19 Comments
Jan 22Liked by Enrica Monzani

So glad to see A pie du campu included, this was recommended to us by our host our first trip and is truly the best focaccia I’ve ever had! I dream of it between trips to Manarola! We also love Cantina Capellini - it’s a wonderful scenic stop for a glass of wine while hiking from Manarola to Volastra or Corneglia.

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Yvonne of A pie du Campu is a very professional sommelier and experience curator!

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Sharing a wonderful place is something not to blame, the problem is to be able to preserve it uniqueness, and this is onto us..

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Lovely post with lots of good information, Enrica. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I took my small culinary group to Cinque Terre for a day last October, and even then it was unbearably crowded. Unfortunately, this is what happens when cruise ships disgorge thousands upon thousands of people into these places that were never meant to hold so many. Hopefully your tips will enlighten people.

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You are right, these places were conceived for few people, not for massive groups. Hope someone will understand it!

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This is really edifying. The last time we visited Cinque Terre was in 2001 at the suggestion of Rick Steves. Even then we were shocked at the number of Americans staying at the same hotel in Monterosso, the one Steves recommended, of course. It was a steamy August but not as overrun by tourists as it must be now. We had a crazy experience when I ended up separated from my family after I accidentally boarded the wrong train as we were leaving. My husband wants to go back in early May, but I’m leery of the crowds. I wonder if we should skip this beautiful area altogether and visit less popular towns. I did write a piece last fall about our 2001 experience, which we loved despite the mishap. Here’s a link: https://ruthtalksfood.substack.com/p/from-the-archives-an-italian-tale

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Ruth, there is still room for visiting these beautiful area, maybe just the surroundings!

I will have a look at your article!

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Sooner or later I'll visit Cinque Terre with you!

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I would LOVE it!!

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Grazie Mille for the time invested in writing up this guide. It's very helpful in giving insight into visiting Italy generally as well.

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True, my suggestions works for any famous tourists spots in Italy too!

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Qualche anno fa ero stata proprio all’Agriturismo Missanega e l’ho amato moltissimo. Restare “fuori” dalla folla e vivere queste terre a volte sembra impossibile ma con un po’ di cura e attenzione si può amarle ancora di più 🩷

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Infatti, viverle come si deve richiede un po' più di impegno, ma rimangono un posto incantevole.

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We loved staying in Santa Margharita Ligure up the coast a bit & training into the CT for a day- that was enough for us! Beautiful but overrun, and that was 7 years ago. We plan to return to SML in October’24 but will skip the CT this time. And yes, I do wish Rick S hadn’t glorified this small exquisite place quite so much.

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Elizabeth, October is a good month for venturing in Cinque Terre, maybe out of the rush hours and in some cosy places :)

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I agree with your assessment of current Cinque Terra. We went there on a recommendation and I was repulsed by it. I wanted to leave immediately but since that wasn’t going to happen, I tried to look at a small sliver of the beauty at a time while peeling away the hordes of travelers from my view. Of course this is ironic since we were travelers also, I understand that. I wish I had your article then, so I could experience the best of the most beautiful Cinque Terra

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Now you have! So next time you will know how to experience this (still) piece of paradise!

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I would love to!

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Be sure to "thank" Rick Steves for destroying the Cinque Terre!

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