A little piece of heaven called Cinque Terre

Last weekend a group of students, myself, and Lynda made our way to the Italian Riviera region known as Cinque Terre. A national park system, Cinque Terre is five small towns connected by hiking trails along the Mediterranean Ocean. For years I've heard how amazing Cinque Terre is and how for many it's their favorite part of Italy. Quite honestly, I concur!

While we went in November and the weather wasn't the greatest, it was spectacular! Just imagine sharp cliffs falling down into rolling waves of aqua water. Hills covered in lush green vegetation and vineyards. Stunning! We stayed in the town of Vernazza and I am so glad we did! Most of the other towns shut down during the "low season" so we were blessed to be in a town that had more than one restaurant open. We arrived on Friday evening and Lynda and I set out to grab some dinner. We had a nice evening and even got a little adventurous with our fish selections! Saturday we took the train to the first town, Riomaggiore, and the walked along the Via dell' Amore to Corneligia, the next town. The walk was lovely and the view was at times breathtaking. Just when you thought it couldn't get any prettier...it did! From there, we took the train to Monterosso and explored the little beach community.

Arriving back at Vernazza, Lynda and I had an incredible pesto dinner. Cinque Terre is known for its pesto and let me tell you...that little green sauce is a little piece of heaven here on Earth. Delizioso!!! Love it! ;0

On Sunday Lynda, myself, and some of the students grabbed a quick breakfast at a Sicilian bakery and oh my stars! the pastries were to die for. So good!

All in all, it was a great weekend and just a nice time to relax before we headed for Venice and the last 3 weeks of school. Eek! Where has the time gone?!