Close 2 Paris: Buongiorno Italia! Honeymoon Pics!

Oh, where do I begin?

I guess I should start out by saying that Kyle and I had a fantastic honeymoon!!! Viareggio was so great and relaxing. And Cinque Terre has to be a contender for one of the most beautiful places in the world. I mean, just look at this place!

We experienced as much as possible of what Italy has to offer. Beaches, mountains, wonderful people, amazing scenery, pizza, pasta, wine... Don't mind if I do! So much pizza, pasta and wine in fact that I gained a solid 5 pounds in 10 days. Boy was it worth it :)

Viareggio

We spent our first four days in an Italian Riviera town called Viareggio. We stayed at a lovely hotel, The Principedi di Piemonte, with views of the beach in one direction and the mountains in the other. We had fabulous meals, met great people, walked on the beach, hung out at the rooftop pool at the hotel, and of course enjoyed cocktails and vino.

And we're off! On the train from Milan to Viareggio

Our lovely room

Enjoying said cocktails

Such a pretty hotel!

Cheesy! Couldn't help ourselves.

View from the rooftop pool at sunset

A crazy storm came in just as the sun went down

Apparently storms make Kyle contemplate...

Since it was storming, we went for dinner at a delicious seafood restaurant. They bring out the fish you're going to eat to make sure it's okay.

Lucca

We took the train into Lucca from Viareggio for a day. Lucca is a really cute old Tuscan town. It's just what you imagine. Beautiful old buildings, people on bicycles everywhere, smell of pizza in the air. So nice.

Each restaurant has their own wine. So, when they say "house wine", they mean it. How awesome is that?

Views from a tower in the center of Lucca

Cinque Terre

Please, do yourselves a favor and plan a trip to Cinque Terre sometime. Do it at the end of September if you can. We had excellent weather every single day - 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, no humidity, constant breeze. Perfection.

Cinque Terre is made up of five small villages in Northern Italy - Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The towns are connected by hiking trails along the cliffs. There are also trains that run throughout the day.

It was the dream vacation spot for Kyle and I. There are a couple fairly challenging hikes that each take under two hours to complete. Each trail leads you to yet another picturesque town along the coast. If hiking isn't your thing, no worries. The beaches are beautiful... Crystal clear water, views of the mountains, vineyards and charming Italian villages.

We decided to make the most of all of it. We would hike half the day, stop in one of the villages for delicious local eats, then spend the remainder of the day lounging by the water. Does life get any better???

Kyle was able to find us a tiny yellow house to rent. The location was just right - right at the base of the hike from Monterosso to Vernazza and just a minute walk to Old Town Monterosso and the beach.

I could go on and on about Cinque Terre, but I'm pretty sure the pictures speak for themselves.

Our tiny yellow house