There & Back Again – A Traveler's Tale

I toured Parma a bit more then got on the road/rails to the Cinque Terre, 5 little cities on the northwestern coast of Italy. I took a train from Parma to La Spezia which is on the Southern end of the Cinque Terre. From La Spezia, I took a train to Monterossa which is the northern most “Terre.” One word of warning on dealing with the trains in the Cinque Terre. The platforms are very short since the towns are so small so you have to get off the train from one of the middle cars. If you are on a jammed train, as I was, this is difficult to do. So you have the option of trying to make your way to get off in the middle once the train stops or try to get to a middle car so you are ready when your stop comes. I opted to stand between cars where the exits are. A complication on my train was that many of the exit doors would not open. I ended up in front of a door that would not open in Monterossa and had to move to another car (with a million of my fellow travelers). As it turns out, the exit is to the right in the first 4 Terre and to the left in Monterossa. Just a standard train trip in Italy :-). I got a room at the Hotel Villa Steno which seems to be a great place up on the hill. My room has a balcony with a view of the sea (photo attached). I had a wonderful meal at a place called Miky (pronounced like Mickey). Of course it was very seafood based.