This day started out like every other in the Cinque Terre......hot sun, wonderful breakfast and cappuccinos to die for. We were a little saddened knowing it was our last full day here, but it's not going anywhere, and we can return.
We decided to spend the morning exploring a few of the other towns a little more so we hopped on the train to Riomaggiore where we made our way to the waterfront
They were decorating the whole town....at first we thought it was for a wedding, but then we found out that it was for a big party taking place later tonight. After visiting the marina we wandered through town a bit
Unfortunately the Via dell'Amore was closed, but we were able to walk part of it and see some of the locks left behind by lovers
Then we hopped back on the train and headed to Manarola....it doesn't really have a beach, but it has a really cool place to swim.
We walked around the waterfront trail and were treated to an amazing view of the town
We vowed to return to this spot and swim around the rocks.....Jo even said "to hell with the jellyfish!"
We could have stayed all day, but we had more important business to take care of. The Limoncello guy had evaded us on the day of our hike.....but not today! We hopped on the train and returned to Monterosso and set out in search of the man in the lemon grove. Sure it meant climbing a hill that we had already climbed, in 30 degree heat, but we just had to do it. As we passed some people coming down the hill we asked if they had seen him.....we got a positive response. Our spirits lifted, and the pace quickened. We rounded a corner, the olive trees parted and the angels began to sing.......it was the limoncello guy
He took the time to explain how he makes the limoncello every day. We ordered 3 small bottles and 3 lemonades that he made fresh, right on the spot. We quickly downed the lemonades and sipped the limoncello.....it was good stuff! He asked where we were from and when we said "Canada" he explained that he had been in Toronto about 35 years ago. When we told him we were about 5 hours from there he said "Canada very big!"
In addition to making fresh lemonade and limoncello he also makes 600 bottles of wine a year. He sells only 200 and keeps the rest for himself. We just had to buy one.....and he told us that he only had 40 left to sell.....39 after our purchase. We enjoyed our tasty treats and then made our way back down the trail
Once back in town we stopped at a little focacciaria and had the best pizza ever
Then we headed back to our B & B for an afternoon dip in the pool which offered a nice reprieve from the heat. After soaking for a while it was sun chair time.....apparently the cicadas are quite calming as Jo poked me to tell me that I was snoring.
After getting cleaned up we walked back to the old part of Monterosso to do a bit more exploring. We had been wanting to get a shot of the older Italian women who love to sit and chat all day....and tonight we got the chance
Then it was off to find some supper. Jo picked a place that was overlooking the water and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. The view was amazing and the food was very good
As the sun set and the moon began to rise we talked about how enjoyable it has been to be here......and how we must return
We meandered back along the boardwalk, stopping to enjoy one more helping of gelato and then sat and people watched for a bit before returning to our B & B.
We won't say ciao to Cinque Terre.....we will say, see you again!
Posted with Blogsy