HANNAH SHARES

Last weekend we drove to Monterosso al Mare, the northernmost of five seaside villages in Cinque Terre (literally, “five lands”) on the Italian Riviera (in the region of Liguria). The drive is only four hours from Vicenza, but the last 45 minutes or so winds up and down the hills before you reach the town. I don’t normally get carsick, but it wasn’t the most fun drive. The town is very small and vehicles (except for the town’s few taxis) are not allowed. We parked at the edge of town and took a taxi to our hotel, Albergo Pasquale. Monterosso al Mare has two sides connected by a tunnel – Old Town and New Town. I didn’t do a ton of research beforehand, but our hotel was on the Old Town side, and we were happy with that!

When we arrived on Friday afternoon we checked in and stopped by a little restaurant (Il Casello) right on the beach for a bite to eat. We had an unsuccessful attempt for Lucy to nap, and then headed over to explore the New Town side, where we had dinner reservations. It only takes about 8 minutes or so to walk between the two “towns”. And it’s a beautiful walk with views of the sea! We weren’t as impressed with New Town – it is mostly restaurants. It has sort of a boardwalk feel to it. We ate dinner outside at La Cantina di Miky, a casual seafood spot right above the beach. It was very yummy! The local specialities in Cinque Terre include anchovies, seafood, pesto, and focaccia. Michael ordered stuffed anchovies and pesto pasta for dinner. I am not an anchovy fan, but he loved them. I had a shrimp spaghetti and shared with Lucy, we enjoyed it! After putting Lucy to sleep I went for a walk to explore the Old Town area where we were staying since we hadn’t walked the area at all that first day. The Old Town area is so charming! Think of the movie “Luca” – lots of colorful buildings, little restaurants and pizzerias tucked in every corner, quaint shops with pottery and linens. Everyone was still out late eating dinner, as Italians do. Michael went for a walk when I got back and agreed that we should plan to eat in Old Town the next two nights.

On Saturday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then went down to the beach to reserve a spot for the day. Beaches in Italy typically have a portion open for public use (you have to bring your own towels, umbrellas, chairs, etc.) and then several “beach clubs”. The beach clubs are less fancy than they sound (although I’m sure there are some more upscale ones), but for around €30/day you can reserve two chairs and an umbrella. We spent most of the day at the beach – Michael and I switched off going up to the room while Lucy napped. The weather was perfect all weekend – around 80 degrees and sunny, a much needed break from the heat we have had for the past six weeks or so. The water was the perfect temperature too, cool and refreshing, but not too cold.

That afternoon we stopped to try a lemon spritz (not my favorite, to be honest) at an enoteca. We happened to sit next to another American couple and their 18-month old boy. They were staying at a winery up the hill, so naturally Michael wanted to hike up and check it out. About a 10 minute walk from Old Town is Buranco Winery. They have a farmstay with cottages for guests, and a restaurant they do wine tastings at. We did a tasting while we were up there and really enjoyed their wines. It’s family owned and the family was very welcoming. They loved Lucy of course! We ended up making a reservation for dinner the following night because we loved it so much. We walked back to town and had dinner at Emy’s Way, a tiny little restaurant right on the main street. We shared a couple of bruschettas to start, I ordered a spaghetti with mussels (my favorite!) and Michael shared a pizza with Lucy. We took turns taking walks in the evening again after Lucy went to bed.

Sunday morning we did some walking after breakfast. We planned to explore the first part of a hiking trail that goes to the next town over, Vernazza, but decided against it since we were carrying Lucy. I did read that it was a little more intense than most people expect. The start of the trail does have beautiful sea views over the cliffs, though. We walked back up through town past the winery, and ended pretty high up with amazing views of the beach and sea looking over New Town. We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at the beach again. Lucy was a little cautious of the water at first, but it was very calm and she warmed up to it quickly and was splashing me in no time! We did a little shopping Sunday afternoon, followed by a bruschetta appetizer before walking back up to the winery for dinner. Dinner was more pasta and seafood, with a special plate of “pasta bianco” for Lucy. Basically just plain spaghetti with butter, olive oil, and parmesan. She ate every bite. She even warmed up to the family’s Bernese Mountain dog, Chloe, after dinner. She has been a little wary of dogs before, but seemed to like Chloe.

On Monday morning I went for an early walk through both sides of the town. It was very quiet and not many people were out and about. We ended our trip with one last yummy breakfast at the hotel before making the drive home. Lucy usually does pretty well in the car, but we’ll just say she was *very* happy to be home and out of her carseat after the four hour drive!

We loved our trip to Cinque Terre and four days was a perfect amount of time there. I will say, even in only four days, you could easily go and explore all five towns. There is a lot to do between eating, shopping, hiking, and swimming. There is a train that goes between all five towns, and you can also take the ferry or rent a boat to go to each of the towns. We loved the local food, it was some of our favorite in all of Italy. There is really something for everyone in Cinque Terre!