On September 26, we had breakfast and checked out of Maison de Charm. We took the train, with one transfer, to Monterosso. We took a taxi to the charming Da Vice Bed & Breakfast. We managed to get our bags up the many steps to our room but luckily the owner Fabio was very helpful and it was a comfortable place to stay (the room was decorated with Fabio's beautiful artwork). Fortunately, we didn't want to watch TV because as you can see from the photo, the TV was mounted in a ridiculous location but we had a good laugh. It was also funny that the walls were so thin, we could hear everything in the room next door.

Our first stop in Monterosso was the Torre Aurora, a castle built around the year 1,000 where we had appetizers and drinks with an amazing view. We had a lovely dinner at Fabio's favorite restaurant, then sat on our patio and enjoyed the evening.

The next day was memorable in many ways. We took our basket to Fabio's bakery across the street and chose our breakfast which we ate upstairs on the lovely patio. The bulk of the day was spent walking to the highest point in Monterosso, a convent and cemetery where we had a fantastic view of Monterosso and the sea.

At 4:00 pm we met our Captain Andrea at the harbor for a memorable private 3-hour cruise of the Cinque Terre. We saw each of the villages from the boat and stopped for an hour in Vernazza. On the way back we enjoyed Champagne, focaccia and cheese and a beautiful sunset. There is a great story about Andrea and our arrival back in Monterosso … you will have to ask us but it involves a "b**** slap" (Tony's term).

Dinner was at another one of Fabio's favorite restaurants and we spent the evening preparing for our trip to Genoa.