It Was Uphill Again Today!!

Today, we set off to Moneglia ... which is the Latin names for "jewels". The jewels are the hills which bring the riches of wine and olives and persimmons and many other delights to mankind!

This cute little medieval village off the beaten path in Cinque Terra. It's unusual in that the road that runs over the old railway has just two street lights on it. The green light changes only once every 20 minutes ... so ... the locals must plan their travel around the timing of the light change! Isn't that hilarious! Well ... maybe it's not hilarious if you are waiting for the light to change.

I just cannot get over the way these terraces have become home to many, many people! Our guide, Letizia lives in this charming place. She and her husband own a restaurant high up on the hills. We hiked up and up and up and up and up to get there! It was well worth every deep breath, every calf stretch and every gluteus maximus contraction it took to arrive there! This little 'gem' is also the home to the only sandy beach in the region.

The view from our table was breathtaking! Leti shared that her father grows olives and that this weekend will be harvest time. It is a grueling task which has been made more difficult by the scarcity of processing mills. There used to be 13 in the area but now, if I heard her correctly, there is only one.

In order to get Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the olives must be processed within 24 hours of being picked!! I had no idea. It is no wonder that EVOO is so expensive! She shared that if it is pressed more than once, it is usually pressed with chemicals ... so ... regular olive oil is not as healthy as the EVOO.

We enjoyed the most delicious starter in this restaurant. It was zucchini and onions deep fried in the most light and scrumptious batter I have ever tasted!! After that, Leti's husband demonstrated how they make pesto. It was so interesting because there is no set recipe. Given that the area was very poor, the recipes were simply suggestions that invited you to add things like garlic "If you have".

I am not an avid pesto fan, but ... once again ... I really enjoyed it after it was added to the trofia pasta!! This particular pasta was only made with flour and water ... but ... "If you have eggs" you could add that too!

I have now enjoyed anchovies (once) and mussels (once) and pesto (once!). Italy appears to be stretching my palate!! I also got to taste persimmons today! They grow on the trees here in abundance and our chef made the most lovely flambe to go with them and some ice cream ... that I also really enjoyed!!!

We ended the day early and then hiked all the way down the hill to the train station. We arrived back at the hotel and enjoyed a free afternoon! We very much appreciated the opportunity to do our laundry ... again! We are moving to Rapallo tomorrow and will be there for the last three days of our "Walk About ...".

Oh ... I should also share that Leti also took us to an Oratory. These buildings are often confused with churches because they look very similar, but it is not a church. It is a group of people who are Catholics, but have come together to do good works ... help the less fortunate, social justice etc. There were many fading frescos on the walls and a painting that was hidden on the ceiling because it was rumored to be very valuable.

Okay ... I shall say good-bye for now. Hope all is well with all of you at home. Ciao from us ... for now,
❤️k&j❤️Læs mere