Day 1: Pisa and Lucca
We left Florence on the 11am train to Pisa and arrived by noon. We arrived at Pisa Centrale train station, dropped our bags at a nearby hotel, which had this amazing, historical machine in its lobby. Have you seen this before? Nishant and I had a good chuckle reminiscing about the computers we used in college! We made the 25min. walk passing over the Arno River to the Tower. On our way we were thrilled to come across this beautiful mural by one of our favorite artists - Keith Haring. He painted in 1989 and it brightens up the neighborhood.
We proceeded about 15 min. more and out of the sky appeared the glorious, white marble leaning Tower of Pisa! Its neighbors, the massive Cathedral and Baptistry, dominate the grand square known as the Field of Miracles. The Tower built in 1173 is 200 feet and we climbed the 296 steps (294 on the north-facing staircase) to take in amazing views of the city. Builders noticed early on that the tower was learning and they tried to course correct early on, but it still wound up tilted. They've tried over the many years to correct it but today it still leans as much as it did when Galileo did his gravity experiments here 400 years ago!
We walked in and immediately felt the slant. The stairs were warped from the many feet that have climbed the tower over the centuries! We made it to the top and took in the view of the Cathedral and Baptistry, and of the city. We climbed to the very top and saw the bells up above.
We had sushi for lunch and caught a train to the airport to pick up a rental car. We then drove 30 min to Lucca, a lovely Italian town located on the Serchio River and known for it's well-preserved intact Renaissance walls that still encircle the city center. We arrived, dropped our bags and went out to the city walls for a sunset stroll. The sun setting along the wide, tree-lined pathways was stunning. We loved being among the many cyclists and runners. We really like the vibe in Lucca - it's our kind of town - on the smaller side, lots of outdoor space, lots of social areas, active folks, and beautiful weather.
Day 2: Cinque Terre
We have been so excited to visit Cinque Terre! Cinque Terre, “The Five Lands”, is in northwest Italy, situated along the Lingurian Coast. These 11th century picturesque villages and their surrounding hills make up the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One can reach Cinque Terre by boat, by car or train. We opted for train so we could do some hiking between the 5 villages. We drove from Lucca to the La Spezia train station and purchased our Cinque Terre National Park cards that give us access to the trails, trains and shuttles that travel between the 5 villages for the entire day.
We decided to start at northernmost village, Monterosso, and hike our way South for the rest of the day. We took the train to the first village we’d visit today, Monterosso, which is known as a beach town for summer travelers. We didn’t bring our swimsuits but we couldn’t help but wade into the emerald, blue green water! It was a beautiful day and were glad to be among the swimmers enjoying the beach.
We followed the Cinque Terre trail markers to our next town, Vernazza, known to be the most visited of the 5 villages. The 3km hike went up and down rocky stairs and along narrow winding trails. The weather was a lovely 70 degrees but we worked up a sweat climbing and descending along the winding steep stairs through vineyards. After 2 hours of hiking we reached Vernazza and took in its beautifully colored hilltop homes. It's narrow shape lends itself to docking boats on both sides. It was very crowded but that didn’t stop us from getting some focaccia and gelato and resting after our hike along the water.
With new energy, we started our next hike to reach our 3rd village of the day, Corniglia The trail was bit wider and lined with rock walls and more vineyards. We completed the 2km hike in 1.5 hours and walked right into the town as we were already at elevation. Corniglia is the only village that does not have a port because of its higher location.
The trails between Corniglia and Manarola (the forth village) and from Manarola to Riomaggiore (the fifth village) are closed, so we decided to take the train to see these 2 villages. We opted to visit Riomaggiore first and then finish out our day in Manarola known for its sunsets. We descended down the many stairs to the Corniglia train station and made it to Riomaggoire, the largest of the 5 villages.
We finished up our day with sunset in Manarola. We climbed up the hill to take in the sunset and catch its reflection along the coast of this picturesque village. It was cloudy but we still took in the stunning colors. There was a small playground at the top which was our favorite part of the town.
We found a small Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant and ate delicious gnocchi, vegetarian meatballs, and veggie lasagna. With full bellies we walked out to the Manarola train station and caught our last ride back to La Spezia to get our car and drive home. It was a long day for sure, but one we'll never forget!
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