Route to Riomaggiore

Route to Riomaggiore:

Sept. 22 – Pick up rental car, follow pre-programmed GPS to the Autostrada via Padova to Vicenza, then on through Verona and Parma to the curvy road we found on the map, to the town of Riomaggiore, easterly entry to the Cinque Terre; distance of about 400 km. – sounds simple. Right? Well, yes and no. Somewhere in the first 10 minutes we made a wrong turn, according to our polite GPS voice. After which, we criss-crossed small towns and country road to get back on course;. which we did by luck and common sense. Then we got into a tight tangle of streets in Vicenza. I lost faith in the GPS at that point.

Fortunately Peter did not as afterwards it steered us successfully through the maze of streets through Parma to the most incredible mountain route of twisting road and breathtaking views. Of course, there are two versions of this part of the journey; mine as I braced myself white-knuckled and gamely tried to enjoy the vista and Peter’s as he whooped it up cranking turns and pushing our poor little Fiat Panda to its limits.

Arrived at dusk, watching the sun set over the Mediterranean, from the dizzy cliff heights of the only road to Riomaggiore, we find ourselves in a stunningly beautiful village, clinging to the steep rock face. The Hotel Locanda Ca' Dei Duxi had blessedly reserved us one of the cherished parking spots. Most cars pay a premium to park at the village edge, or risk the free parking allowed on the side of the mountain access road. After getting past the fairly surly guardian of the entry point we were welcomed to the Hotel by a signorina, formerly from Toronto! Our room, up three steep flights of stairs, has a sublime view from corner window, down the main street.
More to come as we hike the trails between the 5 villages.