Do you ever have a day where you can’t imagine being anyplace else or doing anything different? Today was that day for me. I woke up way too early but I couldn’t wait to begin my day exploring Monterosso.
I was excited to see a packet of Italian hot chocolate mix in my room and made myself a cup to bring out onto the balcony as the sun began to rise. Monterosso faces west, so the hills block the full light for the first couple of hours in the morning. I told myself that I could (a) sleep in today and (b) be lazy until breakfast started at 8AM. I did neither of those things. After a half hour or so spent listening to the nearby chickens, I threw on my shoes and set out to explore Monterosso before the town woke up. It’s my favorite time of day to be out.
I wound my way through the streets of old town Monterosso and eventually made the trek up to the Convent of the Capuchin Friars and village cemetery. The church is perched on a promontory that separates old town Moterosso and new town Monterosso and has views of the sea below. The cemetery has paths that wind up to the top of the hill. The well-kept tombs have pictures of the deceased and holders for flowers. Memorials must be tended regularly in order to be kept. I kept climbing to the top of the cemetery and was rewarded by views of the sea in both directions.
After getting my morning workout in, I went back to the hotel for breakfast. Carla and Matteo put on quite the spread. Scrambled eggs, bacon, omelets, various breads, fruit, yogurt, homemade pastries, and homemade orange and lemon marmalade (with fruit from the garden) made the perfect morning sustenance for my next adventure.
All of the villages in Cinque Terre have a pilgrimage church high up in the hills above town. The Sanctuary of Madonna di Soviore is the pilgrimage church of Monterosso, some 2.5 kilometers above the town. The climb is straight up through switchbacks and the path is composed mostly of stones. The views from the top are incredible and the church is beautiful inside. Since I forgot my water bottle at the hotel, I stopped at the little cafe for a Coke Zero and sat on a bench outside for a while, just soaking in the view. The trek down was less strenuous on my heart, but my knees sure took a beating. I got back to my hotel room, collapsed on the bed, and promptly fell asleep for an hour.
My nap gave me my second wind, and this time I set out in search of food and/or libations. I ended up at Buranco winery and fell in love. The winery is perched over a lemon garden and surrounded by terraced vineyards. The nice woman told me I could have a seat on the terrace, or take my wine over to the other side and enjoy it in one of the lounge chairs in the shaded garden. She didn’t have to ask twice. I took my glass of sparkling wine over to the garden and had a leisurely afternoon libation. The garden reminded me of my afternoon tea in an orchard in Grantchester, England many years ago.
I continued uphill and back down to new town Monterosso. In comparison to old town, this section is all about the beach and has touristy souvenir and gelato shops and was very crowded. I walked from one end to the other and then walked through the tunnel back to the old town. It was time for gelato. I stopped at Slurp and had two scoops: fiore di latte and crema de Cinque Terre (lemon). The fior di latte was boring, but the lemon was heavenly. I spent the rest of the afternoon back in my room relaxing before dinner.
Dinner tonight was at da Eraldo, a popular restaurant on via Buranco. The bread was a little different (kind of like a pizza dough pancake), the lasagne al pesto was just meh, and of course the tiramisu was delicioso! Overall, the meal was a bit disappointing. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and getting ready to check out some of the other towns of Cinque Terre tomorrow.
Traveling with Laura 