I’m back from my vacation and I’ve got lots to share!! On my journey across the Mediterranean aboard the Norwegian Epic, I’ve discovered the beautiful and scenic Cinque Terre (or “Five Lands”). All five villages of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are blessed with their unique pastel coloured buildings. Just meandering along the shorelines of the villages and hopping on a boat to different villages made me so happy.
Besides the picturesque views, charming shops and friendly people, Cinque Terre is known for its AMAZING cuisine. In the cute village of Vernazza, I had the most amazing pizza I’ve ever tasted with the spicy salami. It was a lovely prelude to an even more delicious meal in the biggest of all the villages: Monterossa al Mare. Cinque Terre is known for its seafood so I went to this restaurant called Ristorante Ciak (https://www.ristoranteciak.net/). Let me tell you, this place is unbelievable!! I ordered the Spaghetti Ciak (spaghetti with mussels and clams). Oh my god!! This is the way pasta should be made. They were really generous with the mussels and clams. I loved that the olives added a nice salty flavour and the tomatoes didn’t overpower the dish. I liked that they took sun dried tomatoes and marinated them in olive oil, garlic and herbs.
Cinque Terre is foodie heaven. Everywhere you go, there’s an amazing restaurant but Ristorante Ciak is definitely the best place to go for pasta.