August 25, 2019
Yesterday, I visited 3 out of the 5 villages that make up Cinque Terre: Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. So today I plan to visit the other two: Manarola and Riomaggiore. I complete my usual morning routine of getting ready and packing my beach essentials. On my way to the train station, I stop by Bar Crastan, a corner cafe near Costello, for a cappuccino and croissant. I buy the Cinque Terre Card again because I figure I will probably be taking the train at least 3 times today, which makes the card worth it.
Once my train arrives, I shuffle on board with the throngs of other tourists. I find a window seat on the left side so that I can have a view of the ocean along the way. The train tracks follow the coastline, so the scenery is pretty good (although there are some very long tunnels that block the views). Manarola is the second stop so I get off here and find my way down to the harbor. The town is colorful and festively decorated with flags.
The harbor is beautiful. To the right there is a boat ramp, and people are swimming here. The water is so clear, it’s breathtaking.
I follow the stone walkway to the right of the harbor that wraps around the corner (you can see this pathway if you look for the white fencing in the picture above). From this pathway, I find a perfect view overlooking the village and the harbor.
As I continue further around the corner away from the village, I discover the most incredible swimming spot and I immediately fall deeply in love with Manarola.
I know that I will be back here soon, but it’s almost 10:30 am and I have class to attend! I head back along the path to the corner, where there is a staircase leading up to Nessun Dorma, an outdoor restaurant consisting of an umbrella-covered patio that overlooks the village.
Today I am participating in a pesto making class through Airbnb experiences! The class is led by Simone, the owner of Nessun Dorma. There are 30+ participants, a much larger class than I had anticipated. I sit at a table with an American family (two parents and their toddlers) who is currently living in Germany and a British couple on their honeymoon. Each pair of guests is provided with a mortar & pestle, garlic, basil, pine nuts, and olive oil. We each get our own Nessun Dorma apron that we get to keep, as well.
Simone shares his story of opening Nessun Dorma, and it is truly fascinating (I’ll let him tell you *wink*). Then we get started! Simone guides us through each step, while explaining what region of Italy each ingredient came from. He is extremely knowledgeable about all of the local ingredients that we use to make our pesto.
After an intense arm workout, our pesto is ready to eat! Lunch and wine is served, but since I’m vegetarian, all I get is a salad. I am pretty disappointed by this because non-vegetarians get a charcuterie board with meats, bread, and cheeses. I feel a bit gypped, and I would’ve liked to have had the bread and cheese. Other than that, I had a great experience and gained a new culinary skill.
After class and lunch are over, I head back to the swimming spot around the corner. I lay out my towel, and then go for a swim. The water is so clear that I can see everything below me.
After my swim, I lay out to dry and read Little Women. When I’m dry, I put my clothes back on over my swimsuit and catch the train to Riomaggiore. Once I am on the platform at Riomaggiore, I follow a long tunnel into town.
Now I’ve seen all 5 villages of Cinque Terre. They have these traits in common: quaint, colorful, stacked cliffside houses, adorable little gift stores, gelato shops, and ancient churches. Yet each one is completely unique. I browse through a few stores, and I purchase a pineapple-patterned headband at one of the clothing stores. Next I buy my daily gelato, then head over to this spot with a panoramic view of the village, coastline, and ocean:
After I eat my gelato, I find my way down to the harbor. You walk down an underground staircase to get there, and right before you pop out at the harbor, there is a dive shop on the right. It’s the first one I’ve seen since I’ve been in Cinque Terre, and I am tempted to find out about diving but I chicken out since I haven’t gone on a single dive since I earned my certification almost 3 years ago.
Riomaggiore is fairly small, so it doesn’t take long to see everything. I head back through the tunnel and hop on the train to La Spezia. Once I arrive back at Costello, I shower and get ready for dinner. It’s Shruti’s last night here, so we are going out for one last hurrah.
Shruti meets me in the lobby of Costello, and we decide to go to Riomaggiore for dinner. I read about a bar called Bar e Vini a Piè de Mà that has spectacular views of the sunset. It did not disappoint.
The restaurant is located up on the cliffs above the train station, so we don’t need to take the tunnel into the main part of Riomaggiore. All of the seating is outside on a beautiful stone patio with hanging lanterns and stunning ocean views.
Luckily the hostess is able to give us a two-hour time slot without a reservation, which is the perfect amount of time to watch the sky turn the most spectacular shades of coral. I order a refreshing mojito and the traditional pasta of the region, trofie al pesto.
Before heading back to La Spezia, we take the the tunnel to Riomaggiore. We can hear live music, so we follow the sound up to a sort-of platform above the harbor. There is a live band playing cover songs, and people are dancing. A perfect end to a perfect day.
Madi's World 