Ahhh, Cinque Terre

A year ago, Megan and I had a chance to vacation in Cinque Terre alone. It was wonderful. While we were there, we thought how great it would be to have the kids there with us. So, when we decided to come to Italy for the summer, we started making plans to go back to Cinque Terre.

We scheduled our trip for last weekend, following a week long Research conference that I was running at work. By the time that Saturday arrived, I was ready for a break from work and four full days with Megan and the kids.

One of the nice parts about Cinque Terre is that all five towns are connected by a local rail line. Each day we were able to hop on the train and go to explore someplace new before heading for the beach for the afternoon.

Here is the view from above Monterosso al Mare, where we stayed.

Vernazza

Each of the five towns has at least one playground. Here, the kids and I enjoy the offerings in Vernazza.

Anna in Monterosso

Anna and King Triton

Along the Sentiero dell'Amore (Lover's Walk) between Riomaggiore and Manarola.

Via Roma in Riomaggiore.

Taking a break after the walk to Manarola.

Since we arrived in Siena, Christopher has been asking for more trains. He got his fill on this vacation.

Here is a picture of the inside of San Francesco in Montorroso al Mare.

Anna plays hopscotch!

It was a wonderful vacation in a beautiful place. As we drove home on Tuesday there were sad faces in the back seat and requests to return. I only hope that we can honor the request sooner than later.