Last month we took our first trip away from home since settling into Chieri. For Italians, it's super-common (almost a requirement) to go "al mare," or "to the sea," for a long spell during the hot summer here. In Italy, there are only two things to do in the summer - go to the sea, or talk about going to the sea. This is especially true for those of us who are landlocked like the people of Chieri (i Chierese)! But where to go for our trip al mare?
On a colleague's recommendation we went to Levanto, only a 3 hour train ride from Chieri. Levanto is a beautiful little city on the Ligurian coast, near the well-known Cinque Terre region (if you've ever watched Rick Steves, you know of Cinque Terre!). I, and most Americans, had never heard of Cinque Terre until Rick "discovered" the area in the late '90's - since then it has become absolutely packed with American tourists seeking an authentic/charming Italian experience to offset their big-city experiences in Venice, Florence, and Rome. Let's face it, everyone likes to go to the sea! So it can be quite a tourist/commercial scene there in the height of summer.
As much as we love Rick Steves, we thought we might try to avoid Cinque Terre. But we learned that Levanto is perfectly situated - it's "Cinque Terre adjacent," but not in CT at all. Definitely caters to tourists, there are plenty of very nice places to stay and eat, but it is visited by Italians (and Germans and Dutch) much more than Americans.
We found a great hotel (the Hotel Argento, thank you Trip Advisor) located uphill from the city itself. It had all you can ask for in a seaside hotel - Big air-conditioned rooms, top-notch service, a full breakfast (including multiple gluten-free options) and, of course, a sweet pool scene (yes, even when you are just steps from the Mediterranean, it's all about the pool!).
l. Poolside (hard to take pictures of people w/o seeming pervy...r. Bathing beauty Barbara
We spent a good portion of our time lounging around the pool, mastering two classic poolside rituals: (1) arriving early to claim the best lounge chairs for the day (2) adjusting our umbrella every 20 minutes to minimize sun exposure.
But the most fun was bopping around Levanto, walking along the coast, and swimming and just wandering around with some of the most relaxed people on earth.
Levanto Bay early morning; Levanto Bay at sunset; Matt with his new favorite hat
But you can only relax for so long, so we decided to get some exercise and take a little trek to Monterosso, the closest Terre of the Cinque Terre. It's a well-known and fairly well-trod hike along the mountain ridge overlooking Levanto and the Cinque Terre. There are amazing views along the ~13 kilometer journey, and if you set out pretty early, you can have the whole path to yourself.
Morning mist over the Ligurian Sea; After a 3-hour trek, Monterosso finally appears!
All in all, a great introduction to an Italian holiday "al mare." Next up - a trip to the mountains!