Back to Five Lands!

Cinque Terre are back!

Last week I was finally back to Cinque Terre to have a look at works in progress. The people here are making a great job, restoring Vernazza and Monterosso at high speed to be ready for the season. We first stopped in Monterosso, where you can still see how furious was the flood. Before taking our train to Riomaggiore, the first village, we had a wine tasting at Sassarini Winery. This is the biggest winery in Cinque Terre, producing a few different selections of native white, red and Sciacchetrà wines. The latter is very typical of the area and you will not find any other place in Italy where tasting it. It is a delicious, sugary wine made with white grapes dried for about 7 weeks and then pressed and kept in inox vask. 

This is a quite unusual process for sweet wines, such as Vin Santo, that are usually aged in wood casks. Dont' miss a shot  of Sciacchetrà in your next trip to Cinque Terre. True delight!

You can have a wine tasting along with some food at the Enoteca 5 Terre wine bar in Monterosso, close to the railway station.

After checking in Monterosso, we headed to Riomaggiore, the first of Cinque Terre, which seamt a bit packed up with tourists, because the Lover's way was closed for strong wind, which might be dangerous for rocks falling.

We had a delicious lunch at Dau Cila Restaurant, overlooking the tiny harbour of Riomaggiore, nested between the railway tunnel and the sea. All seafood was perfectly cooked and fresh, especially the typical anchovies. I learned from my friend Mirko, Frontier Wine tours, that American people do not like them becuase they use to have some big, salty fish which have nothing to do with delicate, small, tasty "Acciughe di Monterosso". Try them marinated or fried or simply with fresh tomato sauce and spaghetti. I definitely recommend this restaurant, not just for food, but also for the quaint position and nice inside setting made as if carved in the rock.

After lunch, we could not stop in Vernazza, as we were told that the Marine is yet closed or less accessible, but i was confirmed that most restaurants there are opening up again in late May. Here you cannot miss:

Belforte Restaurant, right by the sea inside an ancient tower;
Gianni Franzi, in the Marina

As you can see from clouds in the background, this was not the best day to visit the Cinque Terre, but colours and atmosphere was perfect as always. This is a magical place, which never lets you down.
I will soon be back with other friends to share the renovated villages of Vernazza and Monterosso, but also Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia that deserve a visit and some authentic shots!