Cinque Terre

Two weekends ago my “Architecture in Italy” class went to Cinque Terre. We took Harry Potter type trains to a town called Le Spezia (these were even more like the Harry Potter train because 6 of us had our own cabin and there was a Snape-like looking man outside our door). In Le Spezia we went to a local restaurant which was known for its Farinatas which is a pizza type food, which was delicious. Then we went to a town outside of Cinque Terre called Fassola and visited some houses on the coast that were being renovated (this part was for class). It was so beautiful because the whole neighborhood was on a cliff right by the water. That night we went to a fancy seafood restaurant at the first Cinque Terre town called Riomaggiore. I ordered grilled salmon and penne, and this was my first time ordering seafood at a restaurant. I must say it was one of the best meals I’ve had in my life. Then we went to a bar (with our professor) and he had us order limoncellas, which is the local alcoholic beverage that everyone drinks. It was a little too strong and a little too lemony for my liking.

            After that we headed to our hostel. This was my first true hostel experience and everything went smoothly. There were four girls total in my room and we had bunk beds. We got breakfast at the hostel in the mornings and there were showers to use. Also, our room had a beautiful view of the town, Biassa. So I have no complaints about my first hostel experience.

            The following day we went on a cliff walk between the first 3 towns which was absolutely gorgeous. Then we tooka train to twon 5 and went swimming in the Mediterranean sea! It was colder than I expected, but a lot of fun. Then we hiked from town 5 to town 4 on a very strenuous trail. It was exhausting but worth the hike because of the beautiful views. That night we ate at a local restaurant by our hostel and I’m pretty sure this was the best meal I have had in my life. We had pasta that was rolled by hand with homemade pesto sauce on it…Troffie de Pesto, or something like that. Then the second course was a pita type thing (which we saw them make in front of us) with Italian meats such as prociutto, salami, and Italian cheese. Soooo delicious. Pesto originated in Cinque Terre as well as foccaccia (which I had for lunch).

            The next morning, we woke up and headed to Genova. We got to see Christopher Columbus’ house which was really neat. Also, we took an elevator to the top of the city, and had a spectacular view up there. We learned a little about the architecture in Genova also. I had a fun time with all the girls in my class (9 of us) and my professor.