Paradiso

View to Old Monterosso - the mudslide to the right of center is the one that destroyed the school and it's gym, the pink and orange buildings in the center, at the top...

Sunrise tower and Vernazza in the distance

Yesterday, a cloudy, overcast day that showed just how many shades of blue grey exist, we went up to the Church of San Francesco, which overlooks the town and the "Pirate Tower" (which, as a side note, has a much more beautiful name - the Torre Aurora, or "tower of sunrise" - though it was built by the Republic of Genoa as a lookout for those pesky pirates who kept popping up in the 15-1600's).  The Church also includes a convent of an order of Cappucin Monks, lead by Padre Renato, and is the most breathtaking Church out of the several in Monterosso.  It's up the hill, above the tower - either a long, winding, crumbing staircase of stone laced with moss, or a twisty, narrow road that weaves off the main street out of town, wiggling across the mountain.  Either way, it's a beautiful sight once you arrive, and one that many Monterossini make frequently, as next to the Church is the town cemetery, where people come to pay their respects to their beloved friends and relatives.

View to Via Fegina and the New Town

The Church itself was built in the early 1600's, and the hill that it is built on has great significance to the town.  The earliest settlement of Monterosso can be traced to this hill of San Cristiforo, where the ruins of a castle or fortress atop this hill make up the walls of the town cemetery, and the rust colored dirt is said to give the town it's name of "red mountains by the sea".  Sensible.  The Church building is quite small, with wooded pews and a few notable pieces of art, by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, who though Flemish painted a great deal in Italy, especially Genoa.  The order of monks was expelled by Napoleon in the early 1800's, and the buildings were used as everything ranging from a hospital to a warehouse, until a priest from Monterosso, Don Giuseppe Policardi, bought the structure in 1894, spruced it up, and gave it back to the monks.

Note the gate in the wall, that opens up to nothing - just the sea

Now, it's a Church and convent again, with sweeping views of the town, the hills in the distance, and on a clear day, the whole Cinque Terre and the still as glass Ligurian sea, as far as Corsica.  They have a garden that is full and thriving in the summer, now lovingly tended by the monks and full of lemons, oranges, and some curious guard cats in the winter.  Old stone walls, in shades of sharp, dark grey, cut a stark contrast to the soft blue of the water that is in every direction you look.  As we were invited back into the convent after mass by Padre Renato, I was awestruck by the beauty of this convent, perched on the hill, overlooking everything.  "The best views in Monterosso", Manuel's Uncle laughed, though it wasn't a joke.

We all stood, overlooking the railing, and gazing into the broad distance dreamily, and alternately surveying the hills around the town with a watchful, critical eye.  Just a few months ago, they gave way and caused us so much pain (ironically, there was only one landslide we could see, behind the school) as we were reminded of the bitter and the sweet that life can give us.  Manuel's father leaned over and told me that the locals call this spot "paradiso".
I couldn't think of a better description.