Pisa

We arrived in Pisa in the afternoon and set off on our Tower Quest. We’d walked about halfway there when the storm that had been brewing in Manarola hit Pisa.

We took shelter under a covered walkway.

Pisa is beautiful in the rain.

It started to hail. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

We ducked into this shop for espresso and sustenance. Eventually the rain lessened, and we continued our journey to the Tower.

Zach held the umbrella over the camera so I could take this picture.

The Mediterranean Sea

I grew up a mile from the Pacific Ocean, but this was my first view of the Mediterranean Sea. (Technically, the ocean off Cinque Terre is called the Ligurian Sea.) I was amazed first at the deep teal color of the water. The Pacific tends towards blues and grays. Second, I couldn’t believe how calm it was on the day we arrived. The Pacific, contrary to its name, always has waves.

This is an early morning shot of the main swimming area for Manarola. There is no sand, but people bask on the rocks and on the cement ramp.

We went swimming at the second beach because fewer people go there. If you enlarge the photo, you can see a ladder by the little breakwater. The water was surprisingly salty which made it easy to float.

I wasn’t the only person fascinated with the ocean.

See what I mean about the color?

On Sunday, the water started to get rougher.

A storm was blowing in.

Whitewater

Close up

Manarola

Manarola is a magical little town on the Mediterranean Sea. The time we spent here was the best part of our trip. We climbed its hills, ate its wonderful pesto and pastries and swam in the lovely little cove. Many thanks to Kristen Wolden Nitz for suggesting we visit Cinque Terre.

Manarola is the second town in Cinque Terre. From south to north, they are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso. On this trip, we saw Riomaggiore (briefly) and Manarola. I guess we’ll have to go back to catch the rest.

I'm going to have to get a polarizing filter or figure out how to use GIMP to make the sky bluer. The above shot was taken in the early morning.

This is from the top of the town, looking down. Note the terraces for grapevines.

You can see the breakwater that protects the little harbor. When the weather gets rough, they lift the boats up up to the town with a winch.

This is where they grow grapes for wine. Someone calculated that there is more stone in the terraces of Cinque Terre than in the Great Wall of China. I have no way to verify this.

Cropped sunset

Manarola at night.

Overheard #165

"There are interesting things you can do when you integrate into the complex plane."

Via dell’ Amore

We traveled next to Cinque Terre, or Five Lands. They are small towns perched on the cliffs over the Mediterranean Sea. It was a gorgeous place, and I took a zillion pictures. In an effort to divide them into manageable blog posts, I’ll have one post on Via dell’Amore, one on the town of Manarola and one on the ocean.

The five towns were quite isolated until a railway line was built in the 1920s, and a trail was made between Riomaggiore, the first (southern most) town and its northern neighbor, Manarola. Landslides closed the path until after WWII when it was reopened and became a meeting place for boys and girls from the two towns. A journalist coined the name, and the path became Cinque Terre’s lover’s lane.

A hiking trail and a railroad now connect all five towns. Due to a landslide between Manarola (town #2) and Corniglia (town #3) and a railroad strike, we only saw Manarola. This was hardly a hardship, and we hope to return to see the rest.

Our first glimpse of Manarola as we walked along Via dell’ Amore from the train station in Riomaggiore.

These fences protect hikers from landslides.

A better view of the coast.

The rocks and retaining walls of Via dell’ Amore are covered with amorous graffiti. It is also traditional for couples to leave a small padlock attached to the fences as a token of undying love. This is the iconic statue for Via dell’ Amore, complete with padlocks. People also tie strings, bits of plastic bags or anything they can find to the fence.

We added a ribbon.

Sunset

Another sunset – because I can’t take this kind of shot in mid-Michigan.

Seagull

Lucca

The resort arranged a brief afternoon trip to Lucca. I’m sure there is more to this town than we had time to discover.

The town is still enclosed by its ancient wall and has expanded upward, not outward. From the streets, all you can see is tall, old buildings rising above you. In some places, even the wall isn’t visible.

Throughout history, Lucca has had three walls. The first was a rectangular structure built by the Romans. A larger stone wall was built in medieval times. When cannons were invented, the medieval wall was reinforced. The Lucchesi built a 100-foot wide mound of dirt faced with bricks and devoted a third of their income for a hundred years to its construction. As it turned out, none of the other city states ever attacked Lucca. Now the wall has been converted to a park with a bike path, lawns and trees. The rounded area you see in the picture was where they used to have cannons.

Lucca was known for its silk trade and wealthy merchants flaunted their affluence by building towers. At one time the Lucca had 160 towers. This is in a space enclosed by a wall with a circumference of only 2.5 miles. The most famous is Torre Guinigi. We had a hard time finding it because you can’t see it behind other the tall buildings. I had to take a picture into the sun, but it was the only glimpse I was likely to get. This tower has a rooftop garden, but we didn’t have time to take the tour.

A lovely old church.

The view from the train station while we waited to travel to Cinque Terre.

Overheard #164

"It’s outgrown its etymology."

Barga

The ancient town of Barga is a short drive from Il Ciocco, and the conference organizers arranged an afternoon trip to visit this ancient walled city. As we waited for the shuttle bus, my husband asked if I had my camera. I'd left it in the room! I ran up six flights of steps to retrieve it, forgetting about the altitude. (Gasp).

This cathedral is Barga's crowning glory.

Some of the windows are made of thin slices of marble, so the inside of the duomo was extremely dark. I learned later that you can pay a euro to turn on the lights and take pictures.

Having a wall around the town prevents urban sprawl. The cobblestone streets were delightfully shaded and cool on a hot September afternoon. We heard several music students practicing opera as we wandered around the town.

Click on the picture to see the detail in the carving.

Looking down a narrow street.

My next post will be about Lucca.

Il Ciocco

We went to Italy because my husband was asked to speak at a scientific conference held at the Il Ciocco resort in Tuscany.

I took a picture of the Maritime Alps through the airplane window although I didn't expect it to come out.

This is from our balcony. It was a bit hazy, but the views were breathtaking.

This is a nearby vinyard. If you click on the picture to enlarge, you'll be able to see solar panels behind the white building.

This old house picked up the glow from the setting sun.

The sun setting behind the mountains. The conference ran from Sunday evening through Friday morning. They held sessions in the mornings and evenings and let the scientists out in the afternoons to enjoy the resort, hike, or visit nearby towns. While the meettings were in session, I looked out over these views and worked on my newest novel.

The ancient town of Barga as seen from the terrace of Il Ciocco. My next post will show pictures from our excursion to Barga.

Overheard #163

"Napping is my superpower."

On My Way Home

The Paris airport allows 15 minutes of free Wi Fi, so here I am. It was a wonderful trip, and as soon as I dig my way out from under the laundry and get my photos organized, I'll be back to write about the details.

An Award!

Sue Bradford Edwards was kind enough to give my blog this award. I'm supposed to write about myself and nominate other bloggers. I'll do my homework when I return from Italy. In the meantime, I wanted to say how delighted I am.

(As a fun note, I logged on through Google Italia. When I spell-checked, it marked almost all of the words - because they're not Italian.  J)

Sunday

The palate is changing to green and gold. Fall is coming.

Overheard #162

"Morning walks are good for realizing what you might already know."

Intermittent Blogging

On Friday, I’m going to Italy. I’ve never been to Europe, and I can’t wait.

I won’t be blogging much for the next couple weeks. I have some photos scheduled for Sunday and an Overheard coming up on Friday, but I suspect my posts will be haphazard for a while. I hope to have lots of pictures and stories when I get back.

Random Acts of Publicity and the Royal Family of Montmaray

 A Brief History of Montmaray and The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper (Alfred A. Knopf) describe the fictional royal family of the imaginary island kingdom of Montmaray. The first two books in the series take place in the turbulent period between the World Wars. If you’re a Dorothy L. Sayers fan, this series will bring back fond memories of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. The British upper classes happily ignored the political upheaval and the suffering of the poor in favor of tea parties and debutant balls.

Cooper has created a fascinating cast of characters. The setting is rich and the history fascinating. I’m looking forward to the third book in the series.

The first two books in the Montmaray Journal series were recommended to me by Amy Huntley. Check out her webpage and blog, and definitely read her book, The Everafter.

Sunday

I love the color blue.

Overheard #161

"It takes no courage to do something you’re an expert at."