Our adventure this time is by car. Because of different parts in Europe.
From Budapest we get to Graz where picked up our daughter with boy friend. Next four hours and we are in Treviso.

First day we spent in Venice, walking in narrow streets. I only ducked in to San Marco and was surprised – all beautiful floor covered with chairs and rugs. And the crowd of people…

We are first time in Venice in summer. And may be last.
Michelin restaurant was overpriced. And nothing special.
Vapouretto returned us to railway station.

From Treviso we took direction to Padova.
I wanted take a look on the biggest piazza and Resigemento. But in vain! Resigemento was half- closed, all around were minivans with food and clothes. The same was on Piazza… i didnt see its beauty and all 78 famous citizens were losted amid the cars….

In the morning we have a schedule trip to Capella Scrovigni. Breakfast was delay 5 min, we ate longer for 10 min and of course, I gave my reservation at 8-58…. 15 min later then expected)
Woman in ticket office was shoked. My reservation was for 9am, 18th of…March! Then I was petrified!  For today Capella was fully booked. Every 15 min 15 persons will enter.
After 5 min if discussion how full I am , museum staff allow us use thus strange ticket at 9-15.
I will not tell how impressive were blue frescoes of Gotto. Ge was Master. He was first in this agony faces, tears on the faces and strange positions of bodies. First and on of the best. And the whole world respect for those who invite Great Masters to make Masterpieces!
Its also pinacoteca inside monastery. I think it was small. No. Huge amount of different works. First i see Great Bellini. Portrait. And then chain of pictures.
Thus time i made a discovery for myself. I never liked Tintoretto and never understand why he is SO great. It was one room full of his pictures. I stayed inside. The room was alive. All bodies moved, turned, stretched their hands and legs. Tintoretto is the Master of Human body turns! All another pictures are dead.
And then I saw heads of Mazzoni. I need to check internet about this great sculptor. But his heads are something special – he was better then Tussaud was models, better then Pompeian volcano death sculptors.

It was time to go ahead. It was La Specia and Portovenere for swimming,  dinner and overnight.

Italians autopistas are very expensive. We paid, paid, paid. But 70km before Bolognia we found signs about traffic gems. And desided turn right on parallel road. This roads usually not so fast, with big amount of tiny villages, crossroads ext.
We moved and then strange advertise – lets visit our museum of Lambordgini! Bolognia is very industrial city. And a lot of famous brilliant car brends manufacturing here. Lambordgini was first we met.

Left side is modern building for sale and museum. Right side private company which propose good coffee and test drive (120 Euro per 10 min ……999 Euro per 2 hours) with co-pilot. This option was closed but museum worked.
I never saw before such a lot of beautiful cars together. Their colors and forms are undoubtedly industry masterpieces! This red made in the years when in our country every carrage on the wheels was a wonder….. Here also demonstrated film about Senna, his last minute of life, his speedy cars. Incredible! I am interesting in cars now!

We escape with numerous photoes and follow our way. Parma – motherland of melon and ham, solid parmesan and milky parmalat. Industrial zones, tubes, factories, cats. People here must be happy – they have a lot of work. They all do 7th economy in the world. May be 8th. It so no difference.

First Portovenere and then return to La Specia for overnight.

Cinquiterra (5terra) starts from Portovenere and ends in Levante.

Its numerous ways to explore and to live there. Reading internet i didnt understand how it works. But now I know.

Our case

1. Like we did. Left car in one place ( La Specia), take car or ferry ( like we did) to your final destination (Monterossa) And return by foot ( like we did) with overnights inside (Vernazza) to your final point (Riomagiore) and again by train to the start point ( La Specia).
Pluses
- we saw from all points – from sea, by foot, by train
- we explored all cities in 5terra
- we had 2 night in different places
- no need take tent or food
- very few things to keep with
- trains and boats are very very often!
Minuses
- expensive hotels
- expensive ferry

2. Stay in one hotel and make short train or boat trips into different villages with possibility walking between them
Pluses
- no need to carry something: arrive and enjoy
- you can explore as much as you want because very often trains and boats
Minuses
- this is the most expensive way

3. Stay in campground in Levante and make every day part of road or in one day and return again to camping be train
Pluses
- the cheapest way
- no need to carry luggage
Minuses
- return again and again the same place
- for trekker its not one line of villages but someyhing strange

Ok. We are in Portovenere which is protected by UNESCO. We found parking on the road 600m before the road turn back. We are lucky! Village is multi color and overcrowded. No place on beach. People, people. We found empty big stones in the shadow of protecting walls at the end of peninsular. Opposite us is paradise island. But i saw hundreds of people there. The water is warm – 26C. Here is boat traffic.
We swam, eat testy dinner and returned to La Specia.

Our car will wait for us in underground parking until we do Monterossa -Riomagiore by foot.

In the morning i change my mind – we will go to Monterossa by boat. Its 6 time more expensive and st least 5 time longer. But we will see our road and whole coast line.

20 min before noon we arrive to Monterossa. The boat all time was full of people. In every village hundred persons go out and in.

Its hot. Its very hot.
We rented 2 umbrellas and 4 sunbads. Haha! Its only 50Euros….. this piece of land is Golden …
The beach is pebble. People are everywhere.
I found famous giant. This statue is at the very end of village.

We stayed till 5pm. Now we need to hike by trail 2 to Vernazza. Nobody knows the real distance and challenge.  But as i know its not free.

Signs show us the direction and price -7,50. Expensive.
We hiked up and up. Around are vineyards on the slopes. Its stepy and i cannot understand how people can work here. From the shadow grassy cave farmer propose to us fresh limonade and limochello. Lemonade is so cold and refreshing!
Its not really long or hard walking. And we didnt pay, because it was too late and ticket office was ready to close. We pass free.

Entrance to Vernazza is beautiful. Bell tower of the Maria Antiochiyska Church was in one level with us. Then trail dropped into village near the sea.
Village like a gorge with very steepy slopes full of tall narrow houses. Multicolored, of course. And the bottom of this gorge is main street , full of shops, restaurants etc. Its ended with tiny harbor and sandy beach.

Our hotel was on the top of the rock. It was a web of streets as wide as one person can pass. After 3 times up and down i fell myself much stronger and healthy.
The terrasse for breakfast was also on the cliff! It would be fantastic!

Swim, dinner, sleeping.

Morning coffee and breakfast were really fantastic! When i get to terrasse i stay speechless for a moment. Terrasse drops vertically dawn. May be 80-100 m. And on the edge were tables for morning coffee!

Vernazza with its incredible views. Good buy!

Next point Corgnelia. The only village without harbor in 5terra. We can use trail 2 again. But we are too early for payment… so, we didnt pay 30 Euros again.
The way is not hard and extremely beautiful!  Of course, with up and dawn.
Then we entered to Corneglia, village of big lemons. They are so bright color! And fresh lemon juices everywhere.
Because we want made hardest part before noon, we again went on trail to Monorola. This time not “coastal” way, but through the hills.
It was little bit challenge but less then I expected. After 25 min up, the trail became flat with excellent views on vineyards. This part is under UNESCO protection. This is gigantic piece of work! On this hard slopes, with deadly sun.

When first Monorola houses appears, the blossom gortensia different colors appears also. Its like way mark to Monorola. We loose 600 m. It was long but not hard way dawn.

In Monorola first what i saw were hundreds of china tourists . Or Japaneses. I dont know. They are flow their way to pier not allowing any person get in their line. I know this Asia habit. So i work little bit with my shoulders and backpack.
The street go dawn to the harbor. Any normal place for sunbath. Rocky beach. We found few flat marble stones on the wall, surrounded the harbor. Here we ate what we bought in the shop, here we lay, swim ext.

But may be our lunch was to fat for Sergiy. In two hours he felt himself thick.  We swam. He was ill.
At 6pm.we understood that he will not be able walk to Riomagiore. The Road of Love, only 15 min along tge seashore closed at least 6 last years. We need to use upper way. 2 hours walk. Up and dawn. He couldnt.

We catch the train. 4 Euros pp. Train ducked into tunnel immediately. One minute. Stop. We arrived to Riomagiore!

This is very strange village. To rich upper street you need or get to lowest point near train station or to high point in 20 min near the church. But we understood this after half of hour attempts of finding our lodging.
We had great apartment with terrasse and two bedrooms.

But all supermarkets were closed. We had no coffee, no croissants for morning terrasse breakfast.

It was the end of our trekking. Beautiful land, navy blue sea, multicolored houses. Charming place!

Next morning we start pretty early. In 9 min we riched La Specia, took our car and in two hours had been in Piza.
This white marble complex is a wonder. The only bell is too commercialized. But all together – baptistery, cathedral and tower on the green lawn are white stone masterpiece. As for me, inside baptistery and  cathedral there were nothing special. All was outside.

Our evening we spent riding by bicycle around Ravenna. Evening we spent in Comaccio with its tripplebridge and sliced eel. The day was endless.

Our last day we spent in Hundertwasser terms in Austria. This madness in stone with curving roofs and different types of terms were the final point in our trip.

Occasionally we visited biggest amethyst mine in Austria. You can even dig something for yourself here. We just admire the beauty of stone band and violet crystals.