Life on a Page: Siena Year: A Saturday Adventure in the Cinqueterre

When David arrived in San Francesco #4, everything got better. David is Australian, a teacher seeking certification in Italian, and a lover of life’s simple pleasures. I always know where David is by listening: his passion for classical music leaves an easy trail to follow. He’s usually planning something fun to do whether it be biking, hiking,

horseback riding or going to a concert. He always invites everyone but is just as happy doing his thing alone. David is the type of person who can spend half an hour savoring a really good sandwich. There’s nothing like knowing someone who is completely satisfied with life to lift your spirits.

David met Emre, a classmate of mine from Turkey who has been wanting to go to the cinqueterre, and a travel plot was born. The three of us decided to brave the trains and spend a day hiking and swimming by the cliffs. Emre took the lead and researched the railways: ugh, three changes and a lot more time than we had anticipated. We were a bit discouraged, but then Thiere arrived here in San Francesco #4 from Belgium. A man who researches language software and speaks English, French, German and Spanish, Thiere marches to the beat of his own drummer (punctuated with lots of delicious smelling sausages and good wine). Thiere jumped in on the plot and volunteered to drive if we wanted to rent a car. Perfetto.

Emre

Three nights before the fateful trip, Emre (above) came over for drinks and planning our day. Two nights before, Thiere and David sat up late planning our route. Thiere had reserved us a five-seater Fiat, big enough to be comfortable, for less money than our combined train fares.

Please note the serious planning happening here – and the watermelon that seems to follow Thiere wherever he goes.

When Saturday arrived, we got up early, caught a cab to the car rental, and waited. And waited. And waited. Apparently our car wasn’t quite ready. In fact, there had been some mix-up with the reservation…but never fear! A mighty Fiat 500 – brand new – was ours for the day. A perfect fit for three grown men and me:

The boys decided to take the scenic route. Why? In my opinion, the highways in Italy are as scenic as anyplace on earth…but I was merely the passenger, having successfully negotiated for the front seat due to my constant motion sickness. Who was I to say what was the best route?

Five hours later (it’s a 2 ½ hour drive on the highway), we finally arrived. Despite the time it took, I have to report that Thiere should have a second job as a rally driver: piloting the mighty 500 up hills with unimaginable curves takes both nerve and determination. His calm on the highway instantly transformed into something resembling insanity when we hit the mountains. Thank God the 500 isn’t as mighty as I make it out to be, that’s all I’m gonna say.

Anyway, back to the cinqueterre, land of my dreams. First stop: Corniglia with its incredible view of the water:

And, after our drive, time for lunch. Thiere and David exchanged numbers for safety, a continuation of their planning…

…but Emre and I found the sugar packets really entertaining for some reason.

Do you see what I see?

I had a beautiful Caprese salad (fresh mozzerella and organic tomatoes, this time with an olive or two). I couldn’t quite finish the cheese, but that last olive is in danger:

Ummmmm, Italian bread.

After the drive, we were a bit short on time and everyone had something they just HAD to do: Thiere wanted to see all five towns, Emre wanted to swim, I wanted to hike, and David was up for anything. We decided to split up and David and Thiere coordinated a plan: Thiere would take Emre to Vernazza while David and I hiked there behind them. Thiere would travel, Emre would swim and we’d all meet up at 5:00 in Vernazza. Assured that the walk was steep at first and “mostly downhill from there,” we set off enthusiastically. I couldn’t wait to feel trail under my feet, to be out of a city for a day. I wasn’t disappointed. However, it’s quite possible that my translation of “mostly downhill” was not exactly accurate.

Looks alright from here, though, eh?

After breezing down path, David and I began the incline we’d been warned about…a “short” climb away from the city. When we got to the top, I snapped a celebratory photo. Wow! Look how far we went! And now the climb was over!

Not really. I took another shot a mile or two on (note that "photo ops" make for a great opportunity to catch your breath)…but oh! It was SOOOOO worth it! See Corniglia back there on the cliff? And the trail just under the road? What a great walk!

On to Vernazza!

But first, tiny Prevo:

Then we were there! Our meeting place in Vernazza is just by that tower.

Down the last set of stairs to the swimming area...

…where, as planned, we found Emre!

He was pretty happy with his day.

I look like I’m posing, but I’m really trying not to fall over. I wish we’d had time to take the ferry to the next town…and that I’d gone ahead and taken a swim – what was I thinking?

We took a little walk around while we waited for Thiere to return. This picture gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “dinner cruise:”

Unbelievably, right on time, Thiere showed up to take us home. Hooray for planning! He and David look proud of themselves, don’t they? And rightly so!