We intended to get up early and set out on a hike from Vernazza to Monterosso, but you know how that goes. How can you not spend a few moments in the covers, with the windows open and the sound of the waves coming into the marina?
We had decided to take the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso because we read that the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza started with 700 steps!! 700 steps??
700 steps.
Better to go down them than up them, we say!
So, we took the train to Vernazza.
And somehow, we got off in Monterosso. whoops.
700 steps, here we come!
But first, we need sandwiches. We found yummy "chicken and mayonnaise" sandwiches in a little shop near the beach and grabbed an extra water.
Okay...now 700 steps, here we come!
Luckily, the stairs were not all right at the beginning. I think they were counting how many stairs there were until you reached the peak.
They came in spurts. Some of them were very long spurts.
But this trail was gorgeous. There were so many interesting things to see, and walk through and climb over. It was not boring.
This is the mark for the Monterosso -> Vernazza trail. If you see this stripe, you are not lost.
We reached the summit and we could see the Ligurian coast and see how each village was nestled in between the hills.
There is Corniglia, you can see its stronghold there on the end.
As we came down into Vernazza, we ran came upon two ladies that were headed the other way to Monterosso. It was starting to get pretty warm and they were huffing and puffing. They stopped to ask us how hard did we think it was going to be? They were also wearing no shirts!! There they were, standing in their white and beige playtex bras!! They didn't bat an eye, so we didn't either...lol. We told them that it was challenging but they could do it! Just take lots of breaks and enjoy the views!
When they hiked past us, we both started laughing....what in the world was that?!?
Not long after, we were walking down into Vernazza.
This was the moment when we were so glad that we got off in the wrong town. You can't beat that sight. And do you know what? We could hear the Accordian Man playing! His song was floating right up to us from somewhere in Vernazza!
When we came all the way down the trail, it dumped us right out onto a street in the middle of the town. I turned around and took this picture... this is what the "trailhead" to Monterosso looks like!:
We were pretty tired from our hike, so we didn't stick around in Vernazza too long, although it seemed like they were having a market day in the main "square" (there are not really any squares in Vernazza....just like, lot's of twisty, windy spots).
We went back through the blue tunnel and guess who was there?
The Accordian man!
He beat us back from Vernazza!
The rest of the day was spent snoozing, reading and eating new flavors of gelato. And of course we went back to the beach...our last Italian sunset!
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