Italian Riviera: Round 2

Out of everywhere we've visited, I think the Italian Riviera is my favorite. We've gone twice now, and if we were staying around another year we would likely go again. It's not just the beaches and the scenery which I love, but the entire cultural experience. I could watch Italians interact forever, and the food! Don't even get me started on the food. It's been weeks and I'm still craving fresh focaccia and pesto. This year we stayed in Lavento, which was extremely family oriented, absolutely gorgeous and a stone's throw away from the other Riviera villages. We went biking, boating, hiking, shopping and of course lounged on the beach. Andrew and I even managed to go out on a date (family was with us and watched the kids). I don't think we've ever had a more relaxing vacation.

As I just mentioned, we took this trip part of my family which included my parents, two sisters, and Jacob... who came as my sister's boyfriend and left as her fiance (more of that later!). In a nutshell the trip was perfection. Maybe someday we'll pick up Italian and retire there. I wish.

Boat ride from Levanto to Riomaggiore, and then hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola.





Bike ride along the coast and beach at Monterosso

Mom/sisters night out. See the couple in the background in the picture below? When my sister turned around the man blew her a kiss (the girlfriend was turned the other way). How can you not love Italians?!