Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 0187 76 08 42; Via Colombo 111, Riomaggiore; r €60-180)
This rental agency on the main
drag has five rooms and seven two- to four-bed apartments for rent, many with sea views.
It also operates the village laundry next door.
Eating
Riomaggiore has the best selection of restaurants in the five villages.
Dau Cila
( 0187 76 00 32;
www.ristorantedaucila.com
;
Via San Giacomo 65, Riomaggiore; mains €18;
8am-2am Mar-Oct)
Perched within pebble-lobbing distance of Riomaggiore's snug harbour
(which is crammed with fishing nets and overturned boats), Dau Cila is an obvious place
to tuck into the local seafood. It also has the best wine cellar in town.
You can pair the best local stuff with cold plates such as smoked tuna with apples and
lemon, or lemon-marinaded anchovies with pears and Parmesan.
MODERN ITALIAN
€€
La Lampara
(Via Malborghetto 2, Riomaggiore; meals €25; 7am-midnight)
There are always lots of tourists
here, but you won't feel like one as the service is so genuinely personable. Fish dishes
predominate, though the pizza and pasta
al pesto
are also formidable.
MODERN ITALIAN
€€
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Cinque Terre
La Spezia
POP 95,641
It's an understandable oversight. Situated minutes to the east of Cinque Terre by train, the
hard-working port town of La Spezia is routinely overlooked. If you happen to get
delayed, give it a once-over: it's home to Italy's largest naval base, where echoes of
Genoa ring through the narrow winding streets of the Old Town. Not surprisingly, La
Spezia has some cosy trattorias showcasing the Ligurian delicacies of wine, bread and
pesto sauce.