Monterosso Calling

So technically, my trip to Tel Aviv comprised my first beach “blowout” of 2017, which makes my weekend in Monterosso for the festival of San Giovanni my first Italian beach trip of 2017.

Now, I was stoked all week!  Milan was super hot and a scorcher of a weekend was forecasted, while the high 80s and plenty of sun were predicted for Cinque Terre! I checked the weather at least twice daily up until just before I went to bed on Friday night, and smiled broad when I took my seat on the Saturday morning 6.10 train. The sun was growing brighter by the second and I was happy to escape the forthcoming sauna that was slated to envelope the city this weekend.  Most of all, I was hoping to come back a little sun-kissed (gambe abbronzate are one of my ongoing goals). However, the closer we got to Genoa, I noticed the sky was growing gloomier by minute, and that a blanket of gray clouds and fog masked the green hills that lead to the coastline. This has gotta be a passing shower, I thought. So, I checked my iPhone weather app, and was shocked that how in less than 12 hours, clouds and rain had seemingly finagled their way into the forecast! Well, it was what it was, and I wasn’t going to let it bring me down.

Anyway, the weather could have been much worse overall and we did get some sun during the afternoon. There was a touch of rain just after I arrived, but then I got my beach bum on. The sun eventually came out and, even better, the sea calmed so the San Giovanni festivities could proceed as planned.  Sunday was quite similar…however, the rain didn’t start until after I broke for lunch.  I got to kick back on a lettino,  I swam and I dug my nose into my all-time favorite book, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, for the sixth time. I’m not as sun-kissed as I had hoped, but so what? Summer is still young! And I’m thankful for the beautiful weekend that I had.

The weekend in Monterosso was as close to perfection as possible. I sipped lemonade, ate lotsa focaccia, and enjoyed two amazing meals at my favorite restaurant: La Cantina di Miky. Nosh included panissa fritta (fried chickpea flour); fried stuffed anchovies; riccioli with amberjack, tomatoes and olives; lemon cake; cappuccino panna cotta, and my personal favorite: riccioli with pesto!! Here are some pics from the weekend! Hope you enjoy them. Happy beach bumming all!