Locanda del Sole Riomaggiore

... so we decided it was best to settle away from the centre of town for a change and park in a residential district about 1km away... much more tranquilo!!<br><br>Splashed out on take away pizza for dinner but ate it in the shop and washed down with a bottle of beer. We became the hot topic of conversation when owners and local patrons found out we were Australian and were ...

... an hour for the direct train. We were tired of the rain so we hopped on the first train. Got off on the next stop, the correct station and waited briefly for the train to Riomaggiore. Due to our slip up we were now going to be stuck with our luggage for the rest of the afternoon since our hostel only allowed check in either before 1pm or after 4pm. It was 1:30pm when we arrived in Riomaggiore finally. Rain was in the forecast in Cinque Terre so we found some cover after exiting ...

... over and over.<br><br>But the best thing is that it all works. The fellow motorists all get it. They pay attention; they move over, they do not have any issues being overtaken. It just all moves down the road in an awesome efficiency. I love it. We covered ground from Venice to the Ferrari Factory, from Florence to Rome and Rome to Portofino in times unheard of for United States motoring. Anyone that loves to drive must give it a go sometime. <br>

It's Saturday morning and I'm hitting up this internet cafe on my way through the begining of my day long hike through Cinque Terre.<br><br>I left San Fillippo yesterday with happy memories and sad steps. I really did enjoy so much about my stay there that I truly didn't want to leave, but alas my faithful readers needed something more excited to read so I have graciously decided to continue on this path of a new ...

<br> Tuscan Riviera Portovenere<br> Had seen it on Getaway and looked very pretty.. Found a hotel with sea views and have spent 2 nights here resting , climbing around local castles&#8230; eating sleeping and watching the boats go in and out&#8230; not much English here but we are not hungry or thirsty so all going well&#8230;.<br> Tomorrow we are off to the South of France.. 3 nights planned in Nice.. Really looking forward to it but have loved Italy&#8230;

... We&#8217;re not sure how they didn&#8217;t get stung, considering everyone else we met did! By the time we were done relaxing, we had about an hour and a half until we had to catch our 6:30 p.m. train home, which we were told might not be enough time to hike to the fifth town. Instead, we opted for a boat (we would&#8217;ve rather taken a zip-line, but I guess Italians haven&#8217;t invested in those yet &#8212; I&#8217;m definitely ...

after our interesting night train ride we ended up in Italy, we had to get a train from Milan to La Spezia and from there another train to Riomaggiore which is the first village in Cinque terre. When we arrived we didnt actually believe this place was real. The ocean was so clear, the village was so small and just beautiful. <br> We ended up renting a ...

... swam about. I liked it. We got to enjoy this all without anyone around, with the exception of old Italian fishermen who prepared for their days. <br><br>Of course, Richard and Jyles jumped off the highest cliffs they could find. <br><br>We checked in at 1030. The hostel was different, it was random rooms and apartments scattered around the town. Our room was AT LEAST 1000 steps above the marina. It was a hot and unpleasant walk with my ...

... everywhere.<br>That night we ventured into town and tried to get into a restaurant but they were all full. Take away pizza was had. We walked back up the hill, this time we didn't have our packs but it was a hard walk, a lot of it up stairs that were so steep my short legs hardly reached to the next<br>one.<br>Sunday 5 July<br><br>Slept in this morning and then sat outside enjoying the cinque terre view. The old Italian guy here was picking fresh ...

... Florence... But I did enjoy my two nights and day and a half. : ) Also, they are supposed to have really good pesto, but I've only had pesto twice before and didn't like it. Their pesto however, has redeemed it for me, and quite possibly ruined any other pesto from here on out! hahaha