To Cinque Terre

We woke up early to catch the first train from Siena to Cinque Terre, a remote part of the Italian Riviera. The friendly Canadian couple we’d met at the wine tour yesterday was also on the train. Turns out we would be staying in the same hotel in Cinque Terre—again what a small world! As opposed to other modes of transportation we’d experienced in Italy so far, the trains were efficient—on schedule (for the most part) and affordable. Plus traveling by train was a great way to see the countryside.

When we arrived in Monterosso al Mare (the last village in Cinque Terre), I was blown away by the stunning aquamarine water and the rocky coastline. Pictures don’t do this place justice (but that won’t stop me from taking them!) as it’s absolutely breathtaking.

We checked in to Hotel Pasquale and the friendly receptionist insisted on carrying my bag into the room for us. She opened the curtain and threw back the shutters to reveal a stunning ocean view. This is exactly the kind of place that is going to be very difficult to leave!

Next we found a little restaurant called Il Casello on a hill with a terrace overlooking the beach. We ordered risotto con fruta al mare and were thrilled to receive a giant bowl of rice overflowing with mussels, clams, squid, prawns and shrimp. The fish was so fresh—it had probably been caught earlier that day—and the risotto was so rich and creamy. We stuffed ourselves full of this incredible seafood stew and drank ice cold Moretti beer while enjoying the amazing view below.

Even in this beach town, the terrible heat wave continued, so after lunch we immediately jumped in the water. It was cooler than expected which felt great considering it was nearly 100 degrees outside!

Rick Steve’s travel guide listed a restaurant near our hotel called Via Venti as one not to miss. The restaurant was a small, family-owned place. The dad was the chef and the son was the waiter. We read that the best of the local cuisine was fruta al mare (which we had for lunch), sardines, pesto and focaccia bread, so when we saw a sardine plate on the antipasti menu, we had to try it. Sardines in Italy do not taste like those back home. These were fresh from the salty ocean, so they did not have the salty, preservative taste of canned sardines. The waiter told us, “My dad open fish like book,” which we took to mean he does it very well, and since the seafood had impressed us so far, we decided to stick with that theme. So for primero and secondi courses, we shared crab gnocchi and swordfish al pomodoro with capers and olives. Each bite was better than the last! I asked the water what they had for dessert. As he described the local “Monterosso cake,” he closed his eyes and kissed his fingers as if transported to another world. Even if we come back weighing 15 more pounds, how could we turn that down? The cake tasted more like a custard with pie crust and covered in melty chocolate and powdered sugar. It tasted wonderful!

Throughout the meal, the waiter interacted with locals in the street and nearby shop owners. We truly felt part of the local culture and enjoyed our meal tremendously. Feeling sufficiently stuffed, we deemed our first day in Cinque Terre a culinary success and rested for the next day’s long hike.