21 Adventerous Days in Europe on a
Rick Steves Tour
Europe Bound!
We headed off this morning and said Salud! to Rome. I was sad to be leaving as I felt I hadn’t even scratched the surface of Rome. Alas - my coin floating at the bottom of the Trevi Fountain better pull through. Despite being sad about leaving Rome I was ecstatic about visiting Cinque Terre. This was absolutely one of my top destinations I wanted to visit. When Mike and I were trying to decide which tour to join, Cinque Terre was a major deciding factor. Now finally we were on our way!
Wow moment of the day was walking on the path at the top of Massa Marittima and taking in the natural beauty of Italy.
Italy
Rome to Massa Maritima to Cinque Terre
May 18, 2013
Tour Day 14
Wow Moment
Travel Tip
Sleep is important especially if you’re traveling for a long period of time. It can be easy to justify not getting sleep because of all the things there are to do. Despite this, it is important to get enough sleep because if you don’t it’s hard to enjoy everything else. Also, keep reminding yourself that you’ll come back.
As we made our way I enjoyed taking in the landscape of Italy- fields of vineyards, orchards of olive trees, Italian pine trees, and old buildings taken over by wildlife. Eventually we saw glimpses of blue-green ocean. I wanted to jump into the picture I was seeing and stay forever.
Massa Marittima
On our way to Cinque Terre we stopped for lunch in a town called Massa Marittima- a simple, non- touristy town. The town is on a hill and we were dropped off at the top. We went for a short walk on the edge of the town overlooking a green lush valley. We passed olive and fig trees and eventually headed into town.
While we were eating, a wedding came out of the church we were sitting near. It was fun to see a local couple and their family celebrating. We then enjoyed some gelato and we had a very similar experience- we tasted the best gelato that we had ever had.
After wandering a bit we chose our lunch destination. Little did I know what I was walking into. This meal in Massa Marittima was the best in all of Europe. I had gnocchi with serratina sauce. It was perfection. Smooth rich sauce, velvety cheese, and plump gnocchi. I was in heaven.
Massa Marittima was a jewel of a town and a very unexpected highlight on the tour.
This is a picture of a postcard I bought in town. We ate at the restaurants with the open white umbrellas. The church with the wedding was next door to the right.
Best Dish of the Trip
The flavors were so perfect and natural. I had chocolate hazelnut, aka divinity!
After winding our way down to the coast we finally made it to Monterosso- one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre. We ran through the rain to our hotel and settled in for a moment.
Cinque Terre
Punta Mesco was our hotel while in Monterosso.
Gearing up for the rain.
For dinner we were in for a culinary experience. We had pesto with trofie pasta. We then shared amfore - which is a seafood stew. It was quite a production. The waiters brought out this large pot/vase of sorts and poured the stew into a large bowl in front of us. Out came octopus, lobster, prawns, mussels, and cuttle fish. It was quite the sight. I was a little nervous to try certain things but embraced the travel spirit and tried it all. I’m so glad I did because the octopus was my favorite. It was such a tender, flavorful meat. We were also served garlic bread to dip into the tomato-ish broth. Wow, what an experience. My culinary bucket was filled!