That’s right – I can’t actually believe it myself as I didn’t think anywhere in Italy could beat Rome. The country’s capital has held numero uno status for a good eight years but uncovering Cinqueterre was like opening a treasure chest full of chocolate buttons! Haha…. well, almost. Cinqueterre is found on the left hand side of Italy, under Genoa aka the home of pesto. It’s an area I’d honestly never heard about and it definitely didn’t feature on my carefully scheduled itinerary for Italy. But, it turns out being spontaneous actually can be the best way to be, as if I hadn’t have gone to Rimini – I wouldn’t have met Kristine, and I’d definitely never have discovered Cinqueterre. And, wow what a mistake that would’ve been as with its incredibly beauty, expansive views over the mountains and ocean, fresh spring smells and amazing food, it quickly became my new favourite place in Italy – I’m sorry Rome, but there’s simply no competition.
Check out that view!
Despite Sunday’s train strike slightly pushing back our plans, we ended up arriving in Corniglia a day later than planned. Our Air B n’ B accommodation was pretty amazing, complete with the all-time best view over the ocean, free apples and chocolates on our bed, we were pretty chuffed. On our first day, we hiked to two of the five villages: Monterosso and Vernazza. Cinqueterre is composed of five villages and Cornighlia sits directly in the middle, offering the best views and two different routes to walk. The hiking on both days was challenging but fun. Rock climbing, steps and steep paths made the constantly changing scenery and views even more spectacular. I even managed to get a local man to give us some of his lemons (and I didn’t even need to ask!). And, the strenuous hiking led us to building up quite a sweat, meaning the food and drink tasted even better! Oh, and if you want to see an un-edited video of us on the top of Cinqueterre, click here!
And this was one of the easiest
Kristine with her lemons!
Due to Cinqueterre’s close proximity to Genoa, it’s one of Italy’s big pesto exporters. Made up of a minimum of 65% basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino and oil, it definitely tastes different – fresher and almost cheesier. We were also told to try the stuffed mussels and clams, anchovies and the local wine. I managed the majority – although I was told mussels were out of season so I settled for a stuffed sardine instead. Sounds horrific right?! See, you know my theory about having too high expectations and being disappointed, I believe it works the opposite way too – go in with NO expectations, and you’re going to be left happy, or at the very least, not disappointed. The sardines left me surprised, but rather than reading, I’m currently uploading a video so look out for the upload! For now, you get a photo:
Stuffed Sardines!
Anchovies are one of those foods which the majority of people would turn their nose up at – Kristine and I included. But, we were committed to trying one so we opted for a marinated anchovy sandwich. Presented on crusty white bread, the fish were a creamy white in colour and served with lemon, herbs and oil. In short, it wasn’t bad! It didn’t have that intensely salty, oily flavour that I associate with them, and I could definitely have stomached another one! The local wine was ‘cosi cosi’ (so so), we tried two different types of white wine and both were a little too sweet for our likings. We didn’t try the red, so I won’t critique Cinqueterre on their wine offerings too much! We also ate a local seafood restaurant, situated right on the port, so the freshness of their fish could not have been questioned, however, before I dive in, you can read the review here!
Anchovies….
I know what you’re waiting for – the pizza! Given the tiny size of the villages, the pizzerias or take-aways were tiny holes in the wall with strong marketing on the walls. The pizzas always looked yummy, with the majority having the similar focaccia like base. I personally like the thicker, spongier, slightly oily taste but as Kristine says ‘it’s not really pizza’. But then, this has been my argument throughout my trip – what actually is pizza? Is it the lighter, crispier one from Naples, presented to Queen Margherite, or is it the thicker doughier American offering? Or, is it just constituted of a bread-like base, with any variety of topping? I guess I’m now more inclined to go for the latter. Anyway, I like all kinds and Cinqueterre’s offerings didn’t disappoint. You’d find pesto as the most common topping in the pizzerias, or a simple margherita. The region is also known for its farinata – which is simply composed of chickpeas. Honestly, I found it fairly boring but then again, I’d happily eat a plain bit of bread – so what’s the difference?!
Video of Kristine reviewing Cinqueterre’s pizza here – https://www.youtube.com/upload
Farinata
Finally, I have to mention my cooking as I promised to cook a local dish in every region after all… As a thank you to my host, I agreed to cook ‘trofie con pesto’. Trofie is the regional pasta and pesto, well it goes without saying why this dish seemed to be ‘the one’. I slightly adapted the recipe, as usual, but it did turn out to be a pretty yummy dinner and Marco looked happily surprised when eating it – see, it’s not just the Italians who can cook pasta! Recipe coming soon!
So today I’ve had to say goodbye to Cinqueterre. I could’ve happily stayed for longer as the scenery, beaches, food and calm atmosphere is incomparable to anywhere I’ve been in Italy. Also, the main town ‘La Spezia’ was brilliant for shopping so I could’ve enjoyed another day just window shopping. However, I have to move on and my next stop brings me to Parma, where I hope to try the ham and (obviously) pizza, and enjoy the apparent charm it has to offer.
