One of the first restaurants you come across walking downhill from the Vernazza train station into the main hub is Trattoria da Sandro. It's always the rule that you don't walk into the first restaurant you come across, especially on the main road. But after wandering around the town, it seemed as safe a place to eat as any and we happily settled on the wooden platform out the front, and watched the world walk by.
- Spaghetti seafood;
- Baked potatoes topped with anchovies & tomato.
Despite the high tourist traffic through Cinque Terre, it was surprisingly difficult to find many places recommended online. It could be because most people (especially tourists who use English websites) stay in the much bigger town of Monterosso. Or perhaps Cinque Terre is still relatively unspoilt enough such that anywhere is fine.
Da Piva had some appeal in being off the central road in Vernazza. I had read mixed reviews online but the seafood risotto had been mentioned a few times as worth getting. I'm glad I tried it.
- Grilled octopus;
- Seafood risotto - this delicious pot held a nice array of seafood in a much wetter than typical risotto. It was much more of a seafood stew with rice, and a great one at that. I wish I could have finished it but it was too large;
- Spaghetti seafood.
One of the quintessential Cinque Terre walks is the via dell'Amore between Manarola and Riomaggiore. This lovers' walk is most pleasant at sunset and it is easily to stroll the short 1km or so whilst enjoying the weather (in summer), ocean scenery, and general beauty. Access to the trails between cities costs, but after 8pm all the check points close meaning they are free. In the midst of summer the sun may not have set at 8pm making this the ideal time to go. However of course you need to buy (maybe not "need") a train ticket to get back to your city of choice (Vernazza for me).
Before the walk there was time for dinner. For no particular reason I chose to from Riomaggiore to Manarola. I'd recommend this way again as you walk towards the sunset (on my evening at least) rather than away from it.
I didn't have any particular food places in Riomaggiore, so after a short look around, there were several good looking options. I opted for somewhere that didn't have the ocean and beach views.
- Tagliolini al nero di seppia al tocco di scorfano, capperi ed olive Liguri Taggiasche - Tagliolini pasta cooked with cuttlefish ink with a dash of scorpion fish sauce, capers & Ligurian "Taggiasche" olives;
- Calamari e seppie fresch alla griglia - grilled fresh squids & cuttlefish;
- Zuppi di frutti di mare in polpa di pomodoro, rosamarino, olio extravergine di oliva - typical local specialty shellfish soup with tomato pulp, red pepper & rosemary sauce;
- Spaghetti al mare di Liguria (con frutti di mare di Giornata, pomodoro fresco, prezzemolo ed olio extravergine di oliva) - Ligurian seafood spaghetti with mixed seafood, fresh tomatoes, parsley and extra virgin olive oil.
The food was as delicious as it looked. I was happy to be able to try some of the local Ligurian specialty dishes.
Looking at the menu again, next time I'd try the local specialty pasta of Acciugata spaghetti with fresh anchovies from Monterosso, capers and oregano. The flavour combination sounds right up my alley.
Italy and gelato. There aren't many other things to trawl through place after place in Italy. Everywhere you read online will point you in directions of favourites and the reality is all of the ones I visited are good, because they generally have to be;
If in doubt, look for somewhere that states Gelato Artigianale which translates to homemade gelato. Some say those in metal tins with closed lids are more authentic and retain flavour longer also. But with the quality and turnover, I don't think it makes too much difference.
My benchmark is pistachio flavour and generally the murkier green or lighter brown, the better. I tried pistachio nearly everywhere which ranged from light to intense, sweet to nutty. Each was slightly different and I can't say I didn't like any of them. There were no hints of ice or crystals. However trying to pick my favourite of the lot is indeed difficult. I think one of the best was in Vernazza - considering the location in the middle of a plaza, it was a pleasant surprise - check the light brown pistachio on the right of the photo.
- Gelato Passione (Rome) - great pistachio and tiramisu
- Fior di Luna (Rome) - no photo
- Giolitti (Rome) - known mainly for creamy flavours, but melon was very good
- Ciampini (Rome)
- Carabe (Florence)
- Gelateria Perche No! (Florence)
- La Carraia (Florence)
- Antica Gelateria Fiorentina (Florence)
- Slurp! (Monterosso, Cinque Terre)
- Gelateria Artigianale Vernazza (Vernazza, Cinque Terre)
I hit all these gelato places around Italy within 6 days. My list was still longer. Here's the ones I didn't make: Gelateria dei Neri, Vivoli, Gelateria Santa Trinita, Grom (all in Florence), Gelateria Il Porticciolo (Vernazza).
I flew to Turin (Fiorio) as the airport stopover to the white truffle festival. I had an extremely creamy version in Alba (Darios), where after I tried their delicious gelato pistachio and nocciola, the shopowner made me come back on the day it was made fresh. The texture was smooth and untouchable.