ITALIAN RIVIERA

I have two things to say about the Italian Riviera; 1) its breathtaking and 2) its PACKED!! And it isn’t even supposed to get crowded until after May! I think too many American’s are reading Rick Steve’s book.

We are staying at the gatepost of the Cinque Terre National Park. It is a series of towns connected by walking paths. Up until the 20^th century there were no connections between these towns- they just existed on their own built into the hillsides farming grapes for wine and olive trees. Those both still exist today, but clearly tourism has become a big part of their local economy.

Still I have to say, its one of the most unique places that we’ve ever experienced before. Here are some pictures that show where we are. If you picture Italy in your head, we are like in the shin bone of the boot!