Monterosso al Mare

One of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre, Monterosso al Mare is a coastal gem that's known for being the less popular Amalfi coast. You get to experience the coastal beaches of Italy at a lower cost and a less-travelled destination. One of the days of our trip, we rented chairs and umbrellas and lounged in the Italian sun. So many friends told me this was their absolute FAVORITE destination of all their travels & I can now see why!

Maria and I became anchoive conosseirus on this part of the trip. Can you believe they can serve an anchoive 9 different ways?! I have the receipts: fried, grilled, ceviche'd, stuffed...

If you find yourself in Monterosso, definitely try La Cantina di Miky. This was highly reviewed online, so we were lucky to grab a table right on the water with no wait.

~When in Rome, try the local vino~ Pigato Verum is a phenomal local white wine found in Cinque Terre. I don't usually like any white wine, but this was buttery, not too sweet and so refreshing after a long day at the beach!

Located right on the water, everything we had was delicious and for a great price! Of course we had to try all the pastas.... Gnocchi, Ricciola, Tagliere. Desserts included a berry creme brulee, Cremoso Cioccolato (Chocolate Lava Cake but make it Italian), and a few decaf coffees. Grazie!

I'd also recommend for drinks at sunset at Torre Aurora. You'll want to book months in advance for this one to catch the sunset!!

& be ready for a whole lot of this!!! Brownie points for the boys double-bagging it