From one side of Italy to the other!

Rimini, a place I remember going to in my childhood, has a number of roman ruins around. No, I  didn’t remember it -we used to stay at the beach and we are in the town.
Following advice we went to a seafood restaurant. The fried sardines were wonderful but the crab pasta was a let down as I pick out the tiny claws and body parts! We finished with what we thought was going to be a glass of limoncello when a small bottle arrived! We didn’t know whether we just poured a glass or should it be two? When the bill arrived we noticed that 2 euros had been nocked off but when I asked if the limoncello had been included the bill was taken away and came back with another euro off! We just paid that and tried to find our way back to the hotel!
It’s much colder on this side of Italy and as we were on the bus to San Marino (a country within a country, a republic) the temperature dropped the higher we went! It was certainly freezing as we were walking around but the views from so high up were spectacular. It is a duty-free place and I was able to get some perfume at a very reduced price. It’s obviously a place which is more lively in the summer. One surprise was the number of gun shops – they seemed to be everywhere!

Thursday 10th saw us drive from one side of Italy to the other. The drive was good until trying to find the car hire drop off spot – we must have passed it about 3 times before eventually noticing it. A short taxi ride bought us to our accommodation. The apartment is situated in the oldest building in La Spezia (handy for the Cinque Terra villages), and when it was being renovated they found frescoes on the ceilings which date back to the 17th century. The ceilings are amazingly high.

We have spent the day going from village to village in the Cinque Terra. Started at the furthest one, Monterosso – large beach - and spent an hour or so there then on the train to number 4 -Vernazza. Lovely little fishing village. Had a delicious lunch of anchovies, freshly caught, then ravioli with a fish sauce. Next stop Corniglia – not our favourite village. Village 2 – Manarola was very interesting and we watched how the fishermen have their boats hoisted up to the main village. Number one village – Riomaggiore was by far our favourite.
As I do not like coffee I tend to have hot chocolate and I don’t think I’ve had it the same way twice – sometimes it comes like a thick custard sounds bad but it’s actually very warming and then it thin and as you’d expect!