Week 5 Sestri Levante

We just learned today that all the trails linking the towns in Cinque Terre are closed due slide damage. This news was a big disappointment as this area was the highlight of our trip. Hence we decided to stay in Sestri Levante a little longer and take advantage of the local mountain hiking opportunities. S. Levante is a beautiful town with a long beachfront, but it was another beach, not visible from the town that was more interesting. The beach (Bay of Silence) is small and tucked away, but has lots of benches and a few bars/restaurants to sit and enjoy the beauty.

Our trek to Punta Manara was eventful, as Julie is squeamish when it comes to steep rocky trails. We went slowly and therefore took a little longer, but we eventually made it to our destination. On the return trip Julie did not like the trail and therefore we went a different route, which was not on my map. We were never lost, because I could see the town from the mountain top, but I didn’t know where the trail would lead us. The trail followed a tried up creek, and was equally steep and dangerous in certain areas. We came across a local hunter who helped us find our way. He was searching for wild pigeon that were migrating through Italy, but he told me that the timing was not quite right and therefore no success today. Much to Julie’s relief, we eventually found our way back to S. Levante.
The wedding crashers...yes we dropped in on a wedding ceremony and besides throwing confetti of rice and little paper cut-outs, also included were candies and fancy macaroni noodles. The candies were cleaned up quickly by all the kids.
Check out Picasa Week 5 photos Sestri Levante (CTRL+Link to open in a new tab)