia. The upper, or high trails, tend to be older, more in tune with nature, and closer to the farmers who originally built and continue to tend the rock walls and paths. It evidently gave them a constructive use for all the rocks that were removed from their terraces in order to grow their grapes.

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By Pat, ago

Trekking Cinque Terre: Manarola to Corniglia

5 May 2022

The Cinque Terre has a way of distracting you from reality. Emphasized in the brochures about the area are the 377 steps that one must climb from the train station to reach Corniglia. However, once trekking the higher trails of the park, these 377 steps look like child’s play. The uneven stone steps, twists and turns, ups and downs, and narrow pathways found along the higher trails are the reality.

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By Pat, ago

MANAROLA : secundo di cinque in Cinque Terre

4-6 May 2022

Manarola

My second stop along Italy’s Cinque Terre is small Manarola, a collection of pastel buildings tumbling down a ravine to the sea. Trains depart Riomaggiore three times an hour and the ride takes 2 minutes. For a flat rate of 5€, that’s a hefty fee when I have energy to spare – a real bargain after hiking one of the mountain trails along this coastline.

Manarola may be one of the prettiest villages on the Cinque Terre. My entry yesterday came from above where I could look out over the expanse of vineyards and hills all the way to Volastra and Corniglia. Today, coming up from the train station, Manarola seems to be perched on a steep promontory with its small port to the left and rows of colorful houses above and to the right.

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By Pat, ago

Trekking Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore to Manarola

I won’t let the vertical terrain intimidate me!

3 May 2022

My first trekking day along the Cinque Terre went from Will Wheaton’s “No, no, Hell no!” to “I think I can, I think I can” before reaching a resounding “Eureka” much as the Donner Party must have felt when reaching the West after a hungry winter in the Sierras.

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By Pat, ago

Pisa – Life Beyond the Tower

26-28 April 2022

I have visited Pisa on several occasions, most often not further than its famed Leaning Tower. It wasn’t until I wandered into some of its smaller, quieter streets that I discovered Pisa’s charm. I determined to return and spend more time exploring something other than its Piazza del Duomo.

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By Pat, ago