Monterosso Al Mare, Italy (September 13-14, 2009)
To celebrate our 40th & 50th birthdays my sister & I went to Italy for two weeks. Our first two days were spent in Monterosso Al Mare. It's part of five coastal towns that make up the Cinque Terre. They are all connected together by one of the most amazing hiking trails that hug the cliffs along the Lingurian Sea.
After a mammoth airplane ride to Florence we clumsily navigated through the Florence train station & made our way to Monterosso. The ride lasted about three hours which put us in town around 5:30 pm. After checking into our hotel, which wasn't the easiest place to find, we hit the town and started exploring the city. We found a great restaurant, had a fun yet limited conversation with some of the local residents & went to sleep to get rested for the next day. The weather was perfect so we kept the windows open the entire trip. There was something nice about going to sleep with the sound of forks hitting plates & the muffled sounds of the city. During the night a huge storm rolled in which lasted off and on for the next four days.
We woke up to cool weather & occasional rain bursts that lasted most of the morning. From our room window we could see a cemetery at the top of the hill that overlooked the entire town. We decided we would start our adventure there. After a nice breakfast on the roof of our hotel we hit the streets.
Our first stop on the way to the cemetery was at the Church of San Giovanni Battista (The Church of St. John the Baptist) which was built between 1244 & 1307. The facade is made up of alternating vestments of black and white marble.
To the right of the Church of San Giovanni Battista is the Oratory of the Dead. This is a 16th century confraternity (a religious Rotary club) which is the oratory of the Black Group whose mission was to arrange for funerals, to take care of widows, orphans & the shipwrecked. On the ceiling is the symbol of the confraternity: a skull, crossbones, and an hourglass symbolizing how death awaits us all.
The narrow walkways throughout the city were tons of fun to explore. You never knew what you would find around the corner.
The trail up the hill of San Cristoforo to the cemetery passed through olive trees, lemon trees, grapevines & private gardens. The cemetery was great. The majority of the graves were above ground tombs with black and white photos of the deceased as well as wealthy family crypts.
Near the top of the cemetery, overlooking the town, is the town's holy sanctuary dedicated to Mary.
After going back down to the city we decided to hike up a trail called Salita dei Cappuccini which is nicknamed Zii di Frati (switchbacks of the monks). At the base we had a fun conversation with a group of watercolor artists traveling through Italy.
Near the base of the switchbacks is a German bunker left over from World War II & the Torre Aurora (Dawn Tower).
About half way up is a statue of St. Francis with a wolf.
Around the corner is the Capuchin Monastery & the Church of Saint Francis which was built in 1619.
At the top of the switchbacks is the same cemetery we visited earlier in the day & the remains of a ruined castle. In the Dark Ages the village huddled within this castle. It is 13th-century & is tucked behind the hill out of view from the sea so they would be safe from pirates.
We hiked over to the newer section of town to get some lunch and stopped in to explore another church.
It had these amazing statues on each side of the door.
We stopped off at a little sandwich shop, had a bite to eat and a few Moretti's.
After a late lunch we went over to explore the western side of town where there is the Il Gigante (The Giant) statue. It was built in 1910 & depicts Neptune. The statue lost it's arm during World War II.
That evening we had a rissoto called Fruitti di Mare (fruit of the sea). It had clams, squid & skampi. Nothing like having your food stare back at you. We met an interesting couple from California & ended up visiting late in the evening.
I'll post up pictures from Vernazza next. Stay tuned.
After a mammoth airplane ride to Florence we clumsily navigated through the Florence train station & made our way to Monterosso. The ride lasted about three hours which put us in town around 5:30 pm. After checking into our hotel, which wasn't the easiest place to find, we hit the town and started exploring the city. We found a great restaurant, had a fun yet limited conversation with some of the local residents & went to sleep to get rested for the next day. The weather was perfect so we kept the windows open the entire trip. There was something nice about going to sleep with the sound of forks hitting plates & the muffled sounds of the city. During the night a huge storm rolled in which lasted off and on for the next four days.
We woke up to cool weather & occasional rain bursts that lasted most of the morning. From our room window we could see a cemetery at the top of the hill that overlooked the entire town. We decided we would start our adventure there. After a nice breakfast on the roof of our hotel we hit the streets.
Our first stop on the way to the cemetery was at the Church of San Giovanni Battista (The Church of St. John the Baptist) which was built between 1244 & 1307. The facade is made up of alternating vestments of black and white marble.
To the right of the Church of San Giovanni Battista is the Oratory of the Dead. This is a 16th century confraternity (a religious Rotary club) which is the oratory of the Black Group whose mission was to arrange for funerals, to take care of widows, orphans & the shipwrecked. On the ceiling is the symbol of the confraternity: a skull, crossbones, and an hourglass symbolizing how death awaits us all.
The narrow walkways throughout the city were tons of fun to explore. You never knew what you would find around the corner.
The trail up the hill of San Cristoforo to the cemetery passed through olive trees, lemon trees, grapevines & private gardens. The cemetery was great. The majority of the graves were above ground tombs with black and white photos of the deceased as well as wealthy family crypts.
Near the top of the cemetery, overlooking the town, is the town's holy sanctuary dedicated to Mary.
After going back down to the city we decided to hike up a trail called Salita dei Cappuccini which is nicknamed Zii di Frati (switchbacks of the monks). At the base we had a fun conversation with a group of watercolor artists traveling through Italy.
Near the base of the switchbacks is a German bunker left over from World War II & the Torre Aurora (Dawn Tower).
About half way up is a statue of St. Francis with a wolf.
Around the corner is the Capuchin Monastery & the Church of Saint Francis which was built in 1619.
At the top of the switchbacks is the same cemetery we visited earlier in the day & the remains of a ruined castle. In the Dark Ages the village huddled within this castle. It is 13th-century & is tucked behind the hill out of view from the sea so they would be safe from pirates.
We hiked over to the newer section of town to get some lunch and stopped in to explore another church.
It had these amazing statues on each side of the door.
We stopped off at a little sandwich shop, had a bite to eat and a few Moretti's.
After a late lunch we went over to explore the western side of town where there is the Il Gigante (The Giant) statue. It was built in 1910 & depicts Neptune. The statue lost it's arm during World War II.
That evening we had a rissoto called Fruitti di Mare (fruit of the sea). It had clams, squid & skampi. Nothing like having your food stare back at you. We met an interesting couple from California & ended up visiting late in the evening.
I'll post up pictures from Vernazza next. Stay tuned.
2 comments:
hi thank you for your info. that was great! i am hoping to go to cinque terre soon. i love the picture :)
Awesome photos! I love Monterosso!
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