Italy, Cinque Terre
Where to go in Cinque Terre, this lovely set of towns located in the mediterranean coast, built on top of a hill. As the name in Italian indicates, there are five towns in Cinque Terre: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Manarola.
Monterosso al Mare
Where to stay in Monterosso?
For a nice hotel in Monterosso I recommend Villa Accini:
I like this place because it has a path that connects the villa with the beach. The villa offers a delicious breakfast option with variety of pastries and tasty cappuccino, a lot of complimentary toiletries: Cotton, toothpaste, toothbrush, mini nail shapers, hair covers for the shower, soap, etc. The villa even has its own bunny!
What to do in Monterosso?
Beach day!
Go to Beach Bar Stella Marina and rent a chair for the entire day for a flat rate of 20 euros. If you stay in Villa Accini you have a special discount for the chairs and a guaranteed spot. At this beach bar they have drinks, food, and the most cheerful and happiest people ever seen.
Go to see Il gigante:
This is a sculpture carved in the rock in the earlier 1900s, representing Neptune. After being bombarded during the WWII it lost the trident the arms and other features. It can be appreciated nowadays leaning on the beach where locals bathe themselves every day.
Market:
Walking south towards the center of this tiny town there is a market set in the early mornings until noon where pottery, hats, kitchen aprons, clothing and accessories can be purchased.
Parrochia Di San Giovanni Batista
This church is in the middle of the town, and it is attended by locals with frequency. Access is for free, there is a man asking for donations at the entrance but this is not mandatory to enter.
Walk through the town:
A stroll through town, especially in the morning is one of the best things to do. Observe the local life, get lost through steps and paths, admire the colors, the pace of this culture , the dynamic. There are plenty of shops, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, stalls, gift shops. Nonas and nonos seating on a bench talking for hours.
Food in Monterosso:
When it comes to food in Italy, the less fancy the place is, the best is the food. Italy has authentic, local, delicious cuisine, and there is no need of elegance to eat the most delicious food. I think the mistake is to go to an expensive place, where the taste of home made is lost in the experimentation of coming up with something more sophisticated to the eyes, or a new idea that stands out from the rest, but the outcomes are far away from being tasty and innovative.
La Barcaccia
This is a family owned small restaurant that gets very crowded from 12 to 2 p.m (it closes at 2:30 for siesta and opens back at 7 p.m). The have a variety of dishes at a decent price, and complimentary shot of limoncello at the end. They don't accept reservations and I would suggest to line up at 12, given that the line will start getting very long during the summer after 1 p.m.
Torre Aurora
This is the perfect spot to enjoy of an aperitivo before your dinner plans. There is a set of long steps since this is high up on a hill, and the view is everything you were expecting and more. All Monterosso can be seen from this point. Cocktails are delicious, and this place it is a bit pricey.
Ristorante at the Hotel Porto Roca:
Another good spot to stop for an aperitivo before heading to have dinner. This spot is very elegant and prices can be way higher than in the center of the town. The amazing view is for sure related to the cost, and for a great wine is totally worth it. The town of Monterosso and its shore can be seen from this spot that is also high up on a hill and requires a rough but rewarding walk all the way up.
Ristorante Il Moretto:
Located in the heart of the town, here you can get ravioli filled with crema de limone and an amazing Ligurian wine.
Bar Nuevo Eden:
Perfect spot for breakfast, plenty of seating, right by the beach, pastries and sandwiches along with a nie cup of coffee.
How to get around in Cinque Terre?
There are a few options available to visit the five towns of Cinque Terre: There is the train that goes along the coast, this can start getting very crowded in the late morning, I recommend to take it before 9 a.m. to avoid multitudes. Tickets can be purchased at the train station of any of the towns or at these two websites:
There is also a boat service that usually has a schedule but it tends to get delayed, specially in the summer. I recommend to buy the tickets for the boats at the dock of every town: To locate the dock ask the locals, sometimes it is very obvious since these towns are built in a hill and the shore is very small, you can see exactly where de boats arrive and depart. The reason why I recommend to get tickets that same day is because if you buy tickets ahead and then weather is not favorable, you won't be able to enjoy anything, or to exchange the tickets.
The website to check summer hours:
How to go from Monterosso to Vernazza?
In my case I stayed in Monterosso and I visited Vernazza one morning. To go to Vernazza you can take a train, a boat, or hike, there is a path that takes one hour (or less) from Monterosso and that provides you with an incredible panoramic view of this marvelous Italian town.
Vernazza:
This town is something out of an imaginary world, its great charm inspired the Disney-Pixar movie: Luca. There are several similitudes impossible to ignore when you first see it from the distance, it really feels like you are in the movie. This is a very small village built on a steep hill with very traditional life: clothing lines, locals riding a bike, selling their products, walking, enjoying themselves, tourists that arrive for a tour after midday overpopulating the small saucer for a few hours. I highly recommend to visit in the morning: maybe rom 9 a.m. to 1 p.m or so. This is a very small place, and there is no much to do, but here is what I did for a morning in Vernazza.
Ristorante La Torre:
This was actually the last spot. I selected this restaurant that requires a 10/15 min hike up the steps, on top of a hill. The view is absolutely majestic. The food is prepared with dedication and love. They use all they can fresh from their own garden.
Here is the million dollar view of this restaurant:
Enjoy the beach:
If you like rocky beaches, you can enjoy the shore for a little while in the morning before everyone arrives. The shore is very small though, so keep that in mind.
Eat gelato:
Gelato is welcome at any time of the day, and when it comes to it there are so many options is almost overwhelming.
Market:
There is a market in Vernazza along the main street, it is very easy to locate it since this is a very small place and its visible from the moment you step in town. The market has candy, accessories, clothing, bags, kitchenware, food.
This is worth the visit, but as I mentioned before, ideal time to discover this beautiful place is in the morning, as a huge wave of tourists arrive between 12 and 1 p.m to have lunch and then explore the town in the afternoon, which makes it extremely difficult to navigate and almost impossible to really enjoy.
Enjoy Cinque Terre!
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