On our last day in The Cinque Terre, (we were only there for 2 full days) we had a relaxing day of doing nothing. We took the train to the beach in Monterosso and laid there, and read and went swimming.
It’s exhausting being a tourist and exploring. Flemming and I are always on the same page, so we got all of our exploring out of the way the first day and used the second day for sun and relaxation.
We got off the train and went straight to the beach. Set up shop on some lounge chairs and didn’t move for a few hours.
It wasn’t a total uneventful day though. The guy in charge of the beach lounges provided some major entertainment. First he had this insane little Jack Russell that had to be by his side at all times. The dog even came paddle boarding with him which roped in even more chicks than he already had! All day girls were coming up to him, taking selfies with him, asking him questions about where to go eat etc. He must love his job!
We also watched a few paragliders land on the beach, one of which came a bit too close for comfort!
We went to a place called Cantina di Miky for lunch and it was seriously… the bomb!
Side note: Let me express how I feel about food here in Italy. It’s not that great. The worst Italian food you will ever eat, will be in Italy. It’s ok. But not great. The fresh ingredients like seafood and tomatoes are pretty unbelievable and you can find some amazing pizzas, but that’s about it. Everything is incredibly simple which is great, but I find they often shy away from using herbs and making the simple ingredients taste the best they can. The places that I’ve been too, which of course, aren’t fancy… kind of all have the same menus and everything tastes the same. It’s fine, but nothing to write home about. (My opinion)
Ok to continue… We LOVED Cantina di Miky! It was so fresh and simple and Flemming and I were both saying “I can’t believe how good lunch was” throughout the day. I ordered a classic tomato bruschetta and a Caprese salad (my favourite salad in the whole world). Flemming ordered a pesto bruschetta and a sandwich – which I don’t have a photo of. I feel so awkward taking photos of food at restaurants that I never do it. But I snuck this one really quick without anyone seeing me, that’s why it’s not the best.
We sat on their patio, but across the street where the actual restaurant is, there is a shaded garden area and tables inside to sit at too. It was a really cool place.
A table next to us was ordering an assorted fish platter to start and he asked the server if the fish was frozen. The server looked at him like he had 3 heads, then looked out to the ocean 10 feet away from us, then looked back at the guy like he had 4 heads and said “The sea is right there. Why would we have frozen fish?” – It was the best thing I heard all day!
After lunch I wandered along the coast to the other part of Monterosso. You walk through a tunnel and on the other side is what seems like a whole other lively village! There were tons of bars, shops and people and the whole area seemed to be buzzing.
We finished our day in Monterosso with a mixed berry Mojito and a blended Bloody Mary which was pretty gross, then made our way back to Manarola.
I can’t wait to write about Manarola and the restaurant that totally kills it, when it comes to mussels!
