Manarola, Italy

Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 small fishing villages on the Italian Riviera, each one so laid back and charming. The pace here is worlds apart from that of bustling Rome, making our time here three days of pure relaxation bliss. I can't stress enough how much we fell in love with Manarola; the sea, the people, the food, the relaxing atmosphere.

Day 16

Getting there: We took a train from Rome to Manarola via La Spezia. We contemplated a short stopover at Pisa to maximize our travel day train usage but there just wasn't enough time. To avoid paying the 10 euro pp, we opted for the slow train which was very slow, with many stops along the way. Next time I'd just pay the 10 euros, it doesn't seem worth saving with all the extra travel time.

Manarola was love at first sight! From the get go we were greeted by the lovely sea breeze and the smell of the ocean. The town is a very small one, there is only one road that runs through it and all the buildings are on either side. Our hotel was uphill so we walked (not far) up the steep slope until we saw De Paulin next to the fullest lemon tree I've ever seen!

De Paulin is such a lovely hotel and I highly recommend it! Mind you, it was the most expensive hotel on our entire trip at 75 euros per night. But the owner was so chatty and friendly, he even let us sample a homemade lemon syrup drink his wife made. I took a photo of the bathroom but unfortunately didn't take one of the spacious bedroom..

 Headed out to explore the little town and rocky cliffs.

 A rock outcrop. Geologists would have a field day here. Pun intended, heh.

 

There are a lot of dinner options, many with claims they were mentioned in Rick Steves, Lonely Planet etc. We chose one, where we had local grilled fish, lobster pasta and chocolate tiramisu (I'm no coffee fan, quite the contrary actually). 

Simple, light and fresh.

Outdoor diners.