After arriving in Florence I thought long and hard about how I would maintain my routine. Exercise and my morning cup-of-Joe was my main concern. Three doors down from my apartment was a splendid little coffee bar. I found lots of coffee bars around Florence…and a few where they greeted me like an old friend. Espresso is my drink of choice now. I discovered that espresso gives me the caffeine shot that I need without the constant urination. Remember my frustration with the public toilets. A favorite shop here at home makes espresso as good as the Italians.  

The exercise was not a problem either. The name of Study Aboard experience was, “The Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle”. There were students that had come to study the Tuscan “lifestyle”. Pedometers were provided for anyone who cared to wear them. In 4 weeks I walked over 160 miles.

The most amazing adventure was the train trip to a small village named Riomaggiore. I was a bit confused…because I was told we were going to Cinque Terre for a hike. Well little did I realize that this was a hike like none other…at least in my experience? I’m a city girl…I don’t hike.  But again….if you don’t have a car in the city…you DO hike. We walked everywhere. Florence University of the Arts is an urban campus…which means it is spread all over the city. It wasn’t hard to put over 160 miles on my treads (I had to buy 2 extra pair of shoes to handle the walking…or at least that is the reason I gave my hubby).  So my exercise was FULLY covered.

Back to my story!

Cinque Terre is a national park made up of 5 small villages on the Coast of “Ligure of Levante”.  The area was cut off to outsiders at one time. The 5 villages were only reached by the outside world ~ 100 years ago….when a railroad was built running through the villages. There’s also a chain of mountains that surrounds the villages. It was one of the most spectacular images I’d ever seen. I have uploaded pictures for your viewing pleasure in the picture section of this site.

I lot of people start the hike in the northern village of Monterosso. But the terrain is difficult and will make you want to throw in the towel before you finish the "9 mile" hike. My crew started at the southern edge of Cinque Terre…in Riomaggiore. From Riomaggiore to Manarola is very scenic and spectacular; the hike was beautiful…and nice and flat. As the hike progressed the terrain became more difficult to walk. We went up and around the sides of mountains. Some of the passages were so narrow, only one person could pass at a time. There were guard rails in some areas...and other areas only had the brush to stop a fall. When we arrived in Corniglia… I was in love. The village was quaint, and very Tuscan. We walked right in front of people’s homes. I watch a woman put out her laundry and water plants. Along the trail many hikers stopped to eat lunch and fill their water bottles with mountain water. There were many refueling stations, carved into the side of the mountains.  Our hike took us to Vernazza, where we had lunch. The last stretch of the hike was closed (Vernazza to Monterosso) due to falling rocks. It was music to my ears. All in all I hiked about 7 miles in 5 hours.

It’s called the Italian Riviera. What a ruggedly gorgeous jewel…a small piece of heaven. It’s really a destination…not someplace you go to for a hike. I highly recommend it. I did make it to Monterosso….by train. There was a beach....you could see beautiful umbrellas....with all the same patterns.... for miles. The beach was the cherry on top!  

Exercise and caffeine…………..Yes…I was able to keep my routine.

More about my adventures later!

Ciao Bella

Le Greta