Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Flooding and Landslide in Cinque Terre
http://culturalcomments.blogspot.com/2011/10/disaster-strikes-vernazza.html
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/1111/hi.htm
This is just terrible news... This was Amy's and my favorite surprise from our anniversary vacation last October. We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and had what we agreed to be our most spectacular meal near the harbor in Vernazza. It is truly a gem.
Obviously, devastation anywhere is terrible news, and there are more cities along the river that have shared a similar fate, but this just hits home for us. We have walked those streets, we have visited those shops and we have eaten in those restaraunts.
Happily, the words 'totally destroyed,' which is what I first heard of the devastation, is not entirely true - while horrible, most of the flooding and landslide damage was to the first level, and most buildings look otherwise intact. Efforts are already moving along to get services restored, debris removed, and businesses back up and running.