MacsTravel Blog

We zipped to Florence from Bologna and picked up our friends Lisa and Pete. This involved a considerable amount of packing and repacking the “mid”-sized MG hatchback, but once we managed to fit everyone and everything in, we headed west to the Ligurian coast and Monterosso al Mare.

We were using Monterosso as a base to explore The Cinque Terre for a couple of days. We would be meeting friends Anne and Scot, who were planing and training their from Toronto. Thirty minutes driving on the winding roads up, down and around the hills between Levanto and Monterosso led us all to conclude that a ride in on a train sounded pretty good!

Pete served as chief navigator, alerting me to the upcoming hairpin turns as my eyes were glued to the road. He added an appropriate Formula 1 touch to the occasion by repeatedly yelling out “Chicane!” when a sharp turn came up, which usually coincided with a sudden change in gears and a high pitched wine from our disgruntled four cylinder engine. Needless to say this did little to settle Robin’s nerves in the backseat.

We finally arrived at the shoreline in Monterosso’s “new town” to find our hotel (beautiful private terrace with views of the beachfront and promenade) and the local Lemon Festival in full swing! I was glad to see the last of the car for a few days, but not as glad as Robin.

We used the afternoon to explore the old town (a short walk down the promenade and through the pedestrian tunnel) and soak in the lemony fun. Lemon drinks were on offer (Limoncello, Lemonade, Lemon-Spritz, etc…), lemony food available (sardines on sourdough with lemon anyone?) and the town was full of visitors and yellow lemony-themed displays. A brass band energetically played a short set list of New Orleans style jazz on repeat (“Meet the Flintstones” was their go-to number) while a more serious marching band ambled through the village.

The Cinque Terre is a Mecca for hikers who want to explore its famous and rugged coastal trails which offer spectacular views of the little villages set against the rugged coastline.

The area is equally famous for its cuisine, in particular, its pesto. As Anne and Scot were arriving later in the evening the four of us decided to sign up for a cooking class at the Cinque Terre Cooking School high above Monterosso. Thankfully, we were picked up in the Old Town by a staff member driving a solid and reliable looking van, and in no time at all we found ourselves high on a hillside with incredible views down to Monterosso.

It is a spectacular setting, and it was great fun learning to make some quintessential Ligurian dishes while enjoying the wine, the views and the company of our fellow participants under the impressively patient and slightly critical eyes of Chef Rusty.

Over four hours, we made a sweetbread dessert (Robin and Lisa did a great job), prepared a sea-bass main course (Pete and I mangled our filleting but managed to avoid gutting ourselves with the knife), pounded pesto (Lisa had Pete do hers as well) and made gnocchi (in a variety of creative and unusual shapes) for our primi course, before enjoying the fruits of our labour. It was a terrific evening. We’d highly recommend it!

Sunday would be for reuniting with Anne and Scot, taking a small boat cruise along the coast and getting ready for a full day on Monday to explore the other villages that make up The Cinque Terre!