Recovery - Italy

After hiking through the Swiss Alps, we decided a little relaxation was in order...after all, we were on vacation! We decided that the Italian Riviera was the best choice so from Zermatt we grabbed a train which took us down to the Mediterranean. Our first stop was Monterosso al Mare, one of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre. It was SUPER packed and WAY more touristy than we expected (or really liked, for that matter). We still took the opportunity to hike the Cinque Terre trail - the 8 mile (with 3000 feet of elevation gain/loss) trail that connects the 5 towns. After Cinque Terre, we took a train up the coast to a much more sedate (and more our speed) resort town of Sestri Levante. Our hotel was a castle (with a private beach, of course) and the town was far more enjoyable than Monterosso al Mare. Just prior to our departure, we met Brian's parents in Geneva.