Day 7: Travel Day to Venice

On day 7 we headed out early on the bus and had a few destinations to see before we arrived at Venice.

Our first stop was Lake Garda. We took a boat across the water and the weather was glorious, beautiful and sunny. We only had a short stop over in Lake Garda so we had lunch (best omelette and fries ever) outdoors. Then we wandered the gorgeous streets. They're narrow walkways with lovely shops. I got myself a hazelnut gelato and strolled through looking in awe. If I had the choice, I would've loved to stay there a few days and relax on the beach by the lake.

Lake Garda

Our next stop was Verona. It was stinking hot but we walked to the Roman Arena where they used to have proper fighting battles. Built of pink-tinged marble in the 1st century AD, Verona's Roman amphitheatre survived a 12th-century earthquake. We then walked through the amazing shopping strip where there were designer stores and high end boutiques, suitable for everyone with different budgets. At the end of the shopping strip is Casa di Giulietta or Juliet's House where tourists flock to see the balcony where Juliet stood while Romeo declared his love. Inside the house is a small museum and in the courtyard is a bronze sculpture of Juliet – people rub her right breast for luck. But the ultimate in romantic gesturing is the many love notes stuck on the walls and doors in the entrance to the courtyard. If you can find space, leave your own little love note!

Verona

After Verona, we made our way to Venice. The area we are staying in isn't the nicest- apparently it's where the local resident's live- with the main, iconic part of Venice about 15 minutes away. After a full day of sightseeing we had a group dinner and had an early night. What a day!

Juliet's Balcony

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Day 6: Cinque Terre

There is something truly magical about Cinque Terre. We had a full day here and it was beyond beautiful. Cinque Terre (meaning five lands) is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. In each of the five towns, colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces, harbors are filled with fishing boats and trattorias turn out seafood specialties.

Riomaggiore

The five towns are:
Riomaggiore
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza
Monterossa

From La Spezia we took the train to each of the towns starting at Riomaggiore. Each stop is only a 2-3 minute train ride, but you can hike in between towns if you're feeling up to it. Considering we only had one day we decided against that, plus it was over 30 degrees and hot! We wanted to visit each village and spent about an hour in each place. My favourite was Manarola, built on a high rock 70 metres above sea level, and is in my opinion one of the most charming and romantic of the Cinque Terre villages. If you want that iconic photograph, Manarola is the place to get it.

Manarola

Each town is different and each worth seeing. If you're after a day lying on the beach, then head to Monetrossa. This is definitely the most 'touristy' of the towns but you can hire a sun lounge and have gelato all day, so it makes for a good day out. 

We stopped at Vernazza, a small fishing village, for lunch and if you like seafood, this is the place to be! Restaurants overlook the beautiful water but it can be a bit pricey so make sure you look at the menu before you sit down.

Manarola

Cinque Terre has been on my bucket list for a while now and I'm so pleased to be able to tick it off. To think people live in such a beautiful place is kind of hard to comprehend and I would definitely go back. If you can afford it, stay in one of the villages and experience their lifestyle. 

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Day 5: La Spezia

La Spezia

 Today we made our way to our next destination, La Spezia, saying goodbye to Florence. Our first stop along the way was Lucca, a city on the Serchio river in Italy’s Tuscany region. It’s known for the well-preserved Renaissance walls encircling its historic city center and its cobblestone streets. It's one of the only towns not to be destroyed in WWII, because of the four kilometre wall surrounding it. We had a guided walking tour, and lunch inside the old gladiator circle, plus cup fulls of gelato (totally necessary every day in Italy) Lucca is a seriously beautiful small town but I would recommend just a day trip.

Lucca

We then drove about 20 minutes to Pisa, where we saw the leaning tower. I found Pisa a bit confronting. On one side you see the beautiful leaning tower with the cathedral and then you turn 180 degrees and see hundreds of vendors selling illegal goods. We were only here for about half an hour but it was still worth seeing. Everyone you look tourists are trying to get the perfect picture, it's quite funny.

After Pisa, we drove to our final destination of the day, La Spezia. Located midway between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts the arsenal of the Italian Navy. It is important for its museums, for the Palio del Golfo, and for the railway and boat links with Cinque Terre. We stayed here because it was a lot cheaper than staying in one of the towns of Cinque Terre and the train was only a 5 minute walk from our hotel.

Pisa

We had a group dinner at one of the local restaurants where we scored a delicious three course meal of ravioli, calamari and tiramisu. YUM!

Leaning Tower of Pisa

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