I am definitely drawing out this Italy trip but I know if I don't recap the whole thing on here I'll regret it! So, I am back today with Part 2 of our time in Cinque Terre. Hopefully, after this, I can fit our Florence recap into just one more post!
Monday
Day 3 in the Cinque Terre was a Monday and it was one of our best days of the whole trip! We woke up, got dressed, and got some breakfast (cappuccinos and croissants of course) before heading to our Pesto Class and Wine Tasting at Nessun Dorma!!!
Nessun Dorma is a restaurant in Manarola (where we were staying) that is located above and off to the side of the town, so it has the best views in the whole town! You overlook the cliff with the houses the entire time you're up at the restaurant, so it's an absolutely incredible ambiance. Not only is Nessun Dorma a restaurant, but they have this Pesto Class that is so much fun!
It's about a two-and-a-half-hour experience where you make pesto, taste local wine, and have lunch. It was fabulous to learn about different parts of Italy and the ingredients those areas produce, and then make our own pesto using those ingredients! The wine we tried was delicious and the lunch spread was amazing too. It really exceeded my expectations and I was so happy we did it.
walking up to Nessun Dorma
After the pesto class, we decided to go to Corniglia, because it was the only town we had yet to visit. Corniglia is a hike (figuratively). It's the only one of the five towns that isn't located directly off the train station - you either have to hike up to it or wait for the shuttle bus. It's really not a big deal, but we didn't know about the shuttle bus at this point, and after a few glasses of wine, the hike was quite the 15-minute adventure, haha.
We headed back to Manarola for dinner and had an amazing meal at Il Porticciolo - we randomly chose this restaurant because it was the only one opening soon, and it was one of my favorite meals of the trip, honestly! We split a delicious pasta with olives and monkfish, and the catch of the day which I think was sea bass. Delicious!
Of course, we had gelato afterward! In Manarola, we loved Poche Musse for gelato.
Tuesday
Tuesday was our last full day in the Cinque Terre, and it was exactly that: a full day! We woke up and actually had to switch rooms where we were staying, so our morning was a little confusing. We got breakfast (more cappuccinos, more croissants), did our switch, and then went on our way for another hike! This time, we did the hike from Corniglia to Vernazza.
This hike required the pass - more details in my Cinque Terre Part 1 blog post.
We started the hike in Corniglia and made our way to Vernazza. I mentioned in the first blog post that on Sunday morning we did the hike from Manarola to Riomaggiore which was entirely steps/climbing and took just under an hour. This hike was completely different - instead of steps, it was a true trail vibe, and it took more like an hour and a half. Because it was a trail along the water, there were more views, and it was lovely! Although, I will say, it was not easy. Some parts were pretty difficult but passed quickly. Nonetheless, we were sweaty (and very tired) by the end. I just kept thinking about how Cinque Terre is not a great choice for a vacation destination if you're not in good physical condition.
Anyway! We finally made it to Vernazza and we got sandwiches to eat by the water. I'm not sure what the sandwich place was called, but they were great!
LOL. This photo is your reward if you've made it this far in this post hhaha
Post-sandwiches, we went back home to change, because we were having a beach day!!! We made our way to Monterosso via the train. When you first get off the train at Monterosso, you'll see the beach, but if you go left (towards Vernazza) and walk for 10ish minutes up through the town, you'll come around to another beach - that's where we went. I think it was roughly 20 euro each or something for the beach chairs and umbrella. We had a lovely afternoon!
Wednesday morning we packed up and left for Florence!
Florence recap coming next.
xoxo
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