Ah Italy...

After a drive through the countryside and our first bites of pasta, we were well contented to be in Italy. It is a fitting end to our journeys. It is a great culture, we can explore, and we can share our experience over great food.

We have stayed the last three nights in Vernazza, one of the little towns on the Cinque Terre. These towns are perched on the hillsides and surrounded by the Meditteranean. The homes, considered Ligurian style, are all shades of pastel and cling to the rocks. It is absolutely beautiful. We spent our first day hiking between four of the towns. Quite the exercise but the views were well worth it. The towns are a bit sleepy for the winter, but the sun has been shining, and it is kind of nice to not have to fight the crowds.

Yesterday, we travelled by train to several towns up the coast. It was great to experience a Sunday in these towns. Everyone was out walking their babies, playing with the kids at the shore, reading the paper on the benches, or sharing a cappuccino. It was such a nice slow pace that we often miss in the States. We ended up in Portofino which was quite the swanky little yacht harbor. It has been the playground for the rich and famous for yeas. (Girls, I drooled my way through stores such as Gucci, Hermes, Missoni, Armani, and Ferragamo.) It was a great day of exploring.

Each of our days here have been finished off by great meals. As we are on the sea, we have been sampling the local fare. Fresh anchovies are one of the most popular. We have had them in pasta, on pizza, and in a stew. We have also had mussels in a variety of preparations. Supposedly, this is the birthplace of pesto as well, so Andy sampled that the other night. The pesto here has a much finer, thicker consistency...

That's it for now. Today we head to Florence via the back roads.