We decided to hire bikes in Lucca and cycle around the top of the old city (fortress) walls which are approx. 500 years old and 4km long. After cycling the walls, we were ready to cycle through the pedestrian part of the city through the little alleyways and lanes whilst dodging the crowds. The cycles were a great way get a feel for Lucca in the short time we had there.
Now onto Pisa as the kids really wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And as soon as we were driving into the old walled part of Pisa, we look up and what do we see - yes, the Tower. We quickly take the first park available and only have to walk about 400m to get some fun photos. The tower is over 850 years old, they reckon the lean is due to one side sinking into the soft ground. Marvin thought this was a good time to teach the kids about Gallileo (the famous Italian astronomer/scientist/mathematician and philosopher in the 1500's), as he reportedly used to drop things off the Tower of Pisa to experiment with the effects of gravity.
Now I am writing from the National Park and UNESCO site of Cinque Terre. It contains 5 coastal villages with narrow lanes, old architecture and picturesque marinas overlooking the sea. When walking through the trails, we were amongst the olive groves and the vineyards where everyday life and work takes places. We walked from Manarola to Monterosso al Mare, a distance of 10km. The walk from each village generally went up steep steeps to reach the top of the ridges, then we followed the ridge along until the steep descent into the next village. We stopped in each village for a gelato and a swim in both Vernazza and Monterosso de Mare. The last 1hr 45min hike was hard work in the mid 30's temperature, so the swim at the end was our motivating factor to push forward!
 |
| High route Manarola ---> Corniglia |
 |
| Vernazza |
 |
| Swimming at Vernazza |
|
| Add caption |
 |
| Monterosso al Mare |
 |
| Riomaggiore |
 |
| Riomaggiore |
 |
| Manarola |
 |
Cliff Top - Corniglia |
When it was time to go home, we jumped on the Cinque Terre train and took 14 minutes to get back to our starting point!!!
On our final day in Cinque Terre we asked the local Italians for recommendations, they all mentioned a village called Portovenere. It is the up and coming Portofino without all the pretentions. We arrived by ferry and walked through the medieval village and found their churches which were built in the 12th century, then after climbing another mountainous outcrop we arrived at their fortress (castle) and got stunning views of the village and rocky coastline. After descending it was time for a swim in the beach and a drink to cool down. What a great day and a great way to finish our time in Italy.
No comments:
Post a Comment