Tuscany

Today we awoke to a rooster crowing and horses neighing right below our window (sigh).  The joys of Agro Tourismo--when you stay at an agrigultural or pseudo-agricultural place such as a family farm.  The government evidently gives families a tax break or some other incentive if they also rent rooms for tourists.  It is a way for family farms or other such enterprises to stay in business plus increases the number and variety of places for tourists to stay without building more hotels.   Randy went for a lengthy walk early this morning while the children and I slept in.  It was a very eccentric place, though a bit down-at-the heels.    

Then, after breakfast, we left and went to the third of the five towns, Corniglia (photo below).  Cute town, much like the others, then we walked to the next town, Vernazza.  Because the paths are a national park, you need to buy a pass to enter.  The man selling us the path said that it was an hour walk, the sign said an hour and a half.  Neither said that it was an hour and a half uphill almost the whole way  (It was 382 steps just to reach the path!  They have a sign.)    It was a more interesting path than the other, which had been merely a sidewalk with steps built down to each of the towns.  This was through (and above!) the countryside and much more strenuous, over gravel paths and uphill.  The sea was visible part of the time, but it was difficult to enjoy the view when you had to constantly watch your step.  As we got closer to Vernazza, the path became more difficult to negotiate due to the numerous landslides of last October.  Evidence of the work included new retaining walls and bags of cement (?) or other materials scattered around.  In one part, we had to walk on the bags to descend, another walk on a wooden construction bridge, and a third, walk on planks placed over an open space.  In Vernazza, you could see evidence of the landslides.  Photos were on a wall of how high the mud had been.  The town had been evacuated for several months and they did not have water or electricity for a few months after that.  The work must have been immense.  Some buildings were freshly painted, while others had peeling paint and scars up to the level of the mud (often the entire first floor had been covered).  Vernazza was a pretty town as well.  

We had spent so much time on the walk to Vernazza, we didn’t have time to walk to Monterosso, so we took the train and walked around.  The first part of the town focuses on the beach.  You have to pay to enter the beach and then, you may need to pay also for the changing stalls and chairs and umbrellas.  There is not really any space between the rows of side-by-side chairs and umbrellas set up.   Going to the beach is not an inexpensive activity.  I’m not sure how much they charged, but since it was almost full they certainly made money.  It’s not even a sandy beach--its sand until you get to the rocks next to the water.   

After you go through a tunnel, you get to the main part of the tunnel, behind the hillside across from the  beach.  Monterosso also has damage from the landslides that can be seen on the buildings.  They also have photos set up and were collecting money for landslide relief.  

We left the Cinque Terre much later than we had expected, and proceeded to Pisa.  You could see the leaning tower from the road.  But to get to it, you had to park, negotiate some parking deal with a man walking around (scam?) and walk past hundreds of booths selling souvenirs.  Once there, it was fun to see and funny to watch tourists representing numerous countries of the world taking pictures of each other trying to hold the tower up!  We, of course, took the obligatory photos of the children holding the tower up, bought some cheap souvenirs, and headed back to the car.  When we had arrived, a man talked to us in Italian and bought us a parking ticket.  When we returned, we had to pay him 2 euros (the ticket was 1 euro 30).  So he must be making 70 cents per car that he talks to.  In a public parking spot.  Oh, well, support the local economy.  

Then we drove to our apartment.  Getting to Siena worked fine, with the maps,  watching the signs very carefully, and taking a few good guesses.  Then came to finding the apartment itself.  That took quite a bit of turning around and incorrect guesses because there are no signs or labels.  Eventually we got here.  Luckily we had stopped for dinner and breakfast groceries on the way because the stores were closed and are also closed Sunday.  We are in one part of a huge old farmhouse (originally housing 50 inhabitants) which has been divided into 4 (?) apartments.  We share a pool.  Our apartment has two bedrooms, a large public room, two bathrooms and a loft with a duvet.  Joshua called the loft.  The girls have the bedroom with the attached 3/4 bathroom.  We all use the shower there because the other is a tub with an attached hand-held shower attachment, but no shower curtain or door.  Every place we’ve stayed in has had the hand-held shower attachment.  We even have a dishwasher and washing machine.  The only thing we’re missing is wi-fi :(   So this may end up being posted later.  Randy thinks he may have found a wi-fi place in one of the neighboring villages; other than that we would have to go to Siena.  You can’t have everything!