Hiking Cinque Terre

The hardest hike I've ever done, but totally totally worth it. At all times I was either surrounded by lush forest or sprawling vineyards, most of the time with a sharp drop-off to the sea directly on my left. That made maneuvering my way over old landslides a bit perilous at some points, but alas, I survived.

Examples of the landscape:

The hardest, steepest section of the hike took us winding through farms and towns and people's backyards, and ended with a view like this!

The sea is in-between those hills, I promise!

You may have noticed that it was a particularly cloudy day in these pictures. After being bummed out when we woke up and saw the weather, once we started hiking we decided it was a gift from God. Having a hot sun beat down on us would have been the worst, and instead the cloud cover provided a nice, cool temperature in which to stay comfortable in. It did brighten up after lunch though, during an easier hike, so we got the best of both worlds!

Each town presented its own unique and spectacular views (and food!) The last two were still recovering from the devastating landslides that occurred at the end of last year, but were charming nonetheless :)

Riomaggiore
Manarola
Outside of Corniglia
One of my favorite views. Reminds me of my trip to Greece.

Pesto pizza in Corniglia, honey gelato was involved too...

Another favorite view, outside Vernazza

Street Band in Bologna!

Now, Venice and Bologna coming soon! Quick summary of Bologna: it's my new favorite city. Also, I had to keep reminding myself that no, I was not back in Charlottesville, despite how very similar their atmospheres were. 4 papers due this week, hopefully I'll get to write on Thursday!

One of my favorite afternoons ever. Sunning and playing soccer in Bologna's main park. Why can't life always be like this and not filled with papers and trip planning?!
One of the many performers in Piazza Maggiore.
Food capital of Italy - stuffed pasta with radicchio and gorgonzola and deliciousness.