Lugano Switzerland to Cinque Terre, Italy

It doesn't matter where we travel, our sleep pattern seems to adjust quickly to our normal pattern, which is to wake abnormally early. This particular Sunday my eyes opened very early, my mind quickly trying to process where I was. There was a golden glow coming through the open French doors, not from the sun but from the street lights below. The room was quiet, but I could hear the soft sounds of the surf washing ashore. Trying not to wake my wife I eased myself out onto the balcony, the air was refreshingly cool. I sat quietly facing east in anticipation of my first Italian sunrise, and I sat....and I sat..., simply entertained by the few street lights that line the avenue to Old Monterosso. My wife soon woke and snuck a photo of me zoning out in the cool Mediterranean breeze. She said it was almost 6am, I replied that's good because the coffee shop opens at 0630. One thing that stood out with all of our hotels on this trip is that they don't supply coffee in the rooms. I know that in-room coffee is never that good, but when you wake up 2 hours before the local barista's report for duty, it sure is tasty!








We walked through the dimly lit Hotel Baia and stepped out onto the empty avenue. A couple motivated shop keepers would be seen outside sweeping and organizing chairs. The Barista at Bar Gio' was in full gear, a short line of early risers had already formed. We ordered my wifes chai latte and my cafe Americano and moved to a park bench under the umbrellas. The sunrise was a slow developing show and the clouds dazzled us with an amazing light show.








After fueling up on the very basic, yet very nice complimentary breakfast at Hotel Baia we tightened our boot strings and started our loooong hike along the coast and through the steep hillside vineyards of the Italian Riviera. It was a beautifully clear morning and the temperatures hovered around 70 degrees, we couldn't have picked a better day for this hike. After walking through old Monterossa we easily found the trail head leading eastward, we would also soon realize that this would not be a walk in the park! Leaving Monterossa in the distance we continued to climb up, up, up!











There were nice level breaks in our traverse across this beautiful mountainside, I appreciated these flat stretches more than my wife who always seemed to be many many steps ahead of me! It's amazing how the locals have carved very healthy farms in this steep terrain, obviously grapes and olives enjoy these conditions. I also discovered why all of the locals in these parts are so healthy looking, I think I sweated off 10 pounds in the first hour!

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We were sweating, but enjoying this hike more than any other I can remember. We would be hypnotized by the birds eye view of the inviting deep blue Mediterranean and lush green hillsides. We would occasionally drop down into cool moist ravines crossing centuries old stone bridges, I couldn't stop imagining the labor that it took, and still does, to build and maintain the expansive network of stone walls and paths. There was truly something amazing to see at every turn, but when we got to an opening where we first laid eyes on Veranzza all we could say in a long drawn out tone "wow!!!" With such an amazing sight before us our pace should have quickened, but we took it slow and easy to soak it all in!


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What a great feeling it was to walk off of a trail and onto the cobble stone walkways of Vernazza, just as people have done for so many centuries. There were quite a few people in town but I can imagine that it might be very crowded in season. I think our timing with the weather and the crowds couldn't have been better. Before exploring the nooks and crannys we headed straight to the waterfront with its natural pier, colorful boats and the beautiful church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia. Lost for new adjectives.... incredible, amazing, unbelievable, outstanding, beautiful, MOLTO IMPRESSIONANTE! Not sure if that is correct Italian, but VERY IMPRESSIVE! We'll let the photo's speak for themselves, but they don't do it justice!

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We hated to leave Vernazza but we had a lot more steps to take. On yet another seemingly endless uphill leg of our journey we were met on the narrow trail by other trekkers. One young lady said "good news, 10 minutes up the hill they have frozen lemonade"! Now that sounded nice after walking up hill another hour! That fit 20 something should have said "up the road a piece" because it actually took about a half hour before we would see a very small complex of pastel colored buildings at the top of the hill, we were excited. Inside of this amazing architectural build was Bar Gabbiano! Oh what a perfectly wonderful spot in the middle of nowhere! English wasn't spoken here, but the nice lady behind the counter knew exactly what I was craving when I pointed at the lemons! With frozen goodness in our hands we moved to a table near the huge windows that were pushed open and the breeze was appreciated. The views from Bar Gabbiano are more breath taking than the first steep hill out of Monterossa. We could finally see picturesque Corniglia in the distance, the second of 4 villages we would visit this day. After a few minutes of rest and hydration we ordered another lemonade for the road, Ciao Bar Gabbiano!

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To be continued, in Corniglia! Ciao!!

Looks great. We were thinking of a luxury week in Portofino next year (big birthday) but maybe we'll take a look at Cinque Terre since it is just nearby. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

Your photos are fantastic. Thanks for posting.

What a great way to start a Friday morning.
Great shot, love the story, and wishing I was there.

Thanks guys!

Mike, the trains are so convenient and timely through the villages! But if you like to hike, it's breath taking!

Tom, we wish we were back there now too! I just had carpal tunnel surgery on the right hand, so typing left handed will slow down part 4, but it's almost done <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

Wonderful photos.