Our Trip to Italy - More of the Cinque Terre

On our 2nd day in the Cinque Terre, we explored two more of the towns -- Manarola and Corniglia -- and took a hike up the hill from Manarola, to Volostra.

We started the day by taking the train, from Riomaggiore to Manarola -- which took about 3 minutes.  But, since the trail was closed between those towns, we didn't have much choice.

The parish church of San Lorenzo . . . 

We hiked up the hill to a little town, called Volostra.

Enjoyed seeing the olive trees along the way . . . 

The narrow path into the village of Volostra . . . 

A beautiful view of the town of Manarola and the hillside vineyards . . . 

We enjoyed a lovely seafood/ pasta lunch at Billy's, in Manarola.  It was recommended to us by two different friends from back home, and it did not disappoint . . . 

We took the train from Manarola to Corniglia, where we walked up the 350 steep, looooonngg

steps up to the town from the train station . . . 

Corniglia turned out to be a nice surprise -- a charming, quaint and quiet town -- and was our favorite village of the Cinque Terre.  

Going back down the stairs was way easier.  Stopping for the view . . . 

Our Trip to Italy - Riomaggiore, the Beginning of the Cinque Terre

We took the train from Florence to the Cinque Terre, by way of La Spezia.  First stop -- Riomaggiore, a  town full of beautiful tangled pastel homes and buildings.  We chose this village as our home base.

We stayed in one of the La Dolce Vita apartments, with a balcony overlooking the main street.  It was a great place to stay!

After relaxing and freshening up, we decided to explore Riomaggiore . . . 

Il Castello, the Fortress . . . 

A view of the Nostra Signora Di Montenero Sanctuary, way above the village . . . 

The parish church of San Giovanni Battista, founded in 1340 . . .