Helloooo!
I totally meant to blog while I was in Italy, but surprisingly the internet was a little spotty so I only managed to do the one post (if you haven’t read, click here). I’m actually OK with that though, I feel like the lack of internet made me focus more on taking great pictures and spending this amazing time with my two best friends, instead of writing blog posts (although I was definitely an Instagram hoe, so there’s that).
For this post, I want to start to tell you guys about my experience in the Cinque Terre. For those of you who’ve never heard of the Cinque Terre, it’s an area on Italy’s Northwest Coast right on the Mediterranean Sea. Cinque means five, and Terre means lands or towns I believe (not sure of the literal translation) so Cinque Terre basically translates to “Five Villages” which are:
- Monterosso al Mare
- Vernazza
- Corniglia
- Manarola
- Riomaggiore
In this post, I’ll talk about the first village on our Cinque Terre tour, Monterosso al Mare. Keep in mind that if you start from the Southern most village in the Cinque Terre, you’d be starting in Riomaggiore, which a lot of people actually do, as it’s the closest village to the bigger city of La Spezia (which is the town you would go to in order to take the small train to the Cinque Terre).
Monterosso al Mare is the largest village in the Cinque Terre (not including La Spezia and Levanto, of course). It also has the best “beach” area of all 5 villages. In Monterosso we stayed at the Hotel Souvenir, which was absolutely stunning! The hotel is only a short walk from the train station, maybe about 15 minutes, and it is right off of the main street of Monterosso, and very close to bars, restaurants, cafes, and shops. It is a bit pricey, we paid roughly $200.00 for one night, but if you were there with your spouse on a romantic getaway, then it is TOTALLY worth it! Also, breakfast is included! And it’s just a really beautiful hotel, and a very relaxing place to stay.
Things to do:
- The beach!
The beaches in Monterosso al Mare are absolutely beautiful. This village is actually the only one that has a really nice and sandy beach area, with lounge chairs and umbrellas. Be sure to grab a bottle of prosecco from the store and some plastic cups so you can have a glass of bubbly on the beach! Also, there are 2 types of beaches in Monterosso, a free beach, and a beach you have to pay to get in. Depending on the time of day that you go to the paid beach, it could be anywhere from 15 euro to 30 euro, but in my opinion it’s totally worth it to go to a paid beach over a free beach, because you get your own lounge char and umbrella.
2. Hike up to the cemetery
The hike up to the top of the cemetery is grueling (especially after a few glasses of prosecco) but it’s totally worth it for the views of the ocean and village and the experience of walking through the hundreds of years old cemetery.
3. Eat local!
The food in Italy is so freakin’ good. Definitely take advantage of eating the food that is local to the area where you are. For the Cinque Terre, that means wine and seafood. I think I had mussels almost every night I was in the Cinque Terre, and this local wine was delicious and a bottle is between 10-13 euro!
I’ll post the next leg of our trip on Monday! Talk to you all soon!
xo,
B
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