Went on a fun ferry trip to five towns on the coast including Portovenere, about 20 minutes from Riomaggiore . A bit more resorty than the five Cinqueterre towns but just as beautiful. The pic is the harbor front right after you get off the ferry. Included in the trip is a side tour (on another boat ) of three small islands off the coast. Went up to Monterosso after for The Lemon Festival!! Sounds corny but a lot of fun...and good eats!

I know Aztec fever is spreading around the globe but this is getting ridiculous! Turn the white shirt upside down and you'll see what I mean. This is walking down the main drag in Riomaggiore. Lots of towns in Italy still hang their laundry out windows because the cost of electricity is so high or the physical limitations of their apartments prevent installing a dryer. Anyway, this guy is rooting for the right team!

This picture pretty much says it all! Might be the most beautiful stretch of coast I have ever seen. Met the coolest group of hikers, from all points of the globe: Australia, Canada, the UK and other parts of Italy. Already have my local bar with regulars: Bar Centrale. The owner, who goes by Ivo or Evo I believe, used to live and work in San Francisco back in the 60's. LOVE's older American Rock so Dylan, Neil Young and Johnny Cash are on the turntable frequentl...

Found a new bar in Riomaggiore staffed by one of the coolest bartenders around, Georghina. They carry one American beer, Bud!!

A bit of a cloudy day on the Cinqueterre coast so took a quick train south to Pisa (only takes about an hour and 15 minutes) to see that architectural mistake, the Leaning Tower. It's actually a beautiful building except for that 15% lean! The area around the tower, called the Field of Miracles, is pretty spectacular, holding a huge baptistery along with a cathedral that has one of the most artistic interiors I've ever seen. It could be a museum.