Meet Andrea, the entertaining waiter at Vernazza’s Ristorante Belforte. I’m here with my new friends from New Hampshire and Boston, having a great time in the Cinque Terre.
To get to the most out of your stay here, don’t just come for the day, as many travelers do. Instead, spend the night — and spend some money at a top restaurant like this one. I love family-run, personality-driven places like this, where I’m greeted by the same waitstaff year after year.
I’m in Riomaggiore, enjoying a simple lunch of bruschetta and wine at Dau Cila with my local guide, Amy Inman. This fine restaurant follows a “zero-kilometer” ethic, keeping everything — wine, oil, anchovies, basil — very local.
Listen in as Ferdinando gives us a little cooking lesson for pesto. I love visiting my favorite places and seeing the younger generation taking the reins and keeping up high standards.
I’ve come back to Europe every spring since the 1970s — and I love that here we are, in 2019, and the magic still survives.
Join me now for a thoughtful walk through Vernazza after dinner, when it’s quiet and empty. This is the busiest time of year in the Cinque Terre, but after hours it’s all mine. (Many travelers, ironically trying to avoid the crowds, “side-trip” to the Cinque Terre for the day, before heading back to Florence or their cruise ships at dinnertime. To really enjoy this place, get here before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.)
My TV crew and I are on a Mediterranean cruise, filming a special that will air on public television in January 2019. One of my main goals for the show is to help independent travelers make the most of the cruising experience. Here’s one big tip: Consider your shore excursions carefully.
While easygoing cruisers may choose to book an excursion from the cruise line for $100 (or more) a crack, there are many other legitimate options that open up to passengers once they step off the ship. Some travelers may opt to find a small company with a box office in the terminal — and have essentially the same experience for about half the price. Meanwhile, others will book a private guide with a car or minibus in advance (using sites such as Cruise Critic to team up with other cruisers and share the expense). And others will simply hop on a public bus or hike to the train station (guidebook in hand) and do their own thing. For the most reliable information, I recommend skipping the onboard shore excursion information desks. Instead, head to the tourist information kiosks that are set up to greet ships in each port.
As the cruising industry grows, more and more cities are investing in terminals that can accommodate these massive ships (and their payload of tourists). In this clip, I’ll take you for a quick walk through the terminal at La Spezia, Italy. From here, you can get to Florence (a couple of hours away by bus), Pisa, Lucca, and the Cinque Terre.
(Note, however, that I don’t recommend that cruise ship travelers try to see the Cinque Terre. It is not designed to handle masses of quickie half-day visits by cruisers. Locals don’t appreciate “looky-loos” from cruise ships, notorious for arriving all at once at peak time and congesting the villages and trails, without staying for dinner or spending the night. The crowds can be frustrating for all involved.)
This little clip captures one of the great joys of travel: discovering a new drink, perfectly local, with just the right accompaniment (a biscotto), and capping a fine Riviera day with lots of convivial dunking. I seem particularly happy at this moment. Some will say it’s the alcohol. I’d say it’s the joy of feeding my group a dinner they’ll never forget (each table enjoying a literal amphora filled with freshly harvested fruits of the sea), and all of them experiencing edible and drinkable Italy (after so much high culture) and good friendships on the road — a great part of any Rick Steves tour. (OK, maybe the alcohol contributed a little, too.) La vita è bella!
Video: thetravelphile.com / facebook.com/thetravelphile
(Thanks for following along here on my blog and on Facebook as I guided our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.)