Splendid Cinque Terre

Our first holiday with little Matteo was to the Cinque Terre, chosen both for a very convenient package found on the internet and above all for the closeness to home. As always we set off from Genoa early; the journey will not be very long but we want to start our holidays as soon as possible. The first stop will be our hotel, which we recommend to anyone looking for a good option at reasonable prices in the Cinque Terre: the Hotel Paese Corvara, in Beverino, a small village inland about 20 minutes by car from Levanto (in Levanto I was quoted 180 euros a night without breakfast for a three-star, you do the maths!!!!).

The hotel is very characteristic, created from the renovation of a very old building; the owners are extremely warm and kind, the view over the valley is stunning and above all the price was excellent; in fact, if I remember rightly, we paid 40 euros a head for half board, and the little one did not pay because he was under three.

Once we had dropped off our suitcases and unpacked we immediately went to Levanto; as they had told us, the driving time between Beverino and Levanto was short and also very relaxing. In Levanto we left the car in the station's paid car park and then off to rediscover the beautiful little town. Before the seafront walk there is a lovely playground; we stayed there quite a while and when we saw the little one was tired enough, with an act of force we loaded him into the pushchair where he fell asleep within a few minutes. After that we went for a walk; it was a beautiful day, despite it being October we were wandering around in short sleeves and it felt truly divine.

Another tip I give to anyone who wants to see the Cinque Terre is to avoid the peak periods (August, Easter and long weekends); in the low season it is lovely, you spend less and you do not have to go mad looking for an expensive parking space!!! We spent the afternoon strolling along the seafront, sitting on a bench, and when the little one woke up we had a nice ice cream. The next day, after a sumptuous breakfast, we headed to Levanto again, where we left the car (this will be a constant of our holidays; in fact, for anyone who does not know them, you get around better by train than by car); we bought a daily Cinque Terre card at the station and took the train that brought us to Riomaggiore. We opted for this stretch of path because it is the only one you can comfortably do with a pushchair; in any case we liked it very much, we were really comfortable and had a lot of fun.

Back at the car we went for a drive, this time taking the road that leads to Riomaggiore by car; we stopped at the sanctuary of Soviore with a breathtaking view over the gulf, and after a coffee and a visit to the church we set off again towards Volastra; afterwards we stopped at the Cinque Terre wine cooperative where we bought wine and jam, and a very kind gentleman explained the various winemaking processes to us.

We ended our visit with the sanctuary of Montenero, which is a real gem; it is above Riomaggiore, and to get there we had to put the little one in the baby carrier backpack and cross the characteristic vineyards, but I assure you it was well worth it: from up there you enjoy a 360-degree view over the Cinque Terre park and beyond!! The sanctuary serves as a refreshment area, bar and restaurant with tables and chairs; it is a wonderful place!!! The restaurant is excellent too, I have eaten there several times, you eat well and do not spend too much!!! We reached the 3rd and last day; this evening we will be home but before leaving we want to visit Bonassola, a small fishing village on the edge of the Cinque Terre.

In Bonassola I recommend everyone the visit to the Madonnina della Punta, a lovely walk that we did along a nice tarmac road with no traffic, in the shade of fragrant pine trees; along the road there are several benches to relax and enjoy the sea view and a picnic table. On the way back we stop at Sestri Levante, because we also want to show Matteo this little piece of paradise of our splendid Liguria; the Bay of Silence is truly extraordinary, there are many tourists on the beach and I repeat, we are in October!!!! It is a beautiful day, it feels really good, Matteo is happy playing with the sand and I am so proud to see him grow and make his little achievements...