We had one afternoon, one full day and two nights to explore Cinque Terre, a coast on the Italian Riviera consisting of five villages (Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore).

We stayed in Corniglia, climbing 365 steps to reach the town’s center as it sits the highest above the water. We were greeted by our AirBnBer’s father, Beppe. He spoke very little English but that didn’t stop him from giving us a full tour of the apartment and how to use everything in it – using hand gestures and facial expressions until we completely understood every point. He left us with coffee, tea, his homemade jam and crackers. The apartment was adorable but really not meant for anyone over 5’6″. At 6’5″, Jon spent most of his time sitting or hunched over (even in the shower).

The area really seems to take advantage of the off-season, as many shops and restaurants were closed. Unfortunately this meant that most of the hiking trails were closed as well which is what you come to Cinque Terre to do! We made the most of it. We explored our village on our first night then dined while overlooking the ridge and water. As this is a quieter area with zero nightlife, we took advantage of the evenings to relax… to cuddle up with a movie and get some very needed sleep after the hustle of Rome.

On our full day, we used the local train to visit each village since most trails were closed. We saw churches, ruins of castles, beaches and more… We ate gelato and soaked our feet in the Caspian Sea… We peeked our heads into shops, loving the handmade items and the boutiques… We got more gelato and started our hike from Vernazza to Monterosso. It was so warm, I couldn’t imagine how hot would be in summer. We came across small ledges and adorable bridges. We saw stunning views of the villages. We watched the sun begin to set as we arrived in Monterosso and drank wine by the water in the final moments of it’s descent.

It was perfect. It was romantic. I got lost in each moment then the reality of sharing in it with my ex-ish boyfriend began to set in. It was easy to sink back into ‘us’, but what divided us originally came to the surface again. We had a few long talks about everything there could possibly be to talk about. My heart was beginning to tear again but I wanted to enjoy my last few days with the man that I love so dearly, even if it meant there was no future. I had to reset my brain to focus on enjoying this time together.

Moments in Cinque Terre:
–Using a bidet for the first time… I’m not sure if I did it right but it sure did feel wrong.
-Taking the train to each village and walking around… though they are close, they are all unique and have distinct vibes and sights.
-Eating gelato and hiking. Does it get any better?
-The views from on the hike from Vernazza to Monterosso.
-Finding another random cat sanctuary on our hike… Why are there so many strays in Italy?

Food and drink highlights:
-We had the tastiest gelato at the beginning of our hike in Vernazza… we ate gelato every day but this was our favorite.
-The food was not worth mentioning except for one dish… this region is known for their pesto and we certainly discovered why (I wish I knew their secret)!
-We had wine made from the grapes in the region, that was a treat!

Language highlights:
–hand gestures: they can communicate more than you’d think (especially if you are Italian!)

AIRPORTS: 13
FLIGHTS: 15
TRAINS: 4
BUSES: 3
STATES: 7
COUNTRIES: 6
CONTINENTS: 3
DAYS TRAVELING: 103
CURRENCIES: 5