Our Italian adventures weren’t over yet.
We traveled from Rome to the coastal town of Rapallo by train. There is one group worse than pickpockets in Rome, and that would be the dreaded baggage handlers. Men appear from nowhere, look at your ticket, give the impression of being on your side and working to make your life easier, grab your baggage and rush off to your train car.
At first you think they may be going for the Olympic gold of theft. They are taking it all!
Then you think that they may be employed by the train station. In either case, you run right along with them because they have taken everything you own. You arrive at your car, they stow your baggage and then ask for 20 euros.
A high price to pay for getting in the correct seat? I think not. You could miss the train, and all that it could possibly offer.
After paying the small ransom for the services of the pirate porter, we were off to our destination.
Rapallo is a municipality in the province of Genoa, in Liguria, northern Italy. The ride was exceptional, and views spectacular. North of Pisa, we saw snow-covered mountains. This was strange because they were not that high, and it was very warm. As we got closer, we realized that it was not snow, but marble excavations and quarries near the town of Carrara.
So this is where all the marble comes from.
Upon arrival, we stopped by a refreshment establishment and were enjoying ice-cold beverages, when I was asked by the proprietor, “Are you American?” I answered yes.
He asked “California?” Again, I answered yes.
As he “mime ran” in slow motion, he asked, “Baywatch?”
I started laughing.
He then went on to explain in broken English about the local television station that had programs such as “Baywatch” and “Dallas” are broadcast there on Thursday nights. I guess that this was American culture night, and the locals loved it. He and another customer talked of Larry Hagman’s acting on “Dallas.” This was a kind of time-warp view of America – it’s been many years since “Dallas” has been on as an original program.
We settled in at the Hotel Europa, a place with wonderful views and service.
My wife, Carrie, had planned out this trip literally years in advance, and Rapallo was the perfect place to stay while exploring the surrounding area by train. Our destination was the small quaint area to the south called “The Cinque Terre,” which was a pretty remote place before the advent of rail travel. The towns are now accessible by boat, car (park outside the towns) and rail. As previously discussed, driving in Italy was out of the question.
We value life.
The Cinque Terre, which means “five lands” in Italian, is an 11-mile stretch of steep, rocky coastline in northwest Italy and includes the towns of Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Vernazza.Manarola is the most picturesque of the five, although they are all beautiful: deep blue sea, pastel homes and shops.
We took the train to the most southern town and walked along the coast until we tired, had lunch, and then got back on the train to the next town. One can walk from town to town, but we wanted to see all we could in the time allowed.
Back in Rapallo, Carrie and my daughter, Katie, again found another hole-in-the-wall bake shop, which mainly featured all kinds of pizza. These were cut in squares and sold as individual pieces. Again they were great tasting and cost so much less than at a restaurant. The shop also featured heat. It was hotter than a Laundromat in Fresno during summer. I entered the furnace-like establishment behind my family. I thought they might absorb the brunt of the heat. I was not so lucky. I noticed a single chair in the shop. This appeared to be a “man chair,” the kind you see men sitting in when women are shopping. Almost losing consciousness, I found myself sitting in it and feeling much cooler. I looked behind me and there was an electric fan. I was now much happier. The harried baker shot from customer to customer, with a determined look of vigilance, and maybe heat stroke, as he had no fan upon him.
He suddenly looked right at me sitting in the cool chair, smiled, and loudly declared with arms opened wide, “It’s wonderful!”
And it WAS wonderful!