Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a region in Liguria, in northwestern Italy near La Spezia, where the coast starts to curve towards Monaco and France. It refers to five colorful villages perched on the rocky cliffs that are available mainly by train, foot or boat. The landscapes are simply stunning, the beaches idyllic, and the water warm and gentle. Paradise perhaps?

The gang in front of the beach at Monterosso al Mare.

The beautiful beach of Monterosso al Mare with the colourful umbrellas for rent.

The boat we took to travel from one village to the next.

The ladies are testing the water.

Joy seems to approve.

Joy, Dorcas, Vicki, and Tristan on the boat.

StairMasters are not needed in Cinque Terre.

Vernazza viewed from up on the cliff.

Tristan showing his sense of fashion on the way to the beach.
He forgot his flip flops at home…

Tristan, Joy and Vicki enjoying the warm water of the Mediterranean.

A smaller beach in Monterosso.

Vicki enjoying the boat ride.

Tristan, Joy and Vicki.

The village of Corniglia.

Approaching Manarola.

Young and brave people jumping off a rock outcrop right in the small harbour of Manarola. Crazy!

The view of Manarola from the restaurant where we ate a delicious lunch. 

Perhaps the tastiest focaccia ever!

Modern art meets traditional architecture in Manarola.

Mario

Cooking class in Tuscany

One of the highlights of the trip was the cooking lesson we took at the International Academy of Italian Cuisine in Lucca with Chef Gianluca Pardini. Chef Gianluca is warm, patient, and clearly enjoys sharing his love of good food. We worked together under his supervision and learned to make oven-roasted peppers, bread and tomato salad, home-made pasta with zucchini, herb-crusted chicken, and peach tiramisu. Everything was delicious and Chef Gianluca made us feel very comfortable. A great experience!

Michael H. and Tristan preparing the zucchinis.

Maggie and Alan working on the peppers.

Joy preparing the tiramisu molds.

Assembly line for the tiramisu, along with a visitor from Holland who joined us.

Listening to Chef Gianluca's instruction on how to make pasta.

He clearly loves to cook.

Joy working the pasta dough.

Tristan and Joy learning how to roll the pasta dough evenly.

Dorcas joining in under the watchful eye of Gianluca.

Some of the pasta was cut by hand, and some by using a machine.

Getting ready to assemble the bread and tomato salad.

Vicki and Tristan adding some fresh basil to the salad.

The salad is ready!

At the table outside getting ready to start.

The setting on the covered patio was lovely.

Vicki and Maggie attacking the chicken.

Vicki with her tiramisu.

Delicious peach tiramisu. Fresh and original.

A wonderful meal and new cooking skills that we hopefully might be able to use back in Toronto.

Mario

Lucca in daytime

Lucca is a beautiful walled city located in Tuscany, between Florence and Pisa. It is rich in history and has a lot to offer with many restaurants, shops, and walking through the narrow streets or on top of the wall. The house we rented was well situated just outside the wall. It was also a perfect starting point to explore that region of Tuscany. Here’s a quick overview of the city during daytime.

Overview of Lucca.

Another view.

The beautiful Torre Guinigi with small oak trees growing on the top.

Vicki and Mario on top of Torre Guinigi.

And Kate.

The outside wall added by Napoleon.

One of the main gates to access the city.

The top of the wall is now a beautiful tree-lined promenade. Great at any time of the day.

Inside the wall are gorgeous old houses, many like this one with rooftop patios.

Another beautiful house.

The streets inside the wall can be narrow and traffic is very limited.
These small Piaggio three-wheelers are very practical and popular. Tristan wants one.

The beautifully ornate church of San Michele in Foro, dating back from the 1100's.

The Basilica of San Frediano, also dating back to the 1100’s.

Close up of the 13^th Century mosaic of the Ascension of Christ made in Byzantine style.

A view of Lucca from the wall, with Torre Guinigi in the distance.

There is a large market once a week that offers lots of goodies.

Including delicious cheese, like the one made by this very proud artisan who had driven from Reggio Emilia in the morning.

Lucca was once a very important silk center and there are still a few artisans left. This very charming scarf maker will be going to New York in the fall to launch his own brand. Vicki could not resist getting one of his scarfs. But not this one. It would have required a new mortgage...

This dress is perfect for Peter and Alice who introduced us to their own concept of confidence level.

Vicki really enjoyed Lucca.

Mario