Kilometres Walked : Wednesday – 5.6km, Thursday – 5.7 km.

Thursday 11th May, 2023.

Leaving the busy city behind we headed off to Apricale to spend some time with the family. Apricale is a small magical medieval village up in the hills just 30km from the border of France and 15km from the sea. When arriving you literally feel like you’ve stepped back in time. There is just one road in that winds it’s way through to the top of the village which is full of beautiful old stone houses. Little cobblestone paths and old stone staircases just beg to be explored. Tiny terraced gardens are full of fruit trees and flowers. What a pretty little place indeed.

With sweeping views over the surrounding valley and a very magical feel about the place how could you not fall in love? There’s going to be hours of exploration and million photographs taken that’s for sure.

Kilometres walked : 18

Flights climbed : 147

Tuesday 9th May, 2023.

Jumping on the train early this morning we journeyed to Camogli. A little seaside fishing village on one side of the Portofino National Park. With the intention of just doing a small walk of maybe 5km, well obviously that clearly wasn’t the case. 18kms later… Even though we are now very tired we had a fabulous day exploring the area. Making our way up the old mule track to a tiny little village called San Rocco, we stopped in at the local cafe for delicious fresh focaccia and coffee to help us on our way.

After fueling up we then set off to find the track to Punta Chiapaa. A thin tongue of rock that stretches out into the sea from the Portofino Promontory. Passing some cute little houses dotted around and a definite fixer upper that I think Jason was keen to buy, (Not happening) we came to a crossroad in the track and decided we should explore the high track first then make our way down to the ocean. Hence the 18kms! But it was well worth it for the views and scenery.

After finally making our way down the goat track we made it to the Punta Chiapaa. And what great timing it was, we were able to watch the fishermen pull in their catch. Once again the water was crystal clear and that deep azure blue. Just beautiful.

Unfortunately after you make your way all the way down there, you have to return in the same way. I’m not sure how many stairs there were, just far to many to count and I can tell you it hurt. But we did get to see the chopper drop materials off to the tiny village on the water and once we were almost at the top we found a little hole in the wall bar that had opened up. Yes cold beer here we come!

Feeling refreshed and rehydrated we made our way back down to Camogli in search of more focaccia and possibly a gelato. And what a delightful little seaside village it was. More colour, more boats bobbing in the water, more frescos, flowers, cafes, shops and a lovely pebbly beach that enticed you into that clear Ligurian Sea.

Then we took our weary legs back to Genoa to tackle the 6 flights of stairs to our apartment. Gee I’m going to enjoy my wine tonight!

Kilometres walked : 13.4

Monday 9th May, 2023.

Where does it end? Spending the day wandering around the streets of Genoa today that was exactly what we were thinking about the rows and rows of opulent and amazing architecture. Seriously it just doesn’t stop. From one building to the next we stopped and gazed up and looked at each other and just said what the!!! And of course took hundreds of photographs. Unfortunately the photos do not do the buildings justice. They are so big and so close together it’s hard to get back far enough to properly look at them let alone take a decent photo of them. The morning part of our walk took us up around some of the residential areas looking over the old city. I just love how the Italians turn big concrete block buildings into some kind of wonderful. Some have frescos painted on them, others have beautiful ornate plaster added and of course don’t forget the shutters and the little balconies. They may have to live close together (well almost on top of each other) but at least they get to look at beauty all around them.

After lunch we stuck to the streets close to the apartment and found just as much wow.

It’s such a sensory overload yet absolutely fabulous to see. And this is only a small portion of it. There are literally streets and streets of this. Once again we are in awe of the Italians in the grand way that they achieve everything.

Kilometres Walked : Saturday – 12 km, Sunday – 10 km.

Sunday 7th May, 2023.

Yes please I’ll take one of those. The city of opulence. Arriving in Genoa and wandering around with our jaws literally hitting the floor. How many huge over the top and ornate buildings can you have one would ask? Well just streets and streets of them. Oh and of course don’t forget the marble. Whilst yes the city itself is a little dirty and run down you can’t escape the wealth and the beautiful architecture. And the football, arriving yesterday to a very excited city that won their match. Streets were closed off and everyone was out celebrating with their colours on and flags out. Wow, you don’t see this in Australia. The excitement was quite infectious.

And then we get to the Marina. Wandering around on a beautiful sunny Sunday we encountered more jaw dropping scenes. This time though it was on the water. With millions of dollars worth of Super Yachts, Sailing Boats and some rather lovely smaller vessels as well we couldn’t quite decide which one we would like to take home or rather sail home in!

Being one of Italy’s most important and busiest ports it easy to see why everyone is drawn to it on a lovely sunny day to enjoy gelato whilst dreaming about owning a yacht.

Kilometres walked : Wednesday – 3km, Thursday – 20 km.

Floors Climbed : 188

Thursday 4th May, 2023.

With the alarm sounding at 4am we were up and at it super early. Determined to beat the crowds today we caught the 5.20am train to Corniglia so we could complete the rest of the trail from Corniglia, passing through Vernazza and finishing up at Monterosso all before 9am. And what bliss it was. Passing only 6 other people on the way to our first stop Vernazza we thoroughly enjoyed not having to stop and let people pass every 5 metres. We knew this place could get busy but gee we still weren’t really prepared for how many would be here all doing the same thing as us. And I’ll say it again, who can blame them. It truly is an experience to walk the trails of the Cinque Terre. And we are quite proud of ourselves form completing the trail all the while getting over head colds.

Watching the pinks start to colour the sky we soaked up the natural splendour and hiked our way to Vernazza. Whilst it didn’t stand out in the distance as the others have it was still lovely to see and to pass through before everyone was awake. Testing the thigh muscles once again we pushed on through to Monterosso before the track become to busy. Thankfully we only passed 26 people on the second leg of the hike. And how excited and grateful we were that we set off early. It was pure bliss to watch the sunrise and enjoy the track void of crowds and before it became to hot as well.

Talk about saving the best for last. Arriving at our final destination we immediately fell in love with Montorosso. The crystal clear azure blue water was beckoning us. Having not been in the ocean for a couple of months now we were itching to jump in regardless of how cool it may be. Wandering in to town we were also excited to see a local market setting up and at how pretty the old buildings were with their frescos. Whilst Montorosso isn’t high on the hill with amazing views like Manarola it oozed typical Italian style with all the fabulous colours, pretty flowers cascading everywhere, pots of herbs and a few cheeky cats prowling around.

Exploring all the narrow streets and gazing in wonder at the beautifully painted houses everywhere we finally had our swim in the Ligurian Sea. And yes it wash fresh but exciting and liberating. The pebble beach whilst very different did actually feel quite nice underfoot and the water was crystal clear allowing us to see all the fish.

And after a very long and tiring but fabulous day we opted to catch the boat back to Manarola which gave us a fantastic view of the coastline and of the track that we had just hiked on. Feeling quite proud of ourselves once more we kicked back with a couple of cold beers on the terrace and watched the sun go down.

The Cinque Terre and especially Manarola has been a fantastic experience. To see how these villages were built into the cliffs hundreds of years ago and the gardens terraced up the hillside is just incredible. It’s been a privilege to walk the trails and stay in this beautiful place.

Kilometres walked : 11.5

Flights Climbed : 132

Tuesday 2nd May, 2023.

With a lovely slow start for my birthday and some Aussie catch up phone calls we decided to walk to Corniglia today which is the next village heading north. Again not really that far away but yet again through mountain goat terrain to reach it. But what lovely terrain it was. Getting our steps up immediately we climbed and climbed and climbed some more.

After passing many beautiful olive groves and grapevines set into the terraces we arrived at Volastra. The cutest village you ever did see. Perched upon the mountain top about an hours walk from Manarola. With views to die for and the prettiest coloured little houses it was just like a postcard. All the gardens were beautifully attended to and lovely old olive trees surrounded the place. We wandered around taking a million photographs and grabbed a very good coffee before setting off on the next section of the trail. God I love Italian coffee. I’ve never drunk so much espresso in my life!

Winding our way through thousands of grapevines covering the hills and with the Ligurian Sea glistening to our left we blissfully walked another two hours to Corniglia. The middle of the five villages along the Cinque Terre. Corniglia is the only one of the five villages that doesn’t have direct sea access. It sits perched upon the top of the cliffs above the Ligurian Sea with majestic views up and down the coast line. Again we encountered a very cute and pretty village with lots of colour, flowers, grapevines, olives, gelato, trattorias, views, lemons, alleyways, steep staircases, the obligatory church and thousands of tourists. Oh my god, where do they all come from? I know we are travellers as well but I can’t say I’ve ever encountered so many other tourists on our travels previously. But who can blame them, the world is their oyster and it should always be rediscovered and adventured.

Admitting defeat instead of walking back the way we came we caught the train back to Manarola so we could save our energy for tomorrow’s hike. Had a lovely home cooked pasta dish on the terrace and a limoncello for dessert while the sun set. It’s the simple things in life that matter! Happy Birthday to me……

Kilometres walked : 8

Flights climbed : 116

Monday 1st May, 2023.

Still recovering from head colds and with the weather being slightly inclement we opted for the shortest walk today between the villages. Manarola to Riomaggiore and back. Just a few klms’s but holy moly, if you aren’t a mountain goat already you will be by the end of it. Heading straight out of our front door directly onto the extremely steep path off we went. Stone steps carved into the hillside give your thighs the best work out they have ever had. And let me tell you these steps are different sizes and different heights just to mess with your head. Taking it nice and slow with regular breaks to enjoy the absolutely amazing views we eventually reached the summit. Then it was straight down the opposite side of the hill to Riomaggiore. Sometimes I think its actually harder to go downhill rather up with the old knees these days. But as they say slow and steady wins the race.

Passing grapevines and fruit trees planted in every available space on the ascent and descent we just marvelled at how they have achieved it all and still use it all today. No wonder they are all so fit and live to such a ripe old age. On the decent into the village I have to admit it didn’t stand out as much to me as Manarola did when we arrived. Don’t get me wrong, the village is still very cute and has all those different coloured houses it’s famous for and the harbour where all the little boats are is very picturesque. And would be even more I imagine so on a sunny day. But it just didn’t have the same feeling about the place. We did the touristy thing and wandered around, had lunch on the pebbly beach and took some photos. Once we had achieved all this and grabbed a very good coffee we high tailed it out of there and headed for home. One great thing about the weather is that the trail wasn’t overly busy.

Not the best weather for taking photos but we still enjoyed our walk and gave our legs a great workout. Got to work off that pasta somehow!

Kilometres Walked : Saturday – 7.3km, Sunday – 4.8 km.

Sunday 30th April, 2023.

Aah yes I can smell the ocean. And what a sweet smell it is. I can also smell lemons which are everywhere here. Big fat juicy ripe fruit just beckons to be picked straight from the trees dotted all up and down the terraces and of course turned into Limoncello.

Yesterday we said arrivederci to lovely Lucca and hopped on the train to our next destination. Buon pomeriggio to Manarola in The Cinque Terre. Tucked away on the Italian Riviera. The Cinque Terre comprises of five (cinque) rugged, remote and romantic coastal villages interconnected by kilometres of old mule tracks and footpaths up and down all the terraced hills, which is of course why we are here.

After three train changes with one million other tourists we finally made it to our destination. Not without a little stress trying to understand exactly which platform to go to and how delayed things may be, but hey its all part of the adventure. Meeting some fellow Aussies who are temporarily living in the Uk definitely eased our stress as we all worked together to figure out the crazy Italian train system. But as I said, its all part of the fun of travel. Now we thought Florence had been busy. Holy Moly, when we departed the train at Manarola it was with a sea of other tourists. Mmm nobody mentioned the Italian long weekend or the English long weekend. Obviously everyone decided to spend it at The Cinque Terre!

And who could blame them. We had arrived in paradise. Bright candy coloured houses weave their way up the hill. Lemon trees are dotted throughout the terraces that head high up on the hill and surround the village. As are grapevines, olive trees, fruit trees and veggie gardens. It’s quite fascinating to see how they have built this amazing place and filled every available space with produce.

Arriving at our apartment up othe top of the hill away from the busyness we were delighted by the views from our balconies and roof top terrace. And even more delighted at our kitsch Italian style apartment complete with terrazzo tiles and shutters.

Still recovering from head colds we decided to take it easy today and just wander about the village and admire the views. The ocean looked very inviting. We didn’t brave it today but will see what tomorrow brings!

Kilometres walked : 15

Goodbye Beautiful!

Friday 28th April, 2023.

Thick medieval walls surround this beautiful city creating a sense of stepping back in time. Lush green vegetation covering its entirety invites you to lay out a picnic rug and bask in the sunshine. Wide flat paths encircling the top encourage couples and families to enjoy their passeggiata serale. Wandering the thick cobblestone streets the aroma of Italian cooking makes your mouth water. Regularly stopping for an espresso at corner cafes and possibly a cornetto gives you that much needed energy boost to keep on exploring all of the magical corners of Lucca.

Gazing longingly at the beautifully patinated buildings with those lovely large entrances that I love so much, I could definitely imagine living here. Yes Jason you can come to! Oh how romantic it would be. Sipping a glass of Chianti whilst watching the world go by from my wisteria covered terrace. Perched on the wild flower covered walls entranced by the sunset. Deciding between fresh purple artichokes or thick green asparagus at the frutteria. Going for a stroll with my low rider. Knocking back an Un Caffe at a local bar. Inhaling the intense fragrance from the flowers spilling out of the window boxes. Oh yes how romantic it would be!

The reality is I have a head cold and the smell of coffee isn’t really doing anything for me at the moment. Thanks for sharing Jason. It will probably take me two hours to try and cram everything back into my one small bag in readiness for the next leg our adventure tomorrow and yes my feet are bloody sore. But there’s nothing wrong with dreaming and mentally trying to work out when we can come back to this beautiful place.

Arrivederci Lucca

Goodbye until we meet again!

Kilometres walked : 22

Thursday 27th April, 2023.

Buona Giornata! Have a good day! Learning a new phrase this morning at the Bakery, we are getting a little better at our Italian. And what a good day we had.

Packing some sandwiches and apples for lunch we set out for a walk along The Nottolini Aquaduct. Completed in 1851 the aquaduct is approximately 3.2kms long with more than 400 arches and 2 impressive dome water tanks. The structure was built to supply drinking water into the city of Lucca but unfortunately after a section was removed for the motorway many years ago it is no longer used for its original purpose. What a fantastic find it was.

Passing a shepherd and his flock of sheep, fields full of wildflowers, Italian villa’s, hills lined with olive groves, old stone houses and a couple of small villages we made it to the observatory up on Mount Pisano. Finding a nice table and chairs we marveled at the views back over Lucca and the aqueduct whilst enjoying our lunch.

15kms later we made it back to the apartment for a much needed siesta. The Italian’s have the right idea there. And of course after dinner we did our daily stroll around the wall and a meander through the town.