Via Dell'Amore

Sunday, 6/26

We had hoped to rise early and be on the trail by 9 am, but our dorm like room proved to be very much like a hostile,when at 2 am, giggling, shouting, and singing heralded the return of most of the occupants from their night's carousing. (We should have asked them where they went, as they had obviously tapped into a night life of which we were unaware...) Anyhow, sleep somewhat interrupted, we were on the train by 10 to explore the other local towns. After only a fifteen minute train ride we were in Rigomaggiore, the town furtherst East or down the coast in the Cinque Terra. Here lies the most famous hike of the region; The "Pathway of Love", a notoriously romantic walk. While the view was breathtaking, tourists plagued this sight. Romance can be hard to come by when the wizzened woman in front of you is slathering her husband's hairy back with sunblock... (but love does take different forms throughout the generations, even such a display has its place on the the romantic road.) The amazing view of the ocean was the key feature. However this is also a cult sight for lovers, so on every rock, plaque, handrail and cactus you find lovers grafitti. "Paulo and Katherina forever", love poems scrawled in sharpie, declarations in magic marker, proclamations of eternal love scratched into the very leaves of a cactus. At first glance, as a nature lover and someone who respects historic sites, I was appalled. But as the pure girth of loving words and thoughts grew around me, I was amazed at how many people wanted to document and keep there love in someway beyond the confines of their relationship. Perhaps the strangest of all rituals were the locks of love. All sorts; combination locks, key locks, bike locks, attached to any anchor; a fence, a handrail, an archway, nets, a tree branch even. This is meant to be a symbol that their love is locked here, forever preserved and marked by initials so many tourists have scrawled on the locks. As Greg and I walked hand in hand, we agreed we didn't need a rock or a lock to keep our love here. We know without question how we feel, but we were none the less impressed by this memorial to love built by so many locals and visitors who feel the need to document their love on this lovely stroll overlooking the sea. Back on the train in the next town, Manarola we rode by Corniglia unmoved to get off and explore until we reached Vernazza. Here we explored shops and the local beach. We considered a boat ride, but the boat was spilling over with tourists and was so crowded, we opted to take the cheaper air conditioned train back to our home base. Back in Monterosso, we visited the focacceria for airy focaccia bread topped with pesto and mozzarella for a quick inexpensive lunch. Tired from our travels and the relentless sun, we hit the hotel for siesta, when we emerged the streets were transformed. While we slumbered the city had been preparing for some sort of festival. The streets were blanketed in carpets of flower petals that created the effect of having spread out formal and detailed rugs. Much like the Native Americans of the Southwest create intricate sand paintings, several of the main drags had been laid down with coffee grounds, tiny tomatoes, flower petals, and vegetation creating intricate designs. We settlde into one of the best seafood ristorantes in town just in time to see the procession past the duomo with flags and hooded figures. I wish we understood more about what was being celebrated, but it was beautiful. Nearly as beautiful as our meal was. We had spied this ristorante while making our laps last night. They throw their kitchen window open wide so that passerby can admire the cooking techniques but even more so the outstanding fresh array of fish and shellfish they have displayed on ice. We tried grilled scampi (heads, eyes, legs and all....very daring for vegetarians, or as we are saying on this trip...flexitarians). Not full yet we opted to add the mista frita (mixed fried fish; prawns, calamari, and anchovies). It is by far the most indulgent meal we have allowed our budget thus far, so we decided while we were splurging to try the house specialty dessert of homemade vanilla ice cream with whiskey and honey. We were even able to make some recommendations to a couple from Melbourne who were just being seated. All in all an outstanding meal. We walked down to the shore to dip our toes and fingers in the sea and made a few more rounds before heading homeward. A romantic walk and a delightful dinner, these lovers are happy with how we spent our day at the seaside.