Road less traveled

Well, actually, not quite. Cinque Terre has now become a pretty well-known vacation destination. However, thanks to the enormous efforts of the concerned parties, it has also become one of the most environmnetally protected region. For one thing, Cinque Terre is now in the list of UNESCO World Heritage. Even though by day time it is quite a busy touristy spot (or I should say spots, since Cinque Terre refers to a region made up by five adjacent cities, which are now well connected by train of 5 minutes away).

The best thing to do in the cities is to go hiking. I hiked from Vernnaza, the land I stayed, to Monterroso this morning. It was a 3km hike, around 2 hours, and it was quite dangerous, since some parts of the trail are very narrow by the cliff--it's so narrow that only a thin little guy like me has no troubles passing by. The trail was pretty steep too, but it's rewarding. The view just outside of Vernnza is magnificiant.

This trail has been until last century the only connection between the two cities, and it leads to the perception of Mediterranean landscape. The planted terraces testify that man has lived a hard life with persistence, and has created an admirable landscape.

It was a hard hike, but the fragrance of plants from the essential oils brought out by heat made the hike enjoyable.

And the breeze from Mediterranean Sea makes time irrelevant--it's such an oasis between sea and sky!

One thing though, I still can't accept anchovy, however it is famous in this area (and they served it fresh with lemon juice, unlike the saly cured American style). And talking about lemon, I finally got to see those that are as big as my palm!