Cinque Terre Part 1: Vernazza

After a great time in Santa Stefano, I was very excited to plan out my next Italian weekend getaway. As I was skimming through Pinterest, I stumbled upon a vacation destination I had marked on my bucket list, Cinque Terre. "Hmmm, I wonder where that is in relation to Chiavari," I thought to myself...

Well friends, Cinque Terre is only a 50 min train ride from Chiavari! I know, I couldn't believe my luck either! Once I realized this, it was set. The next trip would be to the "5 Lands" (what the name translates to in English).

Cinque Terre is a group of five, small fishing villages on the coast the Italian Riviera. The villages are connected via train and hiking trails, but if driving, they would not all be easily accessible.

My first stop was the small town of Vernazza. I was originally going to include all 5 villages in one post, but the amount of photos I took decided otherwise. I just could not get over the beauty of this place!

The colors of the towns are probably most notable. It's stunning. Yes, many photos you see online are enhance the saturation of the color, but the towns really are very vibrant!

The towns are also, pretty small. I bumped into a couple from the states in Vernazza who asked me if I spoke English (I do, obvs) and then asked, "is this it?"

I mean, I guess that was fair. Vernazza only has about 1000 people (I couldn't find which is the smallest of the 5 online, but I think Vernazza could be it) and it was pouring that morning so there wasn't much going on, but I don't think they really gave it a chance.

Soak in the color, the sea, the beauty. Sit down and enjoy a cappuccino. Go for a hike in the mountains and walk to the next village. Eat some pesto man!

(I had every intention of posting about my outfit for the day, but "drenched rat" doesn't translate well into a "fashion" (I use that term very loosely) post.) 

It took a few hours, but the rain did eventually let up and the skies became clear and, while I thought it wasn't possible, Vernazza became even more beautiful. 

My visits to the other 4 villages were clear, sunny and hot. Next on my itinerary was Monarola which was probably my favorite of the 5! Stay tuned!

Peace,
Sarah

(PS, sorry for the not so bright, sometimes a little blurry from water spots, photos. I'd say I was angry with the rain, but I have waited all summer for a thunderstorm and even with the sucky timing it was wonderful.)