Dining in Cinque Terre

We could go to Cinque Terre for dinner every night.  Unfortunately, it's far to travel every day, slightly over 6000 miles (9700 km), so we'll just have to enjoy every meal while we're here.

We return to an old favorite in Monterosso, La Cantina di Miky, on the boardwalk overlooking the beach and the sea.  We decide to to eat outside in the beautiful weather and wait in line for a table.  We're seated soon and choose a great mixture of tastes of the region:  Anchovies six ways (3 hot, 3 cold), octopus tentacle on polenta with tumeric, and curly pasta with local langostino.

View from our table at Cantina di Miky, anchovies six ways

 Octopus tentacle, curly pasta with local langostino

Another evening, we dine at L'Ostoria di Galleno in an alley near Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi.  We start with two dishes:  mussels in wine and anchovies in potatoes and tomatoes.  Then, ravioli with branzino and octopus with potatoes, tomatoes, and olives.  Wow!

 Mussels, anchovies

 Ravioli/branzino, octopus/potatoes

And to join us in our meal, Pedro, the restaurant cat wanders in and is fed from the table by several of the guests (she has her tricks down).  And, we see the owner and chef (his night off) of another local restaurant dining here tonight.  We all chose well!

Pedro, restaurant gatto

Several days later,  we return to our old favorites, il Casello and La Cantina di Miky.  Both have a great combination of incredible food and outside dining with views of the beach, the sea, and the town.

At il Casello, we start with anchovies again (we're in a fabulous rut), this time stuffed anchovies and anchovies with garlic and tomatoes, followed by penne with local white fish.

 Anchovies, penne with white fish

 Views from our table

Returning to La Cantina, we have anchovies on toast with butter, thick spaghetti with anchovies, tomatoes, and olives, and spaghetti with local seafood.

Anchovies on toast with butter

 Thick spaghetti with anchovies, spaghetti with local seafood

On our final night is the grand finale of our dining experiences.  We're at Ristorante Belvedere, which is a new restaurant for us (we've walked by many times, but haven't previously gone in).  We sit inside in the rain and see some incredible plates go by (some we will try on another trip), particularly the bowl of seafood with a whole lobster and a whole octopus.  For our meal we dine with local friends and share an incredible meal with an appetizer selection, squid ink pasta and spaghetti with mussels, and creme brulee for desert.  Wow, again!  We'll definitely come back here next trip.

 Squid ink pasta/spaghetti with mussels, creme brulee

And, as we walk out early in the morning, we see the restocking of mussels and clams.

Restocking, getting ready for tonight

We could eat our way from one end of Cinque Terre to the other, then start over again just like our hiking from one end to the other!

Corniglia to Manarola (through Volastra)

Our goal is this year is to complete the hikes to all five Cinque Terre towns plus Portovenere and  Levanto.  To start the last segment from Corniglia to Manarola to Riomaggiore, we catch the train from Monterrosso to Corniglia, head up the 365 steps to town, and follow the trail up from there.

 365 steps up to Corniglia

 Trail up from Corniglia

Corniglia shrinking in the distance

We pop in and out of incredible views and soon Manarola starts to appear just before the path bends the other way into the vineyards (where it it grape picking time), on to Volastra up in the hills, then down from Volastra into Manarola.  In the vineyards, the pickers are squatting alongside the vines, cutting off bunches of grapes and placing them in tubs, which are then carried down the hill on people's backs and stacked in trucks.  We can see that a lot of manual labor, care, and attention goes into making the great wines that we enjoy every day.  These people have passion for their work and it shows in the vineyards and in the great quality of the wines.

Manarola near, but far

 Trail continues, up, down, and through a beautiful back yard

 Through the vineyards

Grape picking time

After the vineyards, we pass through Volastra and follow the steps down to a steep descent into Manarola.  As we climb down, we get great views up and down the coast, with Monterosso in the distance.

 Steps and path to Manarola

Corniglia in the foreground, Monterosso in the distance

We cross through Manarola and find that the path to Riomaggiore is closed.  The Via dell'Amore along the coast has been closed since 2011 due to the devastating mudslides that year and, in the meantime, people started to take the old farmer's trail around the back side of the hills from Manarola to Riomaggiore, which has recently closed.  And now, there is no coastal trail between the two towns.

Chiuso (closed)

We wander back down the hill into Manarola to catch the train to Riomaggiore and experience the sites of this beautiful town.  This is not just about tourists, we tourists are there, but are also many local residents and, today, a wedding party in the square.

 Views of Manarola

 Wedding party in the square, bridal selfie

At the station, we hop on the train to Riomaggiore and head over to the harbor to our favorite restaurant in Riomaggiore, Enoteca Dau Cila, where we can eat outside with great views of the town, the harbor, and the sea.  We have another fabulous lunch:  octopus on potatoes with Dijon mustard, spaghetti with anchovies, and fried local seafood (whitefish, calamari, prawns) with vegetables.  And, of course, a bottle of local white wine.

 Lunch

 Riomaggiore harbor

We didn't get to hike between all five towns of Cinque Terre, but we did visit each one, so we'll declare victory and head back to Monterosso.

Monterosso in the far distance