Date: Mon 17th June
Temperature: Hot
Mood: Anxious
Highlight: Reunited with good friends

Not sure if we can really call this day one of Tuscany, but as we are spending the night here we might as well.

Today started off with a lovely relaxing breakfast as we didn’t need to catch the train to Pisa until 11:17am. The Monterosso train station was busy as usual, but we soon discovered that it was quicker queuing for the station staff than waiting for a ticket machine (and we had a nice chat with an Adelaide couple touring Italy). We decided on purchasing our Pisa to Florence leg in Pisa where we hoped it wouldn’t be as busy.

Once on the train we sat with two American ladies who were expecting to get off at the next Cinque Terre town only to discover that we were expressing passed all Cinque towns. Luckily the train stopped at the far end of the Cinque Terre so they could easily catch a train back, but at one stage it wasn’t looking too promising for them.

At Pisa, we made our way straight to the baggage minding service and then followed the signs to the information centre in town to find a map of how to get to the Leaning Tower of Pisa (our only true mission for this town). Whilst you needed a map to navigate to the tower, one could simply follow the crowds as everyone had the same idea.

The Leaning Tower is truly amazing in that it is still standing, just with a very noticeable lean. It is also so white in colour being built from limestone. What we’ve noticed since being in Italy, is the amount of marble and beautiful stone that is used everywhere as common as we would use brick pavers back home!

After a couple of photos of this famous iconic building it was time for a quick Gelato (forgot to take a photo) before purchasing our next set of train tickets and retrieving our luggage for the next leg to Florence. Express all the way (50min)!

Just needed to pick up the car rental and find our way from Florence to our Tuscan villa! This is where we hit a couple of hurdles.
1. We didn’t have our car rental voucher. Luckily there was literally an Internet Cafe next door where for 50c I got half an hour online to retrieve the voucher and print it out!
2. No SatNav, but can we hire a portable unit. Sorry none left. OK, what about a map? We get given a very basic map!
3. We ordered an Automatic. We get a 6 speed manual (More on the car in a future blog – Anne stay tuned!)
4. Our iPhone GPS is still upside down, so no turn by turn ability and battery about to die.

Now, trying to follow a map in Florence (probably anywhere in Italy) is like solving those mazes where you draw the line along the quickest path to the treasure. Well there are so many one way streets, that it is nearly impossible to find your way from point A to point B (well without a SatNav anyway).

This is where our first Italian miracle occurred. Somehow, we managed to arrive at our destination in one piece with the last 10km with no phone or maps or GPS! When we arrived, we looked at each other in shear amazement and then high 5’d.

At our Tuscan farm house and villa we were warmly re-united with our good friends from back home. It’s so nice to see familiar faces after travelling alone for over 6 weeks. It seemed so surreal to be sitting at an outside Restaurant in the middle of Tuscany 10,000km from home and to be sharing a great Italian meal with good friends!

What’s more, is along with these friends came a dress from home for Jenny. She now has 4 outfits to choose from! – I’m not sure if Jenny was more happy to see her friends, or see her dress! (Also bathers were delivered so a swim in the pool was enjoyed.)

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Date: Sun 16th June
Temperature: Warm/Hot
Mood: Chilled Out
Highlight: Portovener

Our B&B hosts suggested we take the ferry all the way down to Portovenere. So after some quick rescheduling we purchased our tickets and boarded the ferry for Portovenere. The weather was perfect and the waters calm so as not to unsettle tummies full of Gelato! Wow, what a beautiful port. We stuck to the old part of town with similar architecture to the Cinque Terre villages. A visit to the Castle was worth it just for the views over the harbour. After sampling the local Gelato it was time to board the ferry back to Monterosso, but not without another visit to Vernazza as yesterday we didn’t get to see this village with a blue sky!

It was a perfect day and the sights magnificent. As our last night in the Cinque Terre we dinned on Seafood and Pasta. What else would you eat at a seaside village in Italy?

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Cinque Terra – Day 2 (Back)

Date: Sat 15th June
Temperature: Warm/Hot
Mood: Upbeat
Highlight: Hiking Again!

Just when we thought we had hung up the boots, we couldn’t resist the temptation to walk the Cinque Terre famous for its steep walking tracks linking all 5 towns. Well we both agreed that the Cinque Terre’s walking trails were probably tougher than you would get on any one day on the Camino! We initially were going to walk the lower No 2 trail (still steep in its own right). But due to the No 2 trail being closed on one or two sections, we had to divert to the upper trails. We estimated we had walked at least 20km and the trails were both punishing on steepness as well as terrain.

Whilst true to form, we left late in the morning, but we didn’t get back until 8pm! We visited and explored each of the 5 towns and then caught the train back to Monterosso. Each of the Cinque Terre towns are spectacular and unique. We loved every minute of it, other than about 45min of very tough climbing in very hot conditions. The only thing that kept us going was the thought of Gelato at the next town. (2 large scoops for €1.70!).

Oh, and how do you top of a spectacular sight seeing day? Well why not another Gelato!

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Cinque Terre – Day 1 (Back)    Cinque Terra – Day3 (Next)

Cinque Terre 2011 Floods!

Date: Fri 14th June
Temperature: Warm/Hot
Mood: Loving it!
Highlight: Eye Feast

We said our goodbyes to Anne and Daniel and headed off for the Cinque Terre. After getting a good taste for Italy in Torino, we were now off to get a 3 day romantic Italian beach holiday.

We weren’t as confident with the Italian trains as we had been with the French, but with some help from Anne, we did eventually make it. Our B&B hosts arranged for our pick up from the station to save us a very steep walk up to our accommodation. After settling in, it was time to hit the town.

Wow, we were gobsmacked! So let the photo’s do the talking!

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Cinque Terra – Day 2 (Next)

Date: Thu 13th June
Temperature: Warm
Mood: Very Relaxed
Highlight: Not having to make decisions on what to eat

Slept in! A lazy start to the morning until our tour guide for the day put her foot down (literally) and got us moving!

The day started with a tour of the Royal Residence with a great view over Torino (Turin) before we headed down into town to see the sights.

We covered a lot of ground that included a visit to the Shroud of Turin! A number of Churches and the Royal Palace. Apparently “The Italian Job” (1969) was mostly filmed in Torino which included a scene of mini’s driving down the steps inside the Royal Palace. If the movie wasn’t so old, we’d have been easily convinced that our tour guide – Anne, was one of the original stunt drivers for the movie by the way she skilfully maneuvered her Italian yellow Alpha Mito sports car up and down the side of the mountain with its twisty narrow roads!

We lost track on the number of Gelato serves we had during the day, but we ended the action packed day over another stunning home cooked (weber) meal eating alfresco by candle light. How do you top that? Great company, that’s how!

(P.S Thanks Guys for opening your home up, your hospitality and company. It’s much appreciated!)

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