To the Beach



A few weeks ago, we were inspired by a sunny September in Italy and headed to the coast, spending two nights in Monterosso, the last in the string of sweet, small towns of Cinque Terre.





We took the day to climb up and over the hillside to Vernazza, the neighboring town. Along the way, we met a grape farmer selling his crop for 1 euro a bunch. Yum!




The trail went straight up at times,



and stretched out to show wonderful vistas and the town below,



Vernazza!





until we arrived at our destination,

 


The buildings in Cinque Terre are painted with warm, earthy colors and designs.




Each town is unique and tucked into the hillside.



The girls loved the climb and raced ahead of us.

Joe finally caught up on the way back,

but I stayed back to enjoy the walk, the lemon groves,



and sunset view.




The reward came at the end of the day for Sophia and Josephine, who loved the swim in the Mediterranean Sea!