Hanging up the hiking shoes

I decided to ditch the hiking shoes for the day and rented a bike instead. Based on my host’s recommendation, and backed by Rick Steves’ guide, I headed to see where the locals go to the beach in the summer when they want to escape the tourists of Cinque Terre. I hopped the train to Levanto, arriving 30 min later. After a quick peak at the town and the beach, I rented a bike and set out for Bonassola. There’s a hiking/biking trail that runs through several miles of an old train tunnel. (If you’re from Virginia, it feels very much like the Blue Ridge Tunnel only much longer and it’s paved.)

The ride along the sea was stunning and the path was flat which I greatly appreciated. Round trip took about an hour of pedaling, but I was gone for several hours as I explored various places. Renting the bike cost 12 euros and no helmets are donned in Italy. Just me and my beach cruiser.

I had an amazing lunch overlooking the water. The sea bass was covered in a paper thin layer of potatoes and included some roasted tomatoes and olives. Dessert was new to me - baba- a southern Italian treat that was akin to brioche soaked in a light rum syrup.

The sun, wind, and biking for the day ushered in a quiet evening. I rounded out the day with leftover grilled veggie pizza in my apartment and FaceTiming home.