The Sentiero Azzurro {or Blue Trail} of Cinque Terre has long been on my list of adventures to pursue, I finally had a chance to visit that rugged stretch of the Italian Rivera last fall. My gal pals and I hiked this famous route and took in all of the astounding views of the the Ligurian sea, the pastel villages, cliffside vineyards, olive groves sufficiently fortified with plenty of delicious local cuisine and vino. Today, we’ll dive into the splendido culinary delights of this region of Liguria. I hope you enjoy our visit to this lovely land and perhaps you’ll be inspired to plan a similar trip for yourself in the future.
We stayed at the Porto Roca Hotel, perched on the hill to the right in the photo below, which is conveniently offers an exclusive gate to the start of the trail and this spectacular beach club where we lounged and lunched throughout our stay. The verdant hills you see behind the hotel is the beginning of the trail.
To prepare for this challenge we took an alfresco seaside seat at the fabulous Ristorante Miky where we got to watch the full moon rise over the mountains and shimmer onto the sea while we were introduced to the authentic flavors of Cinque Terre. This family run restaurant has been on the Michelin guide since 1980. They pride themselves on sourcing “0 kilometer ingredients” from local farms and fishermen.
Anchovies {called Alici or Acciughe in Italian} reign supreme on this gorgeous coast, the harvesting and preparation has been a part of Monterosso culture and cuisine for generations. The “lampara” fishing season is mid-July through The Feast Day of Saint Peter {La fiesta di San Pietro} on June 29th. The fishermen go out at night with lamps and nets to attract and capture the anchovies that are feeding on plankton which become phosphorescent.
Once they’ve caught their fill, back in town the women usually take over by gutting and heading the petite fish in one quick motion. Next, the filets are salted and arranged in a radial pattern in chestnut barrels or clay pots called Alborelles where they are layered and salted more and a 10 kilo weight is placed on top of the fish and they are allowed to mature for 40 ~ 60 days until the flesh is firm and a deep pink to brown color. The fish are removed, rinsed, boned and flattened and then artfully arranged in glass jars called “arbanelle“. The anchovies are used to intensify the flavors of sauces and pizzas. Locals like to serve them simply with curls of butter and warm bread or on a platter drizzled with olive oil, oregano and a hint of garlic to enjoy with cold glasses of crisp white wine from the region.
We started with a tray of the famed Monterosso Anchovies, some grilled, some salted, swimming along with typical sauces of the region and a bouquet of local herbs and vegetables {the stem below is made of chives, grilled zucchini made the leaves and the beautiful blossom is made of a grilled cherry tomato, surrounded by petals of red onions.
This lovely platter of local fish includes assembled tastes of local fish, olives, octopus, dried fish flakes, grilled vegetables, prawns, pancetta and truffle shavings. Each corner of artful flavor was so inviting inviting, we were all “forks in” within seconds.
One of my all time favorite dishes on the Mediterranean is salt encrusted whole fish, and the preparation at Miky’s was definitely the most elegant I’ve seen. Click on the instagram video over there in the sidebar ~> ~> ~> to see how they disassembled this golden brown goodness. I have been tinkering with this preparation and will be publishing a recipe soon. I love it because the fish is always so flavorful and moist, the salt traps in all of the natural juices so it is never dry. Also, the presentation of this dish is spectacular when brought to the table and prepared, no one will guess how easy it is to make.
Another impressive tableside dish was an incredible pyrotechnic presentation of this flavorful pasta dish Spaghetti alla Chitarra. The pasta is tossed in a sauce of tomatoes, fish, anchovies, olives, tomatoes, capers, parsley and pinenuts and then dish is covered with a thin layer of bread dough, doused with some sort of alcohol {maybe grappa?} then lit on fire {see video in instagram in sidebar ~> ~>}. So, we enjoyed the tender, flavorful pasta plus freshly charred bread dough to dip into the sauce.
What better finish for that meal then a goblet of gelato made from local lemons
and look at this snazzy spoon that was perfectly perched on the side of the vessel, leave it to the Italians!
Inside, the restaurant exudes the sense of decades of passion for the regional food, beverages, art, craftsmanship and lifestyle.
Le selezione di Miky!
Chef Miky even had a minute to take a break from the kitchen to chat and take a selfie! How splendid.
If Ristorante Milky isn’t reason enough to start your trek in Monterosso consider that Monterosso al Mare is the only town of the five {Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggione} that has an actual beach and bay for swimming. In the other towns one must swim in the harbors or off rocks.
Also, I believe the The Chiesa di Monterosso al Mare with its black and white marble stripes is the most spectacular church of all of the 5 villages. Built in the 14th century, it is situated in the center of town.
It has an incredible rosette window
and the stunning black and white continues indoors with spectacular rows of columns and arches that lead to a beautiful alter.
Now that we’ve had a look around Monterosso in my next post we’ll hit the trail to explore more of the treasures of Cinque Terre.
This looks like an amazing trip! So happy that you were able to go during these challenging times.
It was such a treat! We were planning on going to Morocco, but this was a perfect alternative when they shut down.