Day 9: Pisa and Cinque Terre VillagesHotel: Hotel Pasquale
Phrase of the Day: Non si se mai (you never know; be ready for anything) |
Miles
American Soldiers Buried near Florence
High Temperature for the Day
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Did you know?
Cinque Terre translates to "five lands" and there are five cities which compose the Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. A hiking trail connects the cities.
The American Cemetery
Outside of Florence, we stopped at the American Cemetery where 4,409 American Soldiers are buried. It was a somber sight to see the headstones, either crosses or Stars of David, so white against the surrounding green, a reminder of their sacrifice. The wall of those missing in action (over 8,000 men) are the subject of DNA work to try to identify those unknown soldiers to some of these listed as missing. We all placed a flag beside a headstone as a small acknowledgement of their service. They are buried here because their families chose to have them remain in the country where they gave their life in service. One soldier buried here was Pfc. Floyd Chamberlain Jr., who tragically died on V-E Day, May 8, 1945, at the age of 21. My dad placed a flag on his grave after seeing his death date, and we later looked him up and found his obituary.
A stop in Pisa
Pisa was our stop for lunch and a view of the famous leaning tower. The doors to the baptistry are closed every 30 minutes, for just a few minutes, as an attendant demonstrates the amazing acoustics of the domed building. They sing a single note and it echoes and moves throughout the building, still resonating while the next note starts. We listened from upstairs for the best sound (per our tour guide) and it genuinely sounded as though multiple people were singing in harmony,. It was just beautiful!
Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life
- Anna Akhmatova
Colorful Monterosso
From the bus to the train, we arrived late in the day in the seaside town of Monterosso in the Cinque Terre. Our tour was split between two hotels and from our room in our charming hotel, we looked out over the beach and the sea. Our hotel owner gave us a pesto making demonstration, showing us how she makes pesto in the traditional Italian way here in the region, using a mortar and pestle. Of course, our first course was a traditional Trofie al Pesto, which surprised me by having green beans and potatoes in it! Tomorrow is a completely free day to explore this beautiful area.
Exploring the Cinque Terre
Free day today! My dad and I started the day with an early morning hike from Monterosso to Vernaza, while my mom relaxed at this mid-point of our tour. It was quite a hike, with lots of steps, but the views were unparalleled. We were back in time for breakfast and then hopped on the shuttle/ferry down to Riomaggiore, the town my parents visited on their trip here 30 years ago, and the most southern of the Cinque Terre towns. It was a bank holiday weekend and the weather was beautiful so everywhere was crazy crowded! We spent little time before catching the train to Manarolo, grabbing some gelato and then taking ferry back to Monterosso. My mom and I explored the town a little, checking out the shops, and then walked up the hill to a St. Frances statue and on up to a Capuchin monastery and associated cemetery there. With no plans for supper and lots of crowds, we wandered the little town and found a take out pizza/focaccia place, crowded with locals, and were able to get some of the best pizza/focaccia we had on the trip! It was fun to watch the one gentleman working in the place as he knew most of the patrons by name and there was much enthusiasm in the greeting and transaction, and a genuine friendliness as we pointed and tried our best to figure out what we were doing!
HELPFUL HINT: Get up early to beat the crowds! We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza, leaving before 7am and saw only a few people. Because it was a bank holiday weekend, by 10am, we could see steady lines of people on the trail. The lovely folks at our hotel gave us advice on when to go, given that they knew it would be crowded later, and made this a great experience.