The northwest village of the Cinque Terre, Monterosso del Mare is the largest of the five villages.  We arrived in Monterosso by train during a rain storm.   We stayed at the Suisse Bellevue in Monterosso, or should I say the outskirts of Monterosso, it was a forty five minute walk uphill with our luggage, after waiting for two hours for a taxi that never arrived.  Without our luggage it was a twenty minute climb to the hotel.  The view was beautiful from the hotel but next time I want to stay in a place that is in the village. The following day we hiked the ancient footpath from Monterosso to Vernazza.

John on the trail between Monterosso and Vernazza.	Cactus growing along the trail between Monterosso and Vernazza.	Monterosso and Coastline from Trail	John and Me on trail with Vernazza in the background.	The couple that took John and I picture.
Monterosso from the trail.	Approaching Monterosso by boat	Our Hotel is somewhere up in that mountain. What a hike each night.	The historical part of Monterosso	Monterosso   from the trail.
Coastline between Monterosso and Vernazza	John standing in shade along trail, it was hot and we kept climbing up.		A narrow part of the trail.	Monterosso from the trail.
Ave Maria Festival, Monterosso Walking back to the hotel, after dinner in Monterosso, we came across the Ave Maria Festival in Monterosso. (In Vernazza the preceding day,  we saw flowers along the streets and at the footsteps of houses and stores.) A boat  with a statue of Ave Maria lead the procession on the bay and on land alter boys with candles and chanting priests followed.  The candle bearing crowd followed behind.  As the procession passed by, fireworks where lighting the evening sky over the bay.

Candle lit street of Monterosso	Candle lit beach	Candle lit street.	Candles being placed in the water.	Candles on the water with beach lined with torches.
The boat that lead the procession of the festival with a statue of Ave Marie.	A lighted starfish that appeared nightly on the cliffs of Monterosso.	The gathering of the candles as they come to shore	Candles floating on the water coming towards shore.	People following the procession