First days in Italy

Here are some randomly disordered gems from my first week in Italy, which was blissfully spent with my dear sister Cloé in Cinque Terre. 

Cinque Terre consists of a collection of five picturesque little towns that dot the cliffs over the ocean on the North West coast of Italy: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. There is a train that goes between the towns, through tunnels, but there is also a footpath which is both lovely and oftentimes treacherous. The terrain is rocky and steep, and the views breathtaking. It takes anywhere from 20min to 2.5 hours to get form one town to the next, so there was lots of walking to be had to work off the gelati that must be consumed every few hours while in Italy. 

Click on photo to enlarge (do it).

OMG, we're going to Cinque Terre - YAY!! 

And still so white and burnable from Paris...

Tal shows the beginnings of a decent gelati tummy.

Tal hangin in the Olive hood.

The best pesto ever, to be found in Corniglia. Just make sure you order water too, or the guy gets upset with you and tries to set you on fire. 

Tal style circa early May. Note the fashionable Soloman hiking shoes and gigantic hideous camera bag - also handy for abducting small toddlers. Camera must be removed first though. 

Does this make my nose look big?

Cloé wonders if this was such a good idea... 

This is how they bury people in Cinque Terre: up, not down. Photo courtesy of Cloé.

Look! Snorkeling. Funny only because this guy screamed like a little girl when he got into the freezing ocean. 

Sipping espresso in Manarola. 

Delightful local white wine, over the ocean in Riomaggiore. 

Sunset in Riomaggiore.

We were in a train, not a boat. 

Yay, we're going to La Spezia you guys! With Guiseppina the monkey. More on her later.

For Jen. W.L.F. 

Hangin by the water in Corniglia, the town we stayed. 

Salad in a bag! On our terrace in Corniglia.

Lemoncino, made and enjoyed in Corniglia. 

Lovely sorella. 

Etc.

Cute!

Cloé eavesdrops on the lovers on the wall. 

Brekkie on our terrace.

Etc.

Riomaggiore. 

Etc.

Riomaggiore wide angle baby!

Note to self: wide angle give you large upper arms. 

The train station at Riomaggiore.

Cloé wears Cinque Terre chic hiking gear. Bag by Venice Fashion. 

How I discovered local olive harvesting techniques. 

Vernazzo, taken from the trail between Monterroso and here.  

Cloé regards Vernazzo. 

Cloé being fabulous. 

Corniglia, from above. 

Yay!

Looking down on the train station and Corniglia. Regard the 400 steps one must climb to get to the actual town from the so-called Corniglia train station!