After the beautiful reset of Lake Bolsena and a quick stop to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Scamper rolled on towards the colourful coastline of Cinque Terre.
We based ourselves in Levanto, which turned out to be a pretty spectacular place in its own right — a glorious beach, beautiful water and the perfect spot for some amazing beach time before deciding that what our relaxing coastal stay really needed was… a hike. 😂
So, naturally, we set off from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza.
Now, this hike is absolutely spectacular.
It is also hot.
And steep.
And there are a LOT of stairs.
About halfway through, the children announced that they were completely exhausted and physically incapable of continuing.
Remarkably, however, scientists will be interested to learn that even when a 10-year-old has absolutely no energy remaining for walking, there are apparently vast emergency energy reserves available for whinging.
Truly fascinating. 😂
But we made it — sweaty, tired and very proud of ourselves — and the views arriving into Vernazza made every step worth it.
Over our time there we managed to visit all five Cinque Terre villages — Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore — each one somehow impossibly perched between the mountains and the sea.
And, because apparently Europe is actually just a very small neighbourhood, I somehow ran into a friend from work in one of the tiny Cinque Terre towns.
Of all the places.
On the other side of the world.
In a collection of villages clinging to cliffs on the Italian Riviera.
What are the chances?! 😂
Cinque Terre was one of those places that absolutely lived up to the pictures — colourful villages, dramatic coastline, beautiful swimming and some seriously impressive hiking.
And with our legs thoroughly punished and our gelato reserves replenished, it was time to point Scamper north again…
🍇 Next stop: Piemonte.
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