Travel :: Agriturismo La Sovana

Happy Friday dears!  Today I am very, very excited to tell you about our first day in Tuscany.  What started out as a terrible, nightmare of a day ended up as being pure magic.  The story:

Travel :: Riomaggiore, Italy

Last week I showed you photos of Manarola, the town we stayed in during our five days in the Cinque Terre.  One of the aspects I liked best about the area was the fact that it was super easy to visit each of the five famous towns in the region {by foot, train, or ferry}.  Each town was unique in it's own special way, but Riomaggiore was especially special for us.  It was just about a kilometer from Manarola so we visited the town twice, once to explore and swim and the other to hike.  Besides being absolutely gorgeous it was also quite lively, especially considering how tiny it was.

I loved just wandering around the colorful little town, stopping for gelato and foccacia, picking up a few local goodies to bring home for friends and family, and snapping away on my camera.  Most of the towns in the Cinque Terre do not have any classical beaches, so locals and travelers alike intermix on the rocks where many spend an afternoon swimming, laying in the sun, picnicking, and cliff jumping.  It was perfect weather, so we decided to join in on the fun {Ryan braved the icy water and swam, I laid on a rock and read a book}.  

We also spent a morning hiking high above the town to see the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Monterono.  It was a grueling 90 minute hike straight up the side of the slope, but we were graced with gorgeous views of grapevines, hills, the sea, and the towns.  Surrounded by fog, it felt a little eerie but totally ethereal.

The end of our first day in Riomaggiore we were treated to a postcard sunset over the sea.  We watched as the sky turned vibrant orange and red to soft pink and purple with a smattering of tiny clouds, all reflected in the crystal clear water.  It was truly the perfect end to a perfect day.    

More from our trip here: Genoa, Lucca, Manarola; Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here

Manarola, Italy

Five of the sixteen days we spent in Italy were in the Cinque Terre.  We were lucky enough to call the breathtaking cliff-side town of Manarola our home during this time {see the tiny, bright red house in the top right corner of the picture?  That was where we stayed}.  It was definitely one of the most quaint of the five towns, and it's almost impossible to say, but perhaps the most picturesque {in my humble opinion}.  

I absolutely loved climbing the towering steps to the top of the town, then negating the calorie burn with a big slice of focaccia {the Ligurian region is famous of it}.  I loved sitting on the rocks by the sea, scribbling away in my journal while daring Italians {and American students} jumped off the rocks and cliffs into the icy water.  I loved walking around the tiny streets at twilight, after all of the tourists left, seeing all of the locals coming out to gossip, play checkers, and watch the world go by. I loved drinking a bottle of local wine on the roof of our house while watching the sun set over the sea {best. view. ever.}  I loved everything about it.

More from our trip here: Genoa, Lucca; Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here