Italy Retreat

There are five towns called the Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. The northern most town is Monterosso followed by Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarole and RioMaggiore. The trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is paved. This trail is called the "Via dell'Amore" or Street of Love and is short, only 20 minutes between the towns. Doesn't it sound like fun to walk the Path of Love? This is the easiest hike, many of the others are more strenuous. The last portion of the trail, from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare, is the longest. It takes about two hours with lots of up and down ending with 700 steps down to Monterosso at the end. Of course, that would be better than 700 steps up!

On our Italy Retreat in September, we will take the train to Rio Maggiore, and then walk the Path of Love into Manarole. The trains stop in each of the five towns, so we can hop on and off the trains and have lunch in different cities each time we travel, or have picnic lunches with us. Serious hikers walk the trails through all five towns.

To truly know Italy, wherever you visit, you must walk, talk to the locals, relish the smells, sights and sounds full on. Get ready for our trip by starting to walk around your neighborhood. Start with 10 minutes walks and build up. Use the treadmill if the weather is too cold outside. Walking 20 minutes at 3 miles per hour (not strolling, but a pretty good pace) will cover about 2000 steps or 1 miles. It's fun to wear an inexpensive pedometer ) to keep track of your steps. Walk up hills or use the incline on your treadmills. I use the $5.00 ones.

The average temperature in September is 60-78 degrees Fahrenheit. http://wanderingitaly.com/weather/cinque-terre-weather.htm

Any questions, leave a comment or email me.