Urlaub in Italien — Day 4 (Cinque Terre, Viareggio)
20日環義遊記（五漁村, 維亞雷焦）
20/5/2022
About Day 3 in the hidden San Fruttuoso and the elegant Portofino
Day 4 — Monterosso
第四天終於到了期待已久的五漁村（Cinque Terre）。一樣，熱愛運動的大家選擇了爬山前往五漁村之一的 Monterosso。聞名遐邇的世界文化遺產果然不乏來訪的旅客，海邊超級多人，街道也被各式各樣的攤販和餐廳淹沒。
Monterosso 的確也是非常美麗的一個海邊城鎮，但過多的觀光客以及商業活動，似乎少了一點韻味，跟前一天的行經的秘境和 Portofino無法相提並論，有些失望。但既來之則安之，我們還是好好的游了個泳才搭火車回 Sestri Levante。
On the fourth day, we finally arrived at the long-awaited Cinque Terre. As always, the hike-loving group chose to travel to one of the Cinque Terre villages, Monterosso, through mountains. It wasn’t surprising to find that the world-renowned cultural heritage site was flooded with tourists, who were either enjoying the beach or queuing for mouthwatering Italian cuisine.
Monterosso was truly a beautiful seaside town, however, it couldn’t be compared with San Fruttuoso and Portofino, for the charm Monterosso might have lost due to the excessive number of tourists and commercial activities. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the afternoon swimming before taking the train back to Sestri Levante.
Day 5 — Viareggio
即便五漁村之一的 Monterosso沒有那麼符合期待，我們並沒有放棄利古里亞海的海岸線，隔天繼續向南邊推進了一點，來到了 Viareggio。在這個連名字都沒聽過的地方，我只能任規劃行程的歐洲朋友宰割。車子慢慢開進這簡樸的小鎮，店家寥寥無幾，路上也不見車和行人，非常寧靜。格子狀的住宅區，每個住家都擁有獨立的一棟矮房，像極了台灣眷村。
不過街景當然是 Viareggio漂亮，家家戶戶都很用心經營庭院，門前還矗立不同的動物石像守護神，非常可愛。雖然不是獨棟透天，但我們很幸運的訂到又大又舒適的 Airbnb，裝潢也很漂亮，一晚甚至才 20歐元（600台幣）！
Although Monterosso didn’t quite live up to our expectations, we remained determined to explore more of the Ligurian coast. The next day we ventured further south and arrived in Viareggio, a town I had never even heard before. My fate were all on the hands of my European friends.
As we slowly drove into this simple town, there were barely no signs of shops, cars or pedestrians, making it very peaceful. The grid-like residential area consisted of low-rise houses resembling Taiwan’s military dependents’ village. However, in Viareggio, the town was much more pleasant. All the courtyards were carefully maintained and the front gate were guarded by unique cute animal statues. Although not a standalone house like in the neighborhood, we were fortunate to find a beautifully decorated Airbnb apartment that was more comfortable than we had imagined for only 20€ per night!
世界盃沙灘排球賽 — Volleyball World Cup
經過這麼多天，我漸漸習慣跟著這樣隨性的行程上山下海！不出所料，在抵達 Viareggio的午後，大家又整裝往海邊出發。Viareggio的海岸線長而筆直，然而一望無際的美麗沙灘上竟充滿渡假中心的洋傘，歐洲朋友很不以為意。幸好我們仍能在夾縫中求生存，找到屬於我們的基地。
大家各自鋪下毛巾，大字形躺著享受陽光，曬熱了再跳進冰涼的地中海。雖然每一次玩的都差不多，但一群朋友一起游泳或傳接球又怎麼會膩呢？在水裡玩累了笑累了就回岸上曬乾，吃零食補充體力，接續排球和其他遊戲。
經過幾天的訓練，這次終於找到排球網可以一較高下了。我們六人很自然的分成兩隊：由德國室友率領的「歐洲隊」，以及兩個秘魯好手加上我的「泛太平洋隊」。運動健將德國室友一支獨秀，光靠發球就從我身上拿下好多分。難得接住他強而有力的發球，也全靠兩個秘魯人幫忙持球反擊。接著由「泛太平洋隊」開始的反攻，吊球場的兩邊，心想就算再厲害也有體力耗盡的一天。靠著團隊默契，我們穩穩的攔下他們的回擊，經過幾番掙扎，高大的「歐洲隊」已不敵我們的攻勢。最後由「泛太平洋隊」取得第一屆排球世界盃的勝利！
After so many days, I became accustomed to this relaxed vacation style, the beach style! We carried books, snacks as well as outdoor games, and set off for the beach. Viareggio’s seemingly never-ending coastline was occupied by rows of private beach umbrellas, making it difficult for students like us to find a spot. Nevertheless, we managed to carve out a space in the gap.
We each laid out our towels, basked ourselves until each of our cells were heated up by the sun, then we dived into the refreshing sea. Swimming and playing throw and catch never grew old. Often times we would retreat to the shore, snack on some treats, and switch to volleyball.
After several days of practice, we were lucky to find a volleyball net and were eager to compete. The six of us naturally divided into two teams, the “European team” led by my German roommate and the “Pan-Pacific team”, which consisted of two talented Peruvian players and me. But as a rookie, the athletic German roommate almost single-handedly took all the points from me just by serving, and it was only with the help of the two Peruvians that we managed to defend. It was then the “Pan-Pacific team” began our counterattack. We strategically aimed at both ends, hoping to wear down our opponents. The Europeans put up several powerful comebacks, and we had to throw ourselves at the ball to keep it in play. After several competitive rallies, the strategy took effect and the “Pan-Pacific team” emerged victorious to the first-ever Volleyball World Cup!
傍晚，我們慵懶的走回 Airbnb，沿路外帶了鎮上的披薩，配上超市紅酒，我們舉杯，為一天劃下完美的句點。就在這個默默無名的小鎮，我想我真正過上了義式假期。
In the evening, we lazily strolled back and picked up some surprisingly delicious pizza from the tiny local town. With the supermarket red wine, we toasted the perfect ending of a day and the authentic Urlaub in Italien, here in this quiet little town.
To be continued… Day 6 in Florence (11/3/2023)
