What? Another day off?

You  may think we are running out of steam, taking another day off when we should be exploring and climbing and photographing and generally wandering. But here’s our excuse:

This morning there was another one of those incredible deluges that crashed through Monterosso, which lasted till almost 11:00. We thought it made more sense to catch up on some reading rather than get our feet soaked again, so that’s what we did. Around noon we wandered down our mountain into town for  lunch. Saw the local movie theater on the way. No roof, metal folding chairs and a great old sign.

Another boomer was predicted for 3PM, so we made sure to be home by then. But somehow that one never materialized, so it just seemed to make sense to move the reading room to the pool and to luxuriate in the sun and the view.

We had good intentions! We were planning on taking the boat around the coast, but somehow it just never happened. Not to mention that poor internet connectivity has dampened my camera addiction.

Call us lazy, call us worn out, call us jaded travelers. Just don’t call us late for lunch. Cue Don!

Don’s Food Corner

It’s not surprising that a seaside restaurant would have a fish-centric menu. That’s fine with me, but not so much for Jo.  So, as a starter we agreed on a non-fish panzanella salad — the bread salad with tomato and basil.  The colors of the white bread, red tomatoes and green basil are supposed to evoke patriotic comparisons to the Italian flag.  Lots of olive oil and balsamic vinegar ties everything together for a perfect summer salad.

Jo moved onto a pasta dish — radiatori (pasta shaped like old-fashioned tubular radiators) with a pesto sauce.  This is at least our second encounter with pesto in the region where it was invented.  They know how to do it.  While it is usually made with pine nuts, I understand that when we go further north, it’s made with walnuts. We’ll be trying that out for you if we see it on the menu. See how much work we are doing for you so that you don’t have to?

I spotted the opportunity of getting a whole grilled fish. Usually the whole fish is only available to be served for two. But I never pass it up if I can get one all for myself. Today’s grilled fish was a sea bream, perfectly prepared. And I was able to show off my filleting skills.

Since yesterday we had the local wine in Manarola, we had to try the Monterosso wine today. We went with the white; a bit dryer than the Manarola version. We’re polishing off a bottle of wine almost every day and have been for weeks.  I’ll have to do a Google search to determine the health benefits.