I had originally booked a Friday tour of Cinque Terre, these beautiful villages on the northern Italian coast. However, the tour was cancelled due to low subscription and I had no other alternatives. I had considered doing a day trip on my own, but I wasn't completely sold on the idea, and one of the hostel employees had basically told me that I'd be wasting my time to go to Cinque Terre in winter.
But then this girl, Jessica, who had been planning to go there too, overheard our conversation. We decided to meet the next morning (today) and we set off on our adventure. And despite Trenitalia's best efforts to screw us over, we managed to have a lovely day and see quite a bit of the fie villages.
Even though it was low season, I don't feel that like detracted from the beauty of Cinque Terre. Yes, it would have been nice to swim in the sea or do one of the hiking trails, but I still think they're worthy of a visit in winter. We ended up doing the village-hopping at the same time as some passengers from a Costa cruise, so we kept running into the same persons and sharing jokes with them. I also got the chance to sample some aamzing seafood - octopus, mussels, and clams, with hearty servings of bread and pasta thrown in. I wish I'd had more room in my stomach to eat more.
I definitely couldn't live in Cinque Terre at this point in my life - too isolated and small - but it is somewhere I would like to see again. As I stood near the edge of one of the cliffs and saw the sun shine on the water and the brightly coloured houses, I took a moment to appreciate how lucky I am to be able to do this trip. The photos don't do Cinque Terre justice; you have to experience it for yourself.
Tomorrow - that tour of Siena, Pisa and San Gimignano I was meant to go on today. See you soon, Leaning Tower!
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