Cinque Terre - Vernazza & Monterosso al Mere

Our last day in the Cinque Terre was spent exploring the village of Vernazza (where we were staying) and Monterosso. One of the things I found really interesting about these villages was that before the first train arrived in the morning and after the last train left at night the streets were much more quiet and peaceful. During the day the tourists flooded the narrow streets but in the quiet morning it was a different place. 

On this particular morning I went out early to see the street market. I was expecting to see a farmer's market of sorts but was surprised. There were vendors selling everything you could think of needing in your home- toilet paper, pans, cleaning supplies, clothing, kitchen gadgets and on and on. I realized that the people in these villages probably don't have access to a large grocery store where these things are readily available. They have to wait for the travelling market to come through town once a week to get their supplies. 

This morning we decided to climb up to the top of the tower sitting high above the village. It was so many stairs (but not as many as the cathedral in Florence!) Again, Topher was more interested in the dirt and his horsey than he was with the glittering sea and terraced gardens.

 Can you spy Topher and Thomas down there?

For lunch we squeezed into a sidewalk cafe where the kitchen was across the path from the dining tables - not unusual for this area. For some reason Christopher was obsessed with this bottle of ketchup and kept patting it like a baby. We made friends with the table next to us and I had a truly unique dish of gnocchi with walnut pesto. I've never seen it on a menu before or since.

This cup of hazelnut gelato is what all my dreams are made of!

After naps at the apartment we caught the train to the last village on the chain - Monterosso. This was definitely the largest and most spread out of the villages. The beach was covered with bright colored umbrellas in neat lines. Thomas went for a swim in the ocean and Topher waded and splashed to his heart's content.

We happened on a small playground near the beach and let Christopher make some friends there. We walked through the village waiting for the restaurants to open. The are all closed in the afternoons and don't reopen until at least 7 PM. We saw huge tomato gardens and Christopher tip-toed over all of the street grates.

I normally don't take pictures of our food (okay, sometimes I do) but this dinner was so beautiful and delicious that we just had to. I am certain this is in the top 5 steaks I have ever eaten in my life.

 File this ^^ under "Things Topher though were more interesting than the things we were seeing"

We had another helping of gelato and watched the moon rise over the hills while waiting for the train to come. If you know Christopher you know he loves the moon and it was so fun to stand there and watch this with him. I will remember this moment forever I hope.

Cinque Terre - Riomaggiore & Monarola {Italy 2017}

Our first full day in the Cinque Terre we took the train to the first village in the chain for a little walk around. It was equally as charming as Vernazza but with it's own unique quirks. It was funny how each of these five villages really had their own personality. We god some fried seafood and chips to keep us going as we hiked up the steep, steep hills. 

Every few days on our trip I would surprise Topher with a new, small toy that I had packed along with us. This is one of my biggest toddler travel hacks- bring new and exciting toys and snacks and divvy them out every few days. I think this was the first day that Topher got to use his set of construction trucks and they were a huge it. I think this little pack of five or six small trucks cost about $8 and they are still some of his most used toys!

Christopher once again insisted on walking everywhere we went this day. He did really well with the steep cobblestone and lots of steps.

I don't know what else to really say about this place besides that there was no shortage of breathtaking views!

For lunch we stopped in the village of Manarola. I loved that many places we ate had these old fashioned-looking high chairs for Christopher. A lot of times they would bring out a little pillow for him to lean on too. It was adorable. We had pesto lasagna for lunch and it was unbelievable. The CT is know for their pesto and I can see why!

After some quick naps back at the apartment while Thomas did the laundry we headed to the beach. Christopher had such a fun time playing with some of the other kids and digging with his new trucks. The sun was beating down and it just felt so good!

Around sunset we grabbed a few pizzas from a little shop and ate them on benches looking over the beach while trying to keep the wasps away. It was a glorious day and we say so many pretty things but I remember being really tired at the end of this day.