Riomaggiore

We had a good night’s rest after we finally figured out all the different sounds in the apartment. We finally determined that the slight roar we kept hearing about every thirty minutes was the train rumbling through the mountain. (the train to Genoa and the Cinque Terra travels through all these mountainous tunnels and during WWII the tunnels were places of haven for the locals).

The local church bells ring on the hour and the half hour. We can count the gongs and know exactly what time it is. And even with our windows closed we could hear the sea crashing on the rocks in the distance. So in spite of the fact that this is a really sleepy little town, there are many noises to get used to!

We awoke to bright, sunny skies and decided to go into the nearby town of Riomaggiore (#1 town of the 5) to check it out and to find the internet.

First I need to describe our dinner last night. We went to a recommended restaurant of Rick Steves. One thing we have learned is that he usually gives good recommendations. He has also taught us that when a restaurant has a specialty you should get it because it will always be the freshest ingredients, etc. This restaurant had linguine with crab as its specialty so we both ordered it.

They brought us this huge platter of linguine with a rich tomato, herb sauce and on top and mixed in it was what I would classify as all of these Dungeness crab legs. I guess we both figured that we would get big chunks of crab meat, not the whole crabs in the middle of the pasta. But that’s what we were served, all covered in rich, tomato sauce.

Not quite knowing what to do with these skinny crab legs, I just ate the linguine as did Jim. We tried breaking them but it made more of a mess than it was worth. No one else was having what we were having so we couldn’t see how the locals were handling the situation. The pasta was delicious and we tried to scatter the crabs around so it wouldn’t look like we were wasting it but when she collected our plates I think she (I assume one of the owners) felt bad. We just didn’t know how to go about getting what little crab meat out of them.

Today’s lunch was a bit of a show also. We were in Riomaggiore and we found a local restaurant open. We asked for seating for 2 and they said 12:00. So they sat us down and then around 5 minutes until 12 they brought us menus. Jim wanted a plate of prosciutto and melon and foccacia bread and mild cheese. The waiter told Jim no to the melon, it was finished. So then Jim said I guess I will have the prosciutto and mozzarella. I ordered a green salad and then something looked interesting to me: a libro with ham and mozzarella and oregano. I asked the waiter what a libro was and he described something like a calzone. So I said yes that I would have that.

A few minutes later he came out to me and said in Italian that the green salad was finished too and would a tomato and mozzarella salad be OK. Of course I said yes.

Soon Jim got his plate of prosciutto with 2 hunks of mozzarella cheese, and a basket of foccacia bread. I got my tomato and mozzarella salad. Well-- we both ate and then finished and then waited and waited. I figured that my LIBRO was not coming (maybe he had told me it was finished also) and I was pretty full anyways after my mozzarella and tomato salad. Just as we were going to ask for the bill, the chef arrived with my LIBRO!

It was at least a 14” pizza with a top on it that puffed out like a volcano! He put it before me and I thought I was going to die! I said, “Mama Mia!” There was no way that I would ever be able to eat that whole thing, let alone even ¼ of it. And it was filled with oozing mozzarella cheese and ham. We didn’t want to hurt the chef’s feelings like maybe we had last night so……. I took a little slice; I gave Jim a slice and not knowing what else to do asked for a box to take it home. We don’t see very many take home bags here in Europe but they did provide a box for me.

So now what do I do with this monstrosity. We were going to hike back to our town and now I have a big pizza box with most of my LIBRO in it. We paid our bill, said our goodbyes and headed up the hill to start our hike. Since Jim has vowed not to eat pizza again and I knew that I didn’t want this, after we turned the corner we found a nice, city garbage can and tossed it. I know what a waste and yes it was! But we didn’t know what else to do. The waiter NEVER described it to me like that or I wouldn’t have ordered it.

After checking and finding the local internet we decided to take the train back to our town and save our hike for another day. To hike the Cinque Terra you must pay 3.50 euro per person. They also have a 3 day card that allows you to hike, ride the train and shuttle. We figured we would get that on Monday, the 13th and do our hike then. So we got on the right train (some of the trains don’t stop in our town so you have to be careful which train you hop on) and found our way back home.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean and called it a day. Print this post