Arriving in Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre

We arrive again in Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre, Italy, one of our most favorite places in the world!  We descend from the train and walk through the city to Hotel Villa Steno for ten days in Cinque Terre, followed by a few days in Isola Elba, just off the coast between Italy and Corsica.

Our stroll through Monterosso's new town, then through the tunnel into the old town reminds us again of how delightful and beautiful this area is.

Scenes of Monterosso

Proceeding up the hill to Villa Steno, we are rewarded on our arrival with spectacular views across the town to the Mediterranean.

View from Villa Steno

We arrive late in the afternoon this time as we try flying to Rome and taking the train from Rome to Monterosso rather than flying into Pisa or Milan as we have in the past.  We unpack in our rooms and head out to dinner at Il Casello (where we seem to often have our first dinner when we arrive in Monterosso) and sit on the outside deck alongside the beach.  Tonight we share stuffed anchovies, papperdelle octopus ragu, and spaghetti with seafood sauce.

View from Il Casello

Stuffed anchovies

Octopus ragu, seafood sauce

Walking back from dinner, we spot a sign at the gelateria with Disney character from the film Luca, which was set in a fictionalized version of Cinque Terre.

Luca characters

Further along Via Roma, heading toward our hotel, we follow a religious procession, with accompanying band, participants, and observers.

Procession and band

What a great welcome back to Cinque Terre!  We're lookin forward to another fabulous adventure in this magical place.