Monterosso was our home base so we were able to explore it more in depth than the other towns. We arrived at the Monterosso train station from Florence around 7pm. The train station is in the new part of town and you can either take a taxi or walk to the old part of town where our hotel was. We had been warned that there were only a handful of taxis in the town and that they should be reserved ahead of time. Since we didn’t plan the exact train we would be taking in advance, we figured we would just go ahead and walk. A rocky outcrop separates the two parts of town and you could either use the pedestrian tunnel that cuts through the rock or take the scenic longer walk around and along the water. Since we had our luggage, we opted for the shorter route upon our arrival.
Emerging from the tunnel, the beach was to our right and the old town to our left. You have to walk under the train tracks to get into town. After doing so, we were immediately surrounded by tall, colorful buildings lining quaint pedestrian streets. Despite directions from the hotel, we struggled a little to find their location and got slightly frustrated as we dragged our luggage over cobblestone streets that seemed to get steeper with every step we took. After walking up and down the street a few times, we started peering up every alleyway and finally spotted a tiny sign for the hotel at the top of a steep and narrow set of stairs.
We hauled our heavy luggage all the way up the stairs only to find a locked gate. We had arrived at the back entrance, which is controlled by a key code that you are given upon checkin. We later found out that we should have continued following the street up the hill and wrapped around to another hill that would have taken us to the main entrance. The other way was much longer so I’m not sure it would have been any better. In any event, someone from the hotel immediately saw us at the gate and came down to let us in. Of course, the other side of the gate only brought us more stairs to climb. (Stairs would be a common theme for the next few days.) But it was worth it in the end for the amazing views and the wonderful hotel stay.
For dinner on our first night we picked one of the hotel’s recommendation and went to Da Eraldo. We probably never would have seen this restaurant if not for the recommendation as it is tucked away and has a small entrance with only a few long tables outside. But we are so glad we were tipped off! The inside is also small and crowded, and we sat at the world’s smallest table, which was essentially an open sided wooden pallet covered in a festive red and white checked tablecloth set on top of a wine barrel base. So cute! And a clever design because they slid the bread and other side items into the side of the table to make room on the surface when our entrees arrived. The homemade pasta was fabulous and the atmosphere fun. Despite the close quarters, we had a fantastic meal and an enjoyable evening.
The second night we read some reviews of the other restaurants recommended by the hotel and ended up choosing Ristorante Via Venti. What jumped out at us from the reviews was the ubiquitous comments about the pear-and-pecorino pasta. It sounded different and oddly intriguing. We had to go just to try this dish. We sat outside at a little table, enjoying our wine and the beautiful evening. The solitude was disrupted a few times by a man hauling things up and down the cobblestone street in a loud wheelbarrow, but it did not detract from our experience. Especially once the pear-and-pecorino pasta arrived. It lived up to the hype. I could have eaten that for all of my remaining meals in Cinque Terre.
Our last evening we wanted to step it up a notch since it would be our last nice meal in Italy. (Our very last night would be spent at an airport hotel in Rome.) Ristorante L’Ancora della Tortuga is a more upscale restaurant with the best views in town. Built into the cliff, it offers stunning views of the harbor and surrounding area. We were unfortunately unable to reserve a table outside, but since it was dark for the majority of our time there, we didn’t feel like we missed out on too much. The interior is decorated with a maritime theme and some of the walls were the actual rock the restaurant was built into. My husband was super brave and ordered the anchovies, an Italian delicacy which is apparently nothing like anchovies in the US (i.e. smelly and salty). Although the tiny little bones made eating them somewhat challenging, he said they were delicious. I’ll just have to take his word for it. My pumpkin ravioli was excellent. But while the food was good, the service was lacking. The inattention by the wait staff was almost laughable. We joked more than once about getting up and helping ourselves to one of the many bottles of wine stored around the restaurant. So while the food was good, the service was not and we missed out on the view so I would have to say this restaurant did not fully live up to its reputation for us. I would, however, recommend the restaurant with an outside seating for lunch or an early dinner, where you can enjoy a good meal and a bottle (or two) of wine while enjoying the amazing views with no concern for the slow service.
Aside from eating, we enjoyed wandering in the little shops around old town. We bought some beautiful pottery from Fabrica d’Arte. I could have easily purchased several more pieces if not for the logistics of flying home with them. We also bought several prints from an art shop that had just opened a few days earlier – two of the three prints we bought were numbered as the first print of their limited edition printing. We have them hanging in our dining room and love the reminder of our trip.
And finally of course, the reason for coming to Cinque Terre in the first place – the hiking. We set off on our first hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. This hike is estimated to be an hour and a half long and said to be the most challenging, due to the steep ridge that you must go up and over (and down again) between the two towns. We had a bit of a false start as we trekked up a steep road to the Hotel Porto Roca where the trail was supposed to begin. Instead of an entrance to the trail, we found a handwritten sign that the entrance was closed and only hotel guests could proceed beyond that point. We stood there with several other hikers, confused and wondering if the very unofficial-looking sign was real. But the gates were locked so without any other options, we turned around and went back down the hill into town to seek further directions.
A gaggle of confused hikers went back down the hill and ultimately someone was able to obtain directions to an alternate starting point. We all headed to the Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi and found the alternate trail entrance there hidden behind some buildings. The start of the trail was a forewarning of what is to come… lots and lots of steps!
