monterosso

I'll never forget the first time I stepped foot in Monterosso. It was my third time in Italy, in 2011, the second time we brought our children overseas for a vacation. The family had taken a long train ride to Cinque Terre and we were all really ready to get to our destination.

We stepped off the train and were surprised to immediately see the sea right in front of us. It was brilliant blue and welcoming, and so peaceful. We all took a deep breath and smiled.

We walked along the main street for about five or ten minutes to our hotel, our suitcases bumping rhythmically over the stone street, the Liguiran Sea to our left, in this sleepy yet vibrant town.

We arrived at our hotel, a medium sized soft-yellow building along the main road, overlooking a local beach. Hotel La Spiaggia. The owner Andrea greeted us, and over the next week we would come to befriend both him and his young daughter Maria, who also worked at the front desk.  Every day after breakfast they would ask us what our plans were, and make suggestions of places to see, where to eat. To this day we have never experienced this kind of personal service in any hotel we have ever been to.

Monterosso is part of the region in Italy known as the Cinque Terre, or five towns. These small towns hover the sea, many simple homes built into the craggy rocks, high up with incredible views of the ocean. In summertime kids that grow up in the towns run barefoot down the carved stone walkways to the local beaches. They play soccer outdoors til the sun sets. They sit on small rounded multi-colored pebble beaches and talk to their grandfathers in Italian, while anchored boats rock in the distant sea.

I have been to many beautiful places where the earth meets the ocean. Monterosso, with few cars driving on the roads, is perhaps the most beautiful seafront town I have been to. It feels like you are going back in time.  Monterosso is one place where artists will have no shortage of inspiration.