From Florence it was just a short train ride to the Tuscan shore and the town of Viareggio. The town is lacking any kind of historic center and caters mainly to Italian tourists. It actually looks a lot like Patras which in this instance is not actually a compliment. The buildings are all fairly new and as such they are mainly just concrete boxes. The beaches are wide, sandy, and covered in chairs. The water is completely calm and was actually very chilly. There is a large promenade right off the beach with gelato stands and swim shops. When we first began to walk around we could tell that something was a little off and after a while we realized that this was not much different than the beaches back home. It is definitely an authentic Italian beach town and is probably overrun with Italians in the summer but it was not exactly what we were looking for. It was the perfect place to go and relax but we were more interested in awe inspiring sights. That night we looked up trains to Cinque Terra as it was on the way back to Pavia and definitely different than the North Carolina coast and uniquely beautiful.
In the morning we arrived in Corniglia and began to search for a hidden beach that had been recommended in the NY Times. After a kind of crazy walk behind a train station through a drainage pipe and a couple of back yards we came to a padlocked gate. At this point we were ready to kick ourselves for ever leaving the beaches of Viareggio but luckily there are plenty of other beaches in Cinque Terra. We arrived in Monterossa to a beach devoid of Italians and covered in tourists, but the scenery was breathtaking and we couldn't have been happier. We spent the day lounging on the beach and contemplating our ideas on traveling. We decided that the reason touristy spots are so packed is because they are absolutely amazing and if you want to be in awe you should stick to the beaten path. After all they are famous for a reason.
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