Posted By: BEERMAN
Swiss-Italia Part 2 - 11/03/2015 03:47 AM
Lugano Switzerland to Cinque Terre, Italy
As I mentioned in part 1, we really should have spent more time educating ourselves on the train system, most importantly what we could and couldn't do with our 15 day 1st class SwissRail pass. We tried to reserve seats the night before via internet, but they weren't available. After an early breakfast we walked to the station to check on schedules. Because we were traveling into Italy our SwissRail pass would get us as far as Chiasso and we purchase an additional ticket to Monterosso via Milano, we expected that extra cost, but the next available reservation wasn't until 1230, oh well. We shuffled back to the hotel to pack our bags. We each brought a separate small back pack and filled them with only the essentials for our 2 nights in Cinque Terre. The staff at the Continental Park Hotel are very nice and they stored our heavy larger backpacks in their office until we returned.
Safely on the 1230 train and enjoying the 1 hour smooth ride. Train travel is so relaxing and efficient here. We had just a few minutes to catch our connecting train in Milano and since they were hosting the 2015 World's Fair the station was buzzing with activity, wish we had more time to check out the fair. We eventually found our train car and the seats we reserved. We spent most of the 3 hour trip talking with a young couple from New Zealand, they had been traveling the world for 5 months! They both just finished working on separate yachts, he's a seasoned marine engineer and she was on her first job as the only crew of a smaller private yacht, great stories! The trip flew by and we enjoyed the Italian landscape through the windows.
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0761_zpso7bddhtj.jpg)
We hopped off the train in Monterosso the largest of the 5 towns in Cinque Terre, "Five Lands", oh what a beautifully perfect place! Exiting the terminal we were amazed at how deep blue the Mediterranean was and the architecture along the pedestrian only avenue was old and colorful. Our quaint beachfront hotel that we booked very last minute was just a stones throw from the terminal. Hotel Baia was the perfect location for us.
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1801_zps1y41mfn9.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1181_zpsjhphjxkx.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0833_zpscfdp0eqx.jpg)
Check in was a breeze, my broken English didn't confuse them! Our room was awesome! It was second floor center and our beachfront balcony was just above the quiet main entrance to the hotel, as we opened the tall double french doors and stepped out onto the balcony all we could do is smile and say PERFECT! I couldn't wait to watch the sunrise here! We ditched our gear and hit the ground running, lots to explore along the Ligurian coast.
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1154_zpst9ieo5io.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1157_zpsiqm7pq3u.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1173_zpslidm8tld.jpg)
Our first day would consist of simply exploring both "new" and "old" Monterosso. There is an obvious separation between the two. Our hotel was on the new side, funny they call it "new". From the inviting soft sand beach we could see on one end a relatively new sculpture rightly called Il Gigante (ca.1910) representing Neptune holding back the waves on the beach of Fegina and the opposite end of the beach we could see the remains of the medieval Obertengo Castle and Torre Aurora ( Dawn Tower). We enjoyed a nice walk along the car free road that connects the two towns. The steep hillsides seem to be held back by the interesting colorful buildings all perfectly accented with colorful flowering plants of all varieties. One creative home owner, or perhaps Knight of the Round Table, carved out a little spot in the rocky mountainside at the boundary of the towns, I knocked but nobody was home! and I was all ready to answer the secret question to pass...."an African or European swallow?" sorry, that's for you Monte Python fans out there!
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0837_zpszu0dsafq.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1183_zpsxkbqronw.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1191_zpshfkdf24m.jpg)
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1189_zpsvcngprzh.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1192_zpspylrypuc.jpg [/img]
As we rounded the corner through the castle ruins the "old" side took our breath away, absolutely beautiful. We could see fishermen rolling their boats to the water's edge using good old fashion brute strength and logs. A few brave souls were swimming in the chilly Mediterranean. We beelined directly to the beach and simply dipped our toes in the blue water. After wiping the sand off we ventured into the town square and now understood why this was in fact the "old". A medieval tower stands prominently in the center, now attached to an old but newer church, Church of San Giovanni Battista ca. 1244. An amazing church built in the Ligurian Gothic style. I would make a point of making an offering at each church we visited, this would make my mom very happy and it felt good. The Oratory of the Confraternita Dei Neri (ca. 16th century) was next door in this tight square (interior photo). Unbelievable history surrounded us.
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1746_zpsnuzabjog.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0974_zps0g06c168.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0964_zpswnr6iady.jpg [/img]
As the sun began to set people were gathering in the "old" town, kids kicked soccer balls in the square as local families gathered around large tables for a celebration of some sort, drinking wine, singing and laughing. We felt like we were on a movie set, the atmosphere and lighting was too perfect to be real. We aimlessly meandered through the many tight alley ways poking our head in shops and checking out restaurant menus along the way, we could smell that the chefs had arrived to work and the fresh aroma was making our stomachs rumble.
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0961_zps6wqvip9c.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0969_zpsyxbjhmko.jpg [/img]
We found a nice restaurant on one of the back streets illuminated in a soft yellow glow from the street lights, perfect. They had just a few tables outside along the cobble stone alleyway and the weather was perfect so we sat. The service at Ristorante Via Venti was outstanding. We started by enjoying a bottle of Villa Antinori Toscana and an order of Caprese as we watched others enjoy this picture perfect spot. We ordered pasta and a dish of calamari that was prepared unlike we have ever had, it may have been the atmosphere, but it was the best calamari I've ever had (snuck a couple cell phone photo's!) After the traditional leisurely dinner it was time to wander back over the hill to call it a night.
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums...t%202/Dinner20Monterosso_zpshwarlzkv.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums...02/Dinner20Monterosso202_zpsv8kkqzqc.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0908_zpsuzsgivpq.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A0996_zpsftpkzv05.jpg [/img]
Not wanting the evening to end we opened another 1/2 bottle of merlot that we purchased in Old Town and sat quietly on our balcony. The town is just as beautiful at night with the string of lights casting a soft glow for the folks still walking beneath us. It had been a looong, yet amazing 1st day in Monterosso.
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1082_zpsoeugz3a3.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q778/BEERMANRICK/SWISS%20Part%202/UT3A1052_zpsrokbzmzx.jpg [/img]
to be continued....Ciao!
As I mentioned in part 1, we really should have spent more time educating ourselves on the train system, most importantly what we could and couldn't do with our 15 day 1st class SwissRail pass. We tried to reserve seats the night before via internet, but they weren't available. After an early breakfast we walked to the station to check on schedules. Because we were traveling into Italy our SwissRail pass would get us as far as Chiasso and we purchase an additional ticket to Monterosso via Milano, we expected that extra cost, but the next available reservation wasn't until 1230, oh well. We shuffled back to the hotel to pack our bags. We each brought a separate small back pack and filled them with only the essentials for our 2 nights in Cinque Terre. The staff at the Continental Park Hotel are very nice and they stored our heavy larger backpacks in their office until we returned.
Safely on the 1230 train and enjoying the 1 hour smooth ride. Train travel is so relaxing and efficient here. We had just a few minutes to catch our connecting train in Milano and since they were hosting the 2015 World's Fair the station was buzzing with activity, wish we had more time to check out the fair. We eventually found our train car and the seats we reserved. We spent most of the 3 hour trip talking with a young couple from New Zealand, they had been traveling the world for 5 months! They both just finished working on separate yachts, he's a seasoned marine engineer and she was on her first job as the only crew of a smaller private yacht, great stories! The trip flew by and we enjoyed the Italian landscape through the windows.
We hopped off the train in Monterosso the largest of the 5 towns in Cinque Terre, "Five Lands", oh what a beautifully perfect place! Exiting the terminal we were amazed at how deep blue the Mediterranean was and the architecture along the pedestrian only avenue was old and colorful. Our quaint beachfront hotel that we booked very last minute was just a stones throw from the terminal. Hotel Baia was the perfect location for us.
Check in was a breeze, my broken English didn't confuse them! Our room was awesome! It was second floor center and our beachfront balcony was just above the quiet main entrance to the hotel, as we opened the tall double french doors and stepped out onto the balcony all we could do is smile and say PERFECT! I couldn't wait to watch the sunrise here! We ditched our gear and hit the ground running, lots to explore along the Ligurian coast.
Our first day would consist of simply exploring both "new" and "old" Monterosso. There is an obvious separation between the two. Our hotel was on the new side, funny they call it "new". From the inviting soft sand beach we could see on one end a relatively new sculpture rightly called Il Gigante (ca.1910) representing Neptune holding back the waves on the beach of Fegina and the opposite end of the beach we could see the remains of the medieval Obertengo Castle and Torre Aurora ( Dawn Tower). We enjoyed a nice walk along the car free road that connects the two towns. The steep hillsides seem to be held back by the interesting colorful buildings all perfectly accented with colorful flowering plants of all varieties. One creative home owner, or perhaps Knight of the Round Table, carved out a little spot in the rocky mountainside at the boundary of the towns, I knocked but nobody was home! and I was all ready to answer the secret question to pass...."an African or European swallow?" sorry, that's for you Monte Python fans out there!
[img]http:/
[img]http:/
As we rounded the corner through the castle ruins the "old" side took our breath away, absolutely beautiful. We could see fishermen rolling their boats to the water's edge using good old fashion brute strength and logs. A few brave souls were swimming in the chilly Mediterranean. We beelined directly to the beach and simply dipped our toes in the blue water. After wiping the sand off we ventured into the town square and now understood why this was in fact the "old". A medieval tower stands prominently in the center, now attached to an old but newer church, Church of San Giovanni Battista ca. 1244. An amazing church built in the Ligurian Gothic style. I would make a point of making an offering at each church we visited, this would make my mom very happy and it felt good. The Oratory of the Confraternita Dei Neri (ca. 16th century) was next door in this tight square (interior photo). Unbelievable history surrounded us.
[img]http:/
[img]http:/
[img]http:/
As the sun began to set people were gathering in the "old" town, kids kicked soccer balls in the square as local families gathered around large tables for a celebration of some sort, drinking wine, singing and laughing. We felt like we were on a movie set, the atmosphere and lighting was too perfect to be real. We aimlessly meandered through the many tight alley ways poking our head in shops and checking out restaurant menus along the way, we could smell that the chefs had arrived to work and the fresh aroma was making our stomachs rumble.
[img]http:/
[img]http:/
We found a nice restaurant on one of the back streets illuminated in a soft yellow glow from the street lights, perfect. They had just a few tables outside along the cobble stone alleyway and the weather was perfect so we sat. The service at Ristorante Via Venti was outstanding. We started by enjoying a bottle of Villa Antinori Toscana and an order of Caprese as we watched others enjoy this picture perfect spot. We ordered pasta and a dish of calamari that was prepared unlike we have ever had, it may have been the atmosphere, but it was the best calamari I've ever had (snuck a couple cell phone photo's!) After the traditional leisurely dinner it was time to wander back over the hill to call it a night.
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums...
[img]http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums...
[img]http:/
[img]http:/
Not wanting the evening to end we opened another 1/2 bottle of merlot that we purchased in Old Town and sat quietly on our balcony. The town is just as beautiful at night with the string of lights casting a soft glow for the folks still walking beneath us. It had been a looong, yet amazing 1st day in Monterosso.
[img]http:/
[img]http:/
to be continued....Ciao!