Returning to Monterosso

While the last few blogs were publishing, we return to Monterosso al Mare for the second visit this year, this time for almost two weeks.  We hike old, familiar trails, find new trails to new towns (new to us), favorite restaurants, and a few new restaurants in Monterosso.  We thought we would extend the coverage of Cinque Terre with a few more new and intriguing locations, hikes, and dining.

We arrive late in the day and once again have panini at Pan e Vino (several times this trip):  salami and gorgonzola and the Pan e Vino special (anchovy).

Our panini dinner

We head up to Santuario Nostra Signora di Soviore (the oldest Marian sanctuary in Liguria) twice, once on a beautiful, clear day and once on a stormy day after the rains have stopped.  What a great contrast!

Heading up on a clear day

Although we arrive at Soviore on Sunday, mass is at 4:00 and we are able to explore the chapel in the morning.

Admiring the chapel

Returning to Monterosso, it is a beautiful day on the beach.

On the beach

A few days later, just after the rain ends in the late morning, the trip to Soviore is a whole different experience.  The storm has knocked trees across the path and made the rocks slippery for the trip up and down.

After the storm

Clouds on the hills

We note that Soviore is a significant junction for several trails leading to Monterosso, Levanto, Colla di Gritta, Termine, and others.  We have gone in many directions from this point, but on both these trips we return to Monterosso's old town and enjoy fried fish cones from the shop at the train station.

Intersection

Clouds continue to pass over

Our descent into Monterosso yields increasingly-larger views of the village as we follow the winding road, along with interesting other views along the way.

Views as we descend

Cute car parked along the way

Fried fish cone reward

On the beach in Monterosso, this time the umbrellas are furled and the crowd is elsewhere, waiting for the next nice day (tomorrow).

Quiet at the beach

While we are sitting in a small park in Piazza Giuseppe Garibalidi, eating our fried-fish cones (and sipping our local white wine), we notice a crowd gathering at the edge of the park, outside the city hall entrance which is decorated with white flowers.  Soon a bride and groom appear and the wedding guests and passers-by stop and wait outside as the ceremony proceeds.

Entrance to city hall

The wedding party entering city hall

We continue on a wander around Monterosso and hope that the rain will hold off for the rest of the day (for us and for the wedding party).

Dining in Monterosso al Mare

We truly enjoy our dining experiences in Cinque Terre every time we return.  The majority of our meals are in Monterosso al Mare since we are staying there, but occasionally (mostly lunches) in the other four villages.  This trip, all our dinners are in Monterosso, starting with dinner at Ely, where we enjoy polpette di papate e tonno (potato and tuna meatballs), fish ravioli (with shrimp and branzino), and ricotta and spinach ravioli with pesto.

Potatoes and tuna

Ravioli (and friends)

The next day, we dine at an old favorite, Il Casello, down on the water.  But first, we have cocktails at a small bar overlooking the beach.

Aperitivo

Our dinner starts with octopus, followed by sea bream in potato crust and sea bream with lemon.

Octopus

Sea bream two ways

View from our table

Our next evening starts with cocktails in Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi (Cinque Terre gin and tonic, negroni), followed by dinner at L'Osteria:  anchovies fantastic, followed by a platter of lobster, langoustine, shrimp, and sea bass.

Aperitivo

Anchovies, fish/shellfish

Another evening, we opt for a lighter meal and dine at a small table outside at La Cantina del Pescatore, consuming anchovy focaccia and pesto bruschetta.

Focaccia, bruschetta

Our final dinner in Monterosso is at Tosca Bistrot, a new-to-us restaurant that we've walked by many times, but never stopped to dine.  We didn't know what we were missing, but do now and we'll be back.  We dine on polpo diavola (deviled octopus with tomato, olive, and chili pepper), filetto di branzino alla mediterranea (filet of sea bass with potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, and olives), and pulpo crocante (crispy octopus with buratta cream, celery and cherry tomatoes).  Wow!

Starter

Sea bass, octopus

We have once again dined incredibly well in Cinque Terre and will return soon to do it again.

Monterosso to Colla di Gritta

We started our stay in Monterosso al Mare with a hike to Soviore, on to Colla di Gritta, then back down to Monterosso.  Today, we're going to approach Colla di Gritta a different way, walking through Monterosso, hiking north toward Levanto, then turning east along the ridge around Monterosso and following it to Colla di Gritta from the other direction.

We step out and admire the beautiful sunrise over Monterosso and the Mediterranean, then descend into the streets to cross over to the northern end of the village.

Sunrise

Passing by the northern end of the village

We start to follow the road up with great views back at Monterosso.

Looking back as we ascend

Soon we leave the road and follow a path up the hill.

Path heading up

Along the way, we get views of the sea and the coast stretching south from Monterosso to the other four villages of Cinque Terre.

Views of the sea

Looking down the coast

We reach the top of the trail, with one direction proceeding north along the coast to Levanto and the other to the east on the ridge around Monterosso.  We turn east (right) and continue up the ridge. 

 

Trail choices at the top

Continuing up to the ridge

Looking down at Monterosso

We follow the trail up and down the hills along the ridge, with glimpses of Monterosso on the right and Levanto on the left as we proceed.

Continuing along the trail

Views of Monterosso and Levanto

Looking back at the start of the trail  (the far peak)

The trail reaches several steep up and down sections, then descends into Colla di Gritta.

Steeper sections

Final steps to Colla di Gritta

At Colla di Gritta, we can return to Monterosso's new town (road to the right) or old town (road straight ahead).  We decide to return to the old town and follow the road to the path between Monterosso and Soviore, hiking the stretch from the road back to town.

Follow the road

View of Monterosso and surrounding hills

Upon reaching town we head straight down Via Roma to Pan e Vino and reward ourselves with two sandwiches:  mortadella and stracchino and the Pan e Vino special (anchovies).

Our rewards

We've enjoyed another fun, local hike and have left many others (and perhaps the same again) for later visits.