Monterosso, Italian Riviera, Italy
Monday, June 1, 2009
We tried to arrive in the Cinque Terre without reserving accommodations ahead of time. Bad idea. This is a very popular destination with Europeans and Americans alike. We found most rooms booked in
Riomaggiore and ended up with a salty sailor's room on the harbor. Nice view but old and overpriced. Okay if backpacking, not so great with family. The town was okay, more appropriate for young backpackers. We packed up and moved to
Monterosso al Mare, a most substantial resort town with more amenities for families and better accommodations. Almost everything was booked here too, but we found the last hotel on the street had a few rooms left for a good price, and more modern than our last place. We're staying in the old town section of
Monterosso, a pastel town with few cars and seaside ambience. You can see the 4 other towns of the Cinque Terre from the harbor, all perched on the cliffs of the Mediterranean. Lots of daytrippers here, but it is more peaceful at night. Lots of great food here for seafood lovers
. Specialties of the region include pesto sauce, fresh anchovies (not the canned crap in America), and pastas with shellfish. So tasty and reasonably priced. The other highlight is the topography with steep terraced hillsides spilling into the sea. This makes it hard for cars to get in, but a train line connected by tunnels provides frequent access to all the Cinque Terre towns. The town buildings cling to the side of the hills in many cases. Geotechnical and structural engineers must have a lot of work here. Our string of good weather finally ended as its been cloudy with a few sprinkles today. If the weather cooperates we'll take a boat ride to get a view of the 5 Cinque Terre towns and hike the easier cliffside trails. Hopefully some good photos for you tomorrow!
