Goodbye Rome, Hello Monterosso.

We have made it to Monterosso: the northernmost in the chain of towns in the Cinque Terre, a wonderful stretch of villiages built into the cliffside on the Mediterranean Sea.

Having been in Rome for a month, there was not much we felt we had to do prior to our departure, except to have one more stop at the city fountains.  There, we took one last guzzle and filled up two bottles each for the four hour ride to our next destination.

Looking back a bit, this was the pasta we had at the final banquet which was held for Ariel's creative writing class.  I was lucky to be able to attend this delicious feast; it was easily one of the best meals I had in Rome.  When I asked the server to describe the dish, it was difficult to understand because she only spoke a little bit of English.  But, what I did gather is that the homemade pasta pouches were filled with two differnt types of cheese along with pear, and it was accompanied by one creamy sauce, and one carrot sauce; it was heavenly.  It also seemed to me that there might have been some sweet potato in the filling.  Either way it was fantastic, and we plan to recreate it when we get home.  

Our hotel in Monterosso is a short walk north from this beach.  If you look in the back right of the photo, you will see the ferry that takes people from village to village. Ariel and I plan to take the ferry to Manarola in the morning.  We heard there is some great swimming there.

This morning Ariel and I kayaked from Monterosso to Vernazza, the village just south of us, about 3,5 km.  It took about an hour and twenty minutes, and only cost 15,00; it was a wonderful expedition that reminded us of our honeymoon kayaking near San Diego.  I only wish I could have brought my camera, but I didn't want to risk getting it wet in the boat...everything else got soaked!  

The walks down the narrow streets in Monterosso are stunning.  The apartments are all brightly colored, looking particularly beautiful against the natural backdrop.  There are gardens all along the cliffsides, which appear to be growing an abundance of tomatoes, eggplants, and lemons, (among other things I am sure).  We are wondering if the food is being grown for the restaraunts.  The freshness of the food here is one hint it might be.                                                                                                                              






The pesto here is incredible.  So far we've tried it on bruschetta and trophie pasta.  Confession: I was not the biggest pesto fan prior to coming to Italy, but those times are over now; I'm pretty sure I can't get enough of the stuff.