Cinque Terre

Avid Traveller | Lindsay | Jun 8, 2011

We left Vence in the morning and headed east towards our next destination: Cinque Terre, which means the “Five Lands”. It is a collection of five little towns on the northwest coast of Italy. Our hotel was in the town of Monterosso al Mare which is the most northern of the towns. The drive took longer than we had expected as it was a holiday weekend, and there were many people out on the road. Many of us likened it to driving on the 400 to/from cottage country during a holiday. However, there was one big difference – the scenery along the coast line was amazing. We drove by breathtaking mountain ranges and beautiful coastal towns, including Menton, Ventimiglia and Genova. Furthermore, our driver had a penchant for 70′s and 80′s music and we found ourselves singing along to “Y.M.C.A” and “Hot Stuff”. When we were nearing our destination, we left the highway and drove along narrow, steep and curvy roads which was a very adventurous drive.

Once arriving in Monterosso al Mare we checked into our hotel, Villa Adriana, and headed to dinner shortly after. That dinner was a lot of fun – the entire menu was seafood (shrimp, octopus, squid, stuffed mussels, etc.) with risotto, spaghetti and ravioli. The atmoshpere was loud and jovial – a totally different feel from French restaurants! The food was prepared by Ciak (which is also the name of the restaurant), who is an ex-sailor turned cook. He was quite a personality and he met with the guests after dinner for pictures and to autograph his cookbook which a few people bought.

The next day was a free day. I rented a beach umbrella and a lounge chair on the sandy beach and spent the afternoon reading, swimming and people watching (see picture on the left).The Mediterranean was bright blue, crystal clear and salty. That night a group of us feasted on pizza and ravioli and gelato.

Days 2 and 3 started off rainy with thundershowers but eventually cleared up both afternoons. On Day 2 a group of us visited the four other towns – Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore through a combination of train rides and scenic walks. These towns are tiny but very striking and although they have similar motifs, they each have their own character. A highlight of that day was watching two older local women chat from opposing balconies over a main street (see if you can spot them in the photo on the bottom left). At the end of the day we enjoyed a fun boatride from Riomaggiore (the furthest town south) back to Monterosso.

Day three included a delicious lunch on a patio next to the waves crashing upon the rocks and beach and some shopping in the old town of Monterosso. A couple of us hiked up to the top of the town where there are remains from a 13th century castle where villagers would hide from raiding pirates. Also atop of the town was a beautiful cememtary which contains family masoleums and fresh flowers on tombs. It was a really spectacular place, and I highlight of the trip for me. Tonight we are going to eat at a hotel restaurant called, “Marinas”. I have had a sneak peak at the menu which includes antipasti, lasagna bolognese, gnocchi, fish, beef and (knowing this group a lot of red wine haha). A few of the guests have ask me to give a giant “Hello/Buon giorno” to all of their friends and family members who have been following the trip via the blog. Your Grandma/Grandpa/Mother/Father/Sister /Brother are thinking of you everyday and can’t wait to see you when they get back! Tomorrow we head to Lucca – one of Italy’s last walled towns in the Tuscany region……Ciao! LJ