Hits The SpotIt began to rain just as we had taken the last step from our Vernazza tour. Our tour guides secured us a quaint, lovely restaurant where we discovered the best pasta we have ever eaten. With the rain, the impromptu lunch, and the graciousness of our Italian hosts, it felt like a true Italian family meal. Instead of red marinara sauce, the Italians finish off their pasta with olive oil and basil topped with mussels and prawns. It was DELIZIOSO!
AnticipationAfter our Italian feast, the sun miraculously appeared, beckoning us to our next adventure. We began with a short train ride to Manarola where we would walk the famous Via dell'Amore. The walkway was well laid out with no stairs and plenty of photo opportunities. Of interest, bring a lock of some kind with you. On this walkway there are many places to "lock your love" with your loved one, which is an Italian ritual. With each step taken, the romance heightens; closing the lock with your loved one becomes paramount.
|
Vernazza...Visitors, Valiant, VictoriousWe traveled five minutes from Moterrosso to Vernazza by train. Our tour guides were two women, Ruth and Michelle, who not only lived through the terrible flood and mudslide that covered their village in October 2011, but were also leading a walking tour of Vernazza for their first time.
Upon arriving, we notice the shops close to the train station were still under repair, lacking power and water. Even with the utter destruction only six months earlier, the main artery into town had been cleared of mud and debris. To enhance the morale of the town, the doors of the shops were covered with plywood and painted by the local artists. We witnessed first hand the devastation from the flood and heard miraculous stories of narrow escapes. We also were encouraged by the partnership created by the citizens to rebuild and restore Vernazza to its former beauty. VisitorsValiantVictorious |
Adept & AstuteThe two women, Ruth and Michelle, who led the tour of Vernazza were united in their efforts to bring notice to the devastation through their website "Save Vernazza". As luck would have it, Karan, from our tour group, was one of the five winners from the February 2012 "With Love, From Vernaza" fund raising contest. Michelle told of her narrow escape from her shop. With the gargantuan efforts of the townspeople, our trip to Vernazza was not only possible, but was also a special memory enabling us to become citizens for a day.
The CharmWe were hoping to follow Rick Steves' suggestion for a photo opportunity in Vernazza that we weren't sure would be possible. Thanks to Ruth and Michelle, we climbed a multitude of steps winding through the backs of homes leading to the top of the most perfect place to take this picture. It's a picture you have seen many times, but pictures don't compare to seeing it with your own eyes. The walk up made us feel Italian, and the view itself was a gift from God.
IntermissionOur walk on the Via dell'Amore ended in the fishing village of Riomaggiore. We failed to pull out the source of information (Rick Steves Guide to Italy), and worked our legs going up and down steep stairs through the homes and behind the shops. The irony was the tunnel that connects the trail to the town was only a five minute walk. Note - Go Right, not Left after leaving the Via dell'Amore. We rewarded ourselves with wine and cheese and a fabulous view, at an establishment perched atop a hill overlooking the ocean and town. Afterwards, being that this is a fishing village, it offered each of us the chance to see local fishing boats waiting to go to sea. Again, it was another part of Italy to love.
|