This weekend was spent exploring Cinque Terre National Park along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Our first afternoon was gorgeous and sunny-- so of course we headed straight for the beach! Kim and I indulged in strawberry daiquiris and took in the beautiful surroundings.
For dinner our first night I absolutely
had to go for seafood. I chose a scampi and truffle gnocchi and it was absolutely delicious! I am still getting used to the whole head-on-shrimp arrangement, but am no longer so grossed out that I can't enjoy every bite of the more edible sections. The gnocchi was obviously homemade and the shrimp were probably caught mere hours before. There is nothing like fresh seafood. Nothing.
We awoke early the next morning to start hiking between the five towns. While this is a food blog, I must go on a brief tangent about the glorious hike. The views were to-die for, the terrain rugged yet manageable, and the weather perfect. My favorite hike was the final one between Vernazza and Montorosso. This was the most physically difficult hike, but I thought the most fun. There were trails where you had so suck in your stomach for fear you would tumble down the seaside hills and rocky stairs that ascended seemingly into the heavens. I got an adrenaline rush, combined with beautiful scenery, mixed with a pretty good workout!
After all that hiking we were ready for some lunch! We turned to The Bible aka Rick Steve's Italy Guide. He recommended a little bar off the beaten path in Vernazza called the Pirata Caffe. I had a very yummy lemon cream cannoli (life's short-- eat dessert first!) and a mozzarella, tomato, and arugula sandwich. Our server was an absolute hoot and we took a picture with him before leaving.
We also caught site of something amazing-- the cafe gets Rick Steve's Christmas cards! Only study abroad students would be so excited about this haha :)
We finished out the hikes and did some shopping around the quaint little towns before showering off a pretty solid layer of hiking grime. Our dinner reservation wasn't until 8:30pm and we were starving! So we decided to snatch a piece of the North's famous focaccia bread. Words cannot be spoken. That good. Get it with cheese. Even better.
I resisted canceling our reservations and just eating piece after piece of focaccia. So it was with still-rumbling bellies that we made our way to a little trattoria in Vernazza. I ordered pesto, another very regional dish, made with homemade pasta. It was definitely better than the Barilla pesto in a jar!
The feeding fare in Cinque Terre was certainly worthy of a return trip... So I have no problem with the fact I will be returning in just over a month to re-explore with my family! The best part? You hike enough that you can't even feel guilty about having an extra slice of focaccia!
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