Friday 6 September 2019 – Cinque Terre

With Rapallo as our home base, we set off for a day exploring the picture-perfect charm of Cinque Terre. First stop: Monterosso al Mare—a town so beautiful it looks like someone designed it using a postcard filter.

We arrived ready to hop on a boat and see the villages from the water, but nature had other plans. Apparently, the sea was too “rough” for boats. We saw ripples. The boat operators saw Poseidon's wrath. So, instead of wave-chasing, we stayed firmly on land, soaking in the sunshine and stunning views with both feet planted on cobblestones.

Lunch was at Ristorante Il Moretto in Monterosso, where we did our best to taste the entire menu. Fresh seafood, hearty pastas, and local wine that probably counts as one of the five daily food groups. The food was so good we almost forgot we were mildly disappointed not to be bouncing along the Ligurian coast on a boat.

The afternoon was spent meandering through Monterosso’s colourful streets, admiring the coastline and doing our best impression of relaxed Italians (minus the stylish hats and scooters). We even managed a proper couple photo—with the famous rock in the background, just to prove we were really there.

No boats. No waves. Just a perfect, slow day in one of Italy’s most iconic spots. And really, who needs a boat when the pasta’s this good?