Cinque Terre

This feels very pressurised as there is no wifi so am paying per half hour! Anyway, spent yesterday in train from Nice - Monaco - Ventemiglia - Riomaggiore. The first French bit was stunning, although the train was pretty old and noisy. Then for some reason once we hit Ventemiglia lots of really rude noisy Italian children started getting on and also some really smelly guys trying to avoid the ticket controller. Also we spent most of the time in tunnels so couldn't enjoy the scenery any more. Anyway we duly arrived in Riomaggiore in the evening and took the hike up to our room which is fine and even has a balcony. The area is just like in the pictures - the beautiful colours and little villages on the hills and in the bays. But unfortunately it is absolutely PACKED with tourists. Today has been rainy but we walked between Monterosso and Vernazzo which was still lovely even in the rain with the steep, muddy paths and pretty heavy pedestrian traffic. After 2 hours of that we were drenched so stopped for ravioli and beers and coffee and then home for siesta.
Can't seem to do photos from here so will try another time.

Well it is another time now and I have just written another paragraph which the nasty Italian internet lost!! This country is very different from France in lots of ways. To get internet you have to present your passport and then pay through the nose as well. Actually this hotel tells me it is free since I am staying here but it just seems a very different attitude to tourists. Apparently they are very scared of terrorists! But not the French? Anyway, I will have to be brief now as somehow it is not the same writing something for a second time. I am not really sure how to describe our experience in Cinque Terre - it is absolutely beautiful but after 3 nights there we had had enough. The weather was grey and drizzly most of the time which didn't help, but today was lovely so we were planning to walk the paths we hadn't been able to do in the rain. But we soon gathered that they had closed the paths due to bad weather and it didn't look like they were going to open them again. So there were even more tourists milling about everywhere and there is only so much admiring the view that one can do. So we packed up this morning and embarked on another million trains to get to San Gimignano. Our spirits lifted as we got closer as the scenery is stunning and it is nice to be in this sort of countryside again. The hotel is right in the village and is lovely. So we dropped our bags and collapsed outside for a beer and a delicious thing which I think was a foccacia. We have 2 nights here and then start our 4 day walk to Siena. Hope this weather lasts.
I have given up on photos - maybe in Rome??

1st rainy day - looking back to Monterosso

coming in to Vernazza after about 2 hours walking in the rain

Vernazza