TRAVEL


San Diego Uptown News | Feb. 18-Mar. 3, 2011


9 SEPTEMBER ON THE


t’s mid-September in Manarola. Grapes hang from corroded rod iron entrance ways in the tight pastel corridors of this Cinque Terre village. Farmers and shop owners are entrenched in their yearly battle against the changing Mediterranean season; both grasping to the remaining days of summer for their liveli- hoods. On adjoining terraces overlooking the town’s only road, two silver-haired women talk over laundry lines paying no attention to the boisterous tourist three stories below.


I Rick Steves ripped the “best


The Cinque Terre—deemed one of the best kept secrets in Italy—is comprised of five port villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Maranola and Riomag- giore. In any one town, tourists can enjoy sunbathing, exploring the maze-like neighborhoods or haggling in the village marketplace or just relaxing seaside. We suggest D, all the above. (Photos by Bethany Salvon)


FROM PAGE 8 MIRIELLO


which I think is an important part of all of these globes—you can see that none of it’s off the shelf,” Ritterman noted. “It’s all crafted, worked, changed and altered. So you can really see the artist’s hand in it.”


Using an old analog camera,


Ritterman said that he stretched the interpretation a little, focus- ing in and not photographing the whole globe.


He went with analog because it has “a lens that was made about a hundred years ago that’s very soft and select in focus and feels steam punkish in its own right.”


This project gave Ritterman and the other photographers an opportunity to make something outside of their own styles, explor-


kept secret” badge from the Cinque Terre around the time Fonzi jumped the shark on Happy Days. At that time—the late 1970s—these five villages in Italy’s Riviera were far from the tourist circuit, but after Steves recom- mended the Cinque Terre, the coastal mountain villages trans- formed into one of Italy’s “must see” destinations. The Cinque Terre, which means “Five Lands,” is made up of five port villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore. Aside from the seaside resort of Monterosso, the other towns are embedded into the steep ravines that rise dramati- cally over the turquoise sea. Now protected as a national park, the villages are connected through a series of hiking trails, which range from the easy paved path of Lov- ers’ Lane (Via dell’Amora) between Riomaggiore and Manarola to the thigh busting 700 step climb into the vineyards overlooking Monter- osso. The trek between the villages can be completed in one day, but personally, I would plan on spend- ing two days or more in the Cinque Terre exploring the intricacies of each port.


During July and August, tour-


ing new creativity, Miriello ex- plained. Ritterman agreed and said that the project was very different from his own panoramic work at the moment, though it deals with the same issue of all the ways you can interpret the globe.


“I deal with landscape but in all of its iterations,” said Ritter- man. “It’s really about the human footprint on the planet. That’s what interests me and has for the last 15 years. Trying to make sense of how we inhabit the globe and making images about that.”


All of the photographs and a selection of the globes will be for sale, and a percentage of the pro- ceeds will be going towards the San Diego Brain Tumor Founda- tion. Miriello has no set timeline for when he will begin work on the next 50 globes to make his “100 Project” complete, but is excited about receiving feedback


and inspiration based off of this exhibit.


“I think that’s when we’re at our best,” said Ritterman. “When we bounce things off of each other, we become more than the sum of our parts and this is a great example of that. Col- laborative work that still holds the vision of one person but that includes the vision of so many others. That’s a great thing.”u


ists swarm into the Cinque Terre, hustled in by the regional train (it conveniently stops at each village). But by summer’s end (I‘ve also read that late spring is a good time to visit, too), especially on weekdays, the crowds are thin and the villages, including my favorite, Manarola, are perfect for lazing the day away. With just one road to navigate


in Manarola, you have only two choices when you enter the town: up or down. Taking the high road leads up past the Church of San Lorenzo (approximately a five-minute walk from the town center). A plaza in front of the


extends out from the steep, rigid coastal peak. Taking the low road to the


rocky coast, you’ll encounter Manarola’s market area. Cafes, souvenir shops and grocers selling regional produce line the corridor that leads to the translucent Medi- terranean Sea. Unlike Monterosso and Vernazza, Manarola doesn’t have a beach; however, that doesn’t mean its not a superb place to swim or sunbath. Protected by a crescent-shaped cliff, similar to La Jolla Cove, the swimming area at Manarola is a tranquil place for swimmers of all ages.


When Randy Kalp and Bethany Know Before You Go


The Cinque Terre Card (Basic) costs: 5€ (1 day); 8€ (2 day); 10€ (3 day); 20€ (7 day).


All passes include of the use of the Cinque Terre shuttle busses as well


as access to the main hiking path. The card also provides access to the Sciacchetra Museum in Manarola, the renovated old mill in Groppo (above Manarola), the Memory Museum in Riomaggiore and the anchovy factory in Monterosso. Additionally, the card provides free usage (upon availability) for 3 hours of mountain bikes on the high trails. The Cinque Terre Train Card includes unlimited train rides on the La Spe-


zia-Levanto line, which stops regularly at each village. If you want access to all forms of transportation in the Cinque Terre, a ferry pass can be added to the National Park card for a one day use, and includes access to the train as well as unlimited ferries rides to the Cinque Terre ports, except for Cornigila.


14th century church offers panoramas of the seascape below. Near the plaza, on a side corridor that snakes through vibrant multi- level homes is Trattoria dal Billy. Blending fresh regional products with pasta, seafood and meats, the restaurant offers moderately priced meals and solid service. Though, the real draw of the trattoria is its intimate patio that


FROM PAGE 7 ART The organization became a


non-profit in 2008, and is con- stantly fundraising and writing grants in the hopes of making the program more extensive and, most importantly, more acces- sible. They are always fundraising during the annul ArtWalk event in San Diego, as well as taking on volunteers to help coordinate ef- forts. The next ArtWalk is happen- ing April 30 and May 1 between Cedar and Beech streets. Art- Reach will also be holding an art auction fundraiser March 18 at the Westgate Hotel to benefit its pro- grams. Tickets can be purchased at missionfederalartwalk.org. As the program continues


Courtesy Phillip Ritterman


to grow, ArtReach has received funding and volunteer services from various sources, such as


Salvon are not wandering the world blogging for their travel website beersandbeans.com, they call Hillcrest their home and enjoy hanging out at Filter Coffee House. Bethany can also be found on her wedding photography site, narikos- nest.com. Their work has appeared in the Coast News, San Diego Reader and a variety of other travel publications.u


Qualcomm, Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, The Gap Foundation, Banana Republic and the Boys & Girls Foundation.


For the second year in a


row, Art6West donated art pieces as part of a group exhibit to be raffled off to benefit ArtReach. Whereas the exhibit last year consisted of one collaborative piece, this year six individual pieces will be raffled off. The exhibit this year is called “Passion6” and will be on display until Feb. 20 at the India Street Gallery, located at 2165 India St. ArtReach currently has 12 schools that have applied for free programs and are waiting for funds to make workshops possible. For more information about its school programs, visit artreach.org or e-mail Elizabeth Morto at info@artreachsandi- ego.org.u


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