Cinque Terre

       We were blown away by the beauty of Cinque Terre. I can't think of any place on Earth that comes closer to my idea of paradise. Cinque Terre was recommended to me by the daughter of my former art teach Leslie Shell who is a close friend of my mother's as well as her colleague at Highland Hills Middle School. It is made up of five beach towns strung closely together that are connected by a hiking trail as well as a train that stops in each town. The nearest town is about a 30 minute train ride from Pisa and we traveled from Pisa Centrale early that morning and then returned to Pisa and our hotel later in the evening. Within that time frame we were able to spend time in each town and although I could have stayed there for weeks basking in the sun and enjoying the scenery, I didn't feel like we missed anything major.
       We decided to go to the last town first and I was very glad that we did, because as it turns out, it was the only one with a beach. The other towns had very beautiful rocky coasts and plenty of places to swim and enter the water, but we are fans of the more traditional sand beach if it is offered. We spent the morning and the high sun hours on the sand before venturing out to the other towns.
       Not quite knowing what we were getting ourselves into we decided to hike to the second town. In the end I'm glad we did because what we saw on the way was a breathtaking mountain trail with terraced hills and sparkling coastline, but two hours later upon arrival it is safe to say that we were very hot, thirsty and worn out (and possibly a bit grouchy). Much to my surprise, during our hike on this remote mountain trail, I bumped into an acquaintance from Ball State who participated in the internship program in London with me. I knew he would be traveling, but had no idea where he would be going. It was definitely a "small world" moment to see him there of all places.
       The rest of the day we opted for the train and each town was just as beautiful as the last with its own individual flare and identity. It felt like a completely different world. There were tourists to be sure, but it was clear that each town also contained its own tight-nit community of locals. I loved everything about Cinque Terre and it's definitely a place you want on your itinerary if you plan a trip to Italy!