Your Italy retro Virtual Vacation continues as Thor and I walk the path between Cinque Terre villages and take some beach time.
NOTE: Since European travel is still a no-go with the pandemic continuing, I’m continuing my blog series offering a virtual vacation and time-travel to my first big trip with Thor in 2008. Italy! After starting with highlight photos posted here on Saturday, Jan. 30, I’ll now resume every week (after the blogging detour in real time to Hawaii). Join us in Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, and Milan. Buon viaggio!
The clouds continued in and out, and the sea was stirred up, but we had another hot day for the 15-minute, easy walk from our room in Riomaggiore to the next village, Manarola. This section of the Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path) is the popular Via Dell’Amore (Path of Love, or Lover’s Lane).
Sadly, Lover’s Lane was one of the sections severely damaged by the terrible mudslides and rockslides of 2011 (see my previous post in this series), and it’s been closed since then. There is reconstruction happening, with reopening of this very popular trail possible in 2023 or 2024. We were ready for a swim to cool off, but decided to pass on this detour:
We enjoyed charming Manarola, the oldest of the five villages and still lively with winemaking, tourism, and fishing. The central road, once a stream, and the quay are lined with fishing boats hauled up, since there is no natural harbor.
With the help of some concrete, these boulders make for a sheltered swimming spot, but Thor and I were on a different mission….
We had heard about the “paradise naturist destination” of Guvano Beach, where bathing European style — sans swimsuits — was the norm. So we boarded the train for the next coast section to Corniglia Station.
Disembarking, we followed a stairway down to the entrance of a tunnel that would lead to the beach past the next headland. The entrance was guarded by a rather intimidating metal door operated by a pneumatic arm. When we took a deep breath and pressed the button, a deep growl emanated from the gateway, like some beast warning us from the darkness inside. But I’ve rarely been known to turn down a dare.
(For more exciting door action, here’s a YouTube video that Thor made on the way back: https://youtu.be/P-oX_Q6tjVE )
We stumbled along in the mostly dark for 1.5 kilometers, wondering what exactly we were stepping on in the dankness. (Note to self: Next tunnel, bring a flashlight.)
Light ahead, and most welcome!
We had paid a fee at the start of the tunnel, but the wily tavern-keepers at the beach end tried to make us pay a second fee to them. Instead, we bought refreshments and admired the multitude of cats inhabiting the open-air structure. (Only a couple are captured in this shot.)
At last — Guvano Beach! The sky had gone a bit overcast again, but it was still plenty hot enough to enjoy several swims in the clear, cool sea washing the pebble beach.
“I’m alive!” There’s nothing like a sea bathe for a natural, rejuvenating spa experience. And there was another of those marvelous springs cascading down over the rock-reinforced cliff for a freshwater rinse afterwards. Then a picnic of wine, cheese, bread, and grapes to complete a fabulous day. Grazie!
Next week: Farewell to Cinque Terre
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
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