With an announcement of travel plans to Italy, the questions are Rome? Venice? Tuscany?  As a novice international traveler, those were similar questions asked in the past. Answering with La Spezia and Cinque Terre brought puzzled looks as if Italian were being spoken!  (Which I guess it was!) These small towns nestled in the Italian Alps along the Mediterranean Sea, quickly found themselves in the favorites file!  

 Due to a night time arrival in La Spezia, not much could be seen on the very narrow winding road to  Villa Sofia. (This is definitely a must stay!) Imagination ran wild with the twinkling of lights on the distant gulf and the lights from the cottages dotting the hills below.  Famished from the long drive, the quest for food ended at Antica Hostaria Secondi. This was one of those unforgettable meals beginning with homemade ravioli followed by the most tender braised veal covered in an indescribable sauce, ending with a specialty dessert and of course coffee.  Meeting the creator of this fabulous meal, Chef Simona, topped off the end of this culinary titillation.  

 Waking to the sun peeking around the dark curtains covering the large sliding glass door of the bedroom at Villa Sofia, there was excitement to see what was actually missed the night before!  Pulling back the curtain revealed a grass covered patio overlooking an amazing valley with a clear breath-taking view of the Gulf of La Spezia (Also known as the Gulf of Poets – another story for another day!)  After a while of soaking up the sun and scenery, the call of food from below lead to another delicious gorging of croissants, cheeses, pastries and of course coffee. Wishing more time had been planned than the quick one night, good-byes were said with assurances of returning for a much longer stay!

Next stop, Riomaggiore, the first of five small villages that make up Cinque Terre.  The drive proved quite beautiful up and down the winding, narrow road, with pauses along the way to document the scenery which was quite stunning.  Upon arriving, the perfect spot in a parking garage opened allowing for the walking adventure to begin down a very narrow and steep street. Passing by colorful buildings, plant covered terraces, and windows hanging with freshly washed laundry, a small shop with the scent of lemon wafting through the door detoured the trek for a chat with the local shop keeper.

After having a taste of some of the treats in the shop, the trek downward continued until the view of the Sea of the Cinque Terre called for a complete stop to drink in the beauty.  Hurrying down to the water’s edge, the waves crashing against the rocks that jutted from the shore, were mesmerizing. 

The decision was made to move on to the next village, Manarola, by catching the train.  A quick ride and short walk through a mosaic tiled tunnel lead to a small café, La Scogliera, providing some of the best food of the entire trip! Ever have fried anchovies?  Amazing!! After all of that and a cup of coffee, it was time to take a hike along the water front to get the best view of the colorful buildings crowded on the rocky shore. The weather was perfect and the scenery a photographer’s dream.                                                    

As the day came to an end, it was time to make it back to the car.  This was quite the adventure as the steep hills that were walked down to these beautiful views, now needed to be trekked back to the top.  With the setting sun, darkness once again covered the amazing view. On to the next leg of the trip leaving this on the top of the favorite list and a plan for a longer visit in the near future!