#2708 vacation day 9: Cinque Terre ~ UPDATED! ~

Buona sera from Genoa, Italy! It is 7 pm here and we have been back on the ship for about an hour from our long day out seeing three of the towns in the Cinque Terre. I’m in love! I’m in love! I’m in love! Each village is unique and has it’s own vibe. We expected the weather to be cold and rainy, but the it was very good. It was overcast, but didn’t rain, and even got a little warm later in the day. I took so many photos, but I know I won’t be able to upload them while I’m on the ship. Instead, I’ll use my words, then, sometime while I’m in Rome, I will attempt to upload photos here and I’ll let you know to come look at them.

We had a very early excursion time today of 7 am. When we arrived in port, it was cold and wet, and that is the weather we were expecting, so we dressed in layers - I had three plus my umbrella! - and we headed out. We went for a one hour bus ride to the town of Levanto with our guide, Marta. In Levanto, we got on a train for a five minute ride to the first village, Monterosso al Mare. Maybe it was because we arrived so early, or maybe it was because it was a little chilly, or maybe it was a combination of the two, but there were hardly any people in the village. It was awesome. We started out by looking at Il Gigante, an incredible sculpture at the beach. I took a cool photo you can see on Instagram. We then walked into the older part of town and Marta set us loose for an hour or so. MT and I wandered through the streets, taking photos and looking for t-shirts, postcards, and magnets. Check, check, check. The group met up again and went to an enoteca (wine bar) to sample a glass of the local wine called Sassirini, which is super-fun to say, and to eat some bruschetta with pesto. I’m sure you already know that bruschetta is a grilled bread, in this case, focaccia, which is rubbed with olive oil and garlic. The topping has it’s own identity, like pesto or tomatoes. We spent a lot of time in Monterosso, and I liked it!

The enoteca where we had our wine and bruschetta

A street in Monterosso

Il Gigante

Next, we boarded a mini-bus that took us high along the winding roads in the mountains above the sea, past towns two and three, Vernazza and Corniglia, and into the fourth town, Manarola. We parked at the top of the hill, then had to walk down into the village. It was pretty steep and long and I was concerned about getting back up to the bus in time. Spoiler - not a problem. It was around 1:30, so we decided to have some lunch. We saw some of our excursion mates at a cute little covered outdoor patio by the water, so we got a table there. When I looked at the actual restaurant, I noticed it had a red Michelin sign. !!! We didn’t have much time, so we just ordered one course and some wine. MT had the seafood spaghetti and I had tagliatelle with pesto. OMG. My pasta was so fucking good. The noodles were a bit thick and a little chewy. The pesto (which I have haven’t had much of because, well, I don’t know why) was flavorful and rich and still somehow light. We had the house white wine and it was bright and lemony and dry. MT totally loved his seafood spaghetti. It was filled with little clams, mussels, and shrimp, along with tiny pieces of pancetta. I’m kind of surprised we didn’t lick the bowls. On our way up the hill to meet the bus, we got gelato, of course! Chocolate for MT and lemon for me. It was all wonderful and memorable and fun.

I think it is a rule in the Cinque Terre that you can only use pastel colors on the buildings

Manarola

The third stop, just a short ride away, was the fifth town, Riomaggiore. We had about 45 minutes to spend here, so we looked at the church and the outside of a castle built in the 1300s. We walked through the streets looking for souvenirs, then continued down to the water. Monterosso is the only village with a beach - the five villages are all built on the cliffs above the sea. If you google Cinque Terre, you’ll see what I mean. They are all right on the water, but you can’t actually get to the water, except in Monterosso. All of the villages have pastel-colored buildings and kind of just ooze charm. I felt rushed in Riomaggiore and in Manarola. I felt like I could have stayed longer in Manarola, drinking a little more wine, taking a little more time with lunch. I had visions of having coffee in Riomaggiore and soaking in the scene, more like I did in Monterosso. Next time, I guess. 

View of Riomaggiore from the top of the hill

We took the train from Riomaggiore back to Levanto - about a 10 minute train ride with only one stop in Monterosso, before continuing to Levanto. I learned that you can catch the train in Genoa and take it to each town in the Cinque Terre, and even all the way to La Spezia and maybe even Porto Venere. Liguria, the name of this region of Italy, is absolutely gorgeous, at least what we have seen. The mountains are lush. The villages are all pastel-colored and begging to be explored. Genoa itself looks dreamy. From my cabin here on the ship, I can see beautiful buildings all along the hillsides. I would love to come back to this area and spend some time. 

Today’s step count: 15,154; 6.2 miles; 25 flights climbed.