Six weeks and counting....while the girls were busy with their every day lives this week, another week got marked off the calendar and they are another week closer to departure day!
Plans continue to evolve and solidify. This week, additional plans came together for the girls to meet up with a friend for lunch in Monterosso. Wanda and Cathy will spend the late morning and early afternoon hours visiting and enjoying a meal together in her home. After their visit, the girls will be off to explore the town before taking the train back to their apartment in Corniglia.
Monterosso al Mare is in the region of Italy known as Liguria (northern Italy). Like the other Cinque Terre towns, it is a coastal town. However, it is the only one of the five to have a sandy beach. Monterosso is famous for lemon trees and renowned for its white wines, grapes, and olives. The girls should have some lovely photos from this area to share!
Most folks reading this blog are probably not aware of the devastation the area suffered last October when it was hit with unrelenting rains. 20 inches in 3 hours! The heavy rains resulted in catastrophic damage and loss of life. The towns were buried in mud and debris, their infrastructure destroyed and their livelihoods put on hold. Monterosso and Vernazza suffered the most damage. If you are interested in learning more, this link will take you to a blog maintained by the town of Monterosso. This blog contains more detail of the devastation with video and photos. Trail updates can be found here as well as information on hotels and restaurants that have reopened for business or anticipated dates of reopening.
While we are saddened by the devastation and loss of life, we are inspired by the unbreakable spirit, dogged determination and unrelenting work of the citizenry to regain the vitality of their towns.
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