Gelato Challenge in Cinque Terre

My friend, Amol, gave me the challenge to eat gelato at every single village at the iconic Cinque Terre. He didn't know that one must never underestimate the power of a food blogger who can eat 5 cups of gelato (plus a focaccia for breakfast and 2 full pasta dinners) all in one day. Suffice to say, I passed his challenge with flying colors. 
Painting of all 5 villages.
The night before I prepared myself well. My hotel in La Spezia was a stone throw away from the highly recommended (both from the locals and Tripadvisor) Dai Pescatori, an unassuming cafeteria that serves fresh seafood catch. In my entire adventure in Italy, they had the best pasta ever- al dente linguine with squid, tomatoes and hints of parsley.
Simple, yet the most delicious no-frills pasta I've had in Italy.
Piping hot calamari all to myself :)
The next day, I ventured bright and early to take the train from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. Just like anywhere you go in Europe, be careful of your belongings since pick pocketing is very common in crowded areas! 

My strategy was to first go to the furthest village, Monterosso, and make my way down to Riomaggiore. My next strategy was to figure out how to pace myself to complete my gelato challenge. Just like the varying degrees of landscape in the five photogenic towns, I chose the flavors of my gelato to fit the scenery.

1. Monterosso - This is the perfect seaside town to take a dip in the Mediterranean sea. Among all the villages, Monterosso has a sand strip before the blue waters which is perfect of getting a tan or just chilling by the beach. I found the best focaccia in town for breakfast and then immediately got a scoop of gelato for dessert. My pistachio gelato with its grainy texture was the right fit for walking on the sandy shoreline.    
Flavorful pistachio
I wonder how they carved out this human shape.
Soft and melt-in-my-mouth mushroom and cheese focaccia. Why does focaccia in the US doesn't taste like this?
The Mediterranean sea so blue.
2. Vernazza - The crowded, rugged terrain of Vernazza fitted the irregular chips found in my milk-based straciatella gelato. The 2 hour hiking path to/from Vernazza and Monterosso will wound up anyone's appetite.
Straciatella gelato in Vernazza.
Even with many boats docked, many still took a dip in the water.
A view of Vernazza.
3. Corniglia - I didn't hike the Vernazza/Monterosso trail since I wore the wrong footwear that day. However, I decided to climb up the 300+ steps to reach the next village, Corniglia. In this more quaint town filled with small churches, I found the best basilico gelato ever!

So what's special about Cinque Terre's basil? According to Liguriaguide.com, "the Cinque Terre Basil together with the tiny hothouse Genovese basil are the two best known and sought after Riviera’s basil varieties. It is widely agreed that the Greeks are responsible for bringing the basil herb to Italy from Persia. Its botanical name, Ocimum basilicum, derives from the classical Greek meaning "swift" and "kingly" suggesting that basil germinates and grows quickly and is of noble or refined character." Noble, indeed.
The Cinque Terre Basil together with the tiny hothouse Genovese basil are the two best known and sought after Riviera’s basil varieties. It is widely agreed that the Greeks are responsible for bringing the basil herb to Italy from Persia. Its botanical name, Ocimum basilicum, derives from the classical Greek meaning "swift" and "kingly" suggesting that basil germinates and grows quickly and is of noble or refined character. - See more at: http://www.liguriaguide.com/cinque-terre-basil.html#sthash.tlKwZs7B.dpuf
The Cinque Terre Basil together with the tiny hothouse Genovese basil are the two best known and sought after Riviera’s basil varieties. It is widely agreed that the Greeks are responsible for bringing the basil herb to Italy from Persia. Its botanical name, Ocimum basilicum, derives from the classical Greek meaning "swift" and "kingly" suggesting that basil germinates and grows quickly and is of noble or refined character. - See more at: http://www.liguriaguide.com/cinque-terre-basil.html#sthash.tlKwZs7B.dpuf
The Cinque Terre Basil together with the tiny hothouse Genovese basil are the two best known and sought after Riviera’s basil varieties. It is widely agreed that the Greeks are responsible for bringing the basil herb to Italy from Persia. Its botanical name, Ocimum basilicum, derives from the classical Greek meaning "swift" and "kingly" suggesting that basil germinates and grows quickly and is of noble or refined character. - See more at: http://www.liguriaguide.com/cinque-terre-basil.html#sthash.tlKwZs7B.dpuf
The Cinque Terre Basil together with the tiny hothouse Genovese basil are the two best known and sought after Riviera’s basil varieties. It is widely agreed that the Greeks are responsible for bringing the basil herb to Italy from Persia. Its botanical name, Ocimum basilicum, derives from the classical Greek meaning "swift" and "kingly" suggesting that basil germinates and grows quickly and is of noble or refined character. - See more at: http://www.liguriaguide.com/cinque-terre-basil.html#sthash.tlKwZs7B.dpuf
The mountainous village of Corniglia.

Best basilico gelato ever! Very refreshing and light.
4. Manarola - My next stop was at the village of Manarola. To an ignorant tourist (i.e. yours truly), I couldn't tell the difference between Manarola and Vernazza apart from the fact that in Vernazza, it was more crowded and the menu prices were more expensive. I settled for a limone gelato, knowing that Cinque Terre takes their lemon festival seriously and a hike in the National Park will take you through some lemon trees. Alas, I found my limone gelato too sour for my taste, but I read that's how the locals like their lemon. Really, really sour.

Buzzling Manarola.
Shopping for some souvenirs. Limonetto, anyone?
Cinque Terre makes their own wine too. Love how the locals are self-sufficient.
Grappa for aperitivo.
A very sour limone gelato.
A not so sour view of Manarola. Can't complain.
A 5 pm, I decided to make my first meal/late lunch at Manarola. Although the linguine vongole was quite dry, I got my taste of different salty anchiovies from deep fried to raw. Yum :)

A platter of anchiovies.
Not the best linguine vongole but still looking good.
5. Riomagiorre - As the sun was setting at Riomagiorre, I needed a pick-me-up. Therefore, coffee and Cinque Terre with raisins gelato gave me the energy boost that I needed for my second dinner of the day and for making peace with the world as I watched a gal kayaking into the sunset.

Raisins and coffee gelato makes a good pick-me-up.
Kayaking into the sunset.
I felt fulfilled after completing a (not so) daunting gelato eating challenge. But it was time for dinner number 2. I met up with my bschool friend, Joyce, for an outdoor seafood dinner back at Monterroso.

Even their wines are on the sour side. Pairs well with the salty fish.
Shrimp cocktail with real shrimps and caviar on top.
Joyce and our seafood spaghetti al Cartoccio (baked in foil).
Salty baked fish.
Leaving with you with a beautifully plated tiramisu. It tastes as good as it looks!
As the hours went by quickly chatting about good old times, I realized that it has been a long, fruitful journey from my days living in Europe as a student and coming back years later to, literally, see (some of) my classmates now matured. And then there's the rest of the pack still trying to figure out what we want to do when we grow up. One thing I know for sure- traveling has and will always be my solace.

Til the next (mis)adventure, folks!

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