Traveling with Laura

Just call me “Chef Laura”. My last day in Cinque Terre found me strolling the streets of Vernazza, sipping rich Italian hot chocolate, indulging in a local sweet treat, and making a homemade pasta dinner.

After breakfast this morning, I headed off to Vernazza. I really wanted to love Vernazza the other day, but there were just too many people around. I was in Vernazza much earlier this morning and got to watch the town come to life. Storefronts being opened, deliveries being made, shop owners sweeping the patios, locals greeting each other with a “Ciao!” or “Buongiorno!”… daily life before the tourists arrived for the day. My walk around Vernazza ended with a stop at Il Pirata delle 5 Terre Cafe, where I enjoyed my second breakfast of hot chocolate and a Nutella-filled croissant. 

This afternoon, I was back in Monterosso. I stopped in a few shops and then happened upon an organ concert in the village church, San Giovanni Battista, and sat to enjoy the music for a little while. My afternoon outing also led me to Pasticceria Laura, where they serve up their local dessert specialty, Torta Monterossina. The torta is a light pastry crust with jam, chocolate, and cream. The lemon spritz I had with it was a bit too tart for my taste, but you won’t find me complaining about the torta!

One thing I had been looking forward to on this vacation was taking a pasta and pesto making class at my hotel. Eight other hotel guests and I were treated to the hospitality of Carla and Matteo as Carla taught us how to make homemade tagliatelle pasta, gnocchi, and pesto while Matteo showed us how to marinate and bake sea bass. The evening finished with a full dinner where we enjoyed the food we had prepared. All of us were from the U.S. and spent an hour and a half talking, eating, and drinking together. For dessert, we were treated to tiramisu and limoncello… a perfect ending to my five days in the Cinque Terre.