October 19th, Cinque Terre, 10k hike

It rained lightly last night, but now we were not worried, being in our new waterproof tent. The day ended up being mild and sunny. After breakfast at our site, we took the train from Levanto to the first northern Cinque Terre town, where we would begin our hike through these 5 cliff-clinging towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The towns are absolutely gorgeous, hugging cliffs on one side, and plummeting down to the sea on the western side. The houses are in subdued pastel colours, with each town having narrow streets and small harbours. From a distant, it looks like a Christmas train set landscape. The trails were steep at times, but we were in shape for the task. They cut through terraced vineyards and olive groves. Each picnic area had an assigned cat, with a bowl and sometimes its own tent (you can buy t-shirts of this). The Italians show their love everywhere we have gone.

At the fifth town of Riomaggiore, we caught the last evening ferry back to Levanto. We had planned to get off at Riomaggiore and take the train back and were suprised to see that we had actually landed in Levanto. This time, the Italian logistics surprise worked to our advantage...and the view from the sea with the sun setting was picturesque and rewarding.

Back at the campsite, we ate and showered. Now, there is only one thing wrong with the campsite, which we learned about last night...it has a neurotic town clock that not only sounds on the hour, but also has a different bell for every 15 minutes. So the worst time of night is 12:45, when the first bell tolls 12 times, and second bell tolls 3 more times. The best time of the night is at 1 a.m., when the first bell only tolls one time. Tonight we will put in ear plugs.