Monterosso Al Mare is the first stop on the Genoa - La Spezia line of the Cinque Terre (Five Soils) region, the apple of the Italian Riviera ... Cinque Terre is located on the slopes of the mountain called Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglio, Manarola and Riomaggiore in the Ligurian region in the northwest of Italy. The name given to the region where its small town is located. Cinque Terre region was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. Transportation between towns is provided by train and by sea. In addition, the pathways connecting the five towns together offer a long but adventurous alternative to visit the Cinque Terre region. Monterosso is the most popular stop of these five towns ... We can say that its long beach and deep blue sea influence its popularity. When you get off the train station, the road takes you to the top of the beach. When you stop and look around, it makes you love yourself with its long beach, colorful umbrellas, historical buildings and narrow streets. The train station is located in the new part of the town ... When you turn to the sea and continue from the left side, you can reach the historical part of the town by passing through the tunnel that divides Monterosso into two. When you exit the tunnel, you come across the harbor. You can take boats to other towns of Cinque Terre from here. When the road curves inwards from the harbor, you will see Piazza Garibaldi, the town's main square. And now it's time to enjoy the medieval-inspired side streets of this tiny coastal town ... In its narrow streets, you come across shops, restaurants, churches, and souvenir shops. The San Giovanni Baptista Church, dating from the 1200s, in the square draws attention with its Gothic-Genoese architecture. In the streets connecting the square, it is useful to find a place to sit before the kitchens close before the siesta time, otherwise you will be hungry between 15.00 and 18.00 in the afternoon ... Also, do not forget to buy limoncello, lemonade, local wines and olives from the shops you will come across on the streets. We go back from the tunnel we came from and move on to the new and more touristic part of the town. You can also notice that the architecture has started to change when the train continues in the opposite direction from the road in front of the station. Private beaches and cafes continue along the road. At the end of the road, the statue of Neptune welcomes you with a huge rock on its back. Neptune symbolizes the sea god in mythology. The statue, called Il Gigante, is considered the symbol of Monterosso. FOOD AND BEVERAGE The region's lemons, olives and wines are very famous. You should definitely try the lemon-based drink limoncello and its lemon ice cream. Seafood pasta and pizza are also the flavors you can taste in this region ... You can reach from Genoa, Milan, Florence or Rome by train or by boat from Genoa and La Spezia. Vehicles are forbidden to enter the town between April and October. PLACES TO VISIT: In the old settlement of the town, St. See the John the Baptist Church, the Mortis et Orationis Chapel a little further ahead, the Capochin Monastery built on the hill that unites the old and new part of the town in 1619, and the Aurora Tower that has survived from the 13 towers built to protect the town. You can also visit the statue of Neptune in the new part of the town and finally Soviore, the oldest temple in the Ligurian region.
FESTIVALS: The lemon festival is held on the 3rd Saturday of May and you can have the chance to try the drinks made with lemon, jams and cakes. In the Corpus Domini festival held in June, the streets of the city are decorated with flower figures. The Festa del vino wine festival, held on the 4th Saturday of September, is another festival awaiting wine lovers, where local wines prepared with the grapes of the Cinque Terre region and Sciacchetra, which is also special to the region,...
Read moreMonterosso is a seaside town located within the cinque terre region of Italy. It is very picturesque, and quite busy with tourists. There are lots of bars, restaurants and ice-cream parlours all located within a short walk of the train station. There are two distinct parts of the town.. the new is where you'll find the train station and it is different purely because it has a road that runs parallel to the seafront, the old side, through the tunnel, has lots of winding pedestrianised paths that go off in all directions and sometimes you will need to stand back to allow others to pass. The whole town can be visited on a matter of hours. Wear comfortable runners/walking shoes, bring sunglasses, hat and swimwear.. the sea is spotlessly clean and...
Read moreThe trains are mostly on schedule. But the staff is absolutely unfriendly and not helpful (the ones selling the tickets). They are stressing tourists and are not helpful. They sell tickets that are only valid at a specific time, but they don’t Tell When you buy the ticket. They just expect that you want to take the next train, so you may end up with an invalid ticket. If you’ve made a mistake (before you paid) and you would like to change the ticket due to that mistake, the employees get angry and show that to you. It seems that they earn to much / that they got their job to easily. It’s very sad that they treat tourists that way, because without tourists, there would be no functional...
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