Dinner in Paradise Or This Train Doesn’t Stop in Monterosso

Hiking the Cinque Terre trails and wandering through the charming towns on the sea left us a little tired and very hungry. Our dinner plans called for us to take the train into Monterosso and dine at the home of Daniella and Piero. Arriving early at the station, we took our places on the proper platform-now confident in our train skills. The PA announced that our train was running ten minutes late, two others were 30 and 40 minutes late-we felt lucky. Noticing that the 40 minute late train would get us to our destination a few minutes sooner, we jumped aboard that one. Monterosso is only four minutes by train from Levanto and the train was moving a little fast to stop so soon. The train didn't stop! We zipped right by Monterosso and every other Cinque Terre town. We had no idea where the first stop would be. Luckily, we only went as far as La Spezia, and were a mere 45 minutes later than we'd planned. We later learned that when they first arrived in the region, Paula and Daniella got on a wrong train and it took them five hours to make their way back home. That possibility had been on our minds.That and the fact that we didn't have tickets for our excursion.

For a group that had spent some five hours hiking up and down rough trails, the stairs at Daniella's house were a bit daunting. We were too winded to count, but she told us later it's 120 steps up to her apartment. It's totally worth it. Daniella and Piero's home is inviting and lovely and the view form their patio is simply stunning-they can see all five of the Cinque Terre towns on a clear evening. We had clear skies and a full moon.

Piero began by serving Prosecco and other aperitifs with candied almonds Daniella had made. Because of the pleasant weather, we were able to stay on the terrace for an al fresco dinner. The first course was amazing - eggplant terrine with tomatoes and two kinds of cheeses accompanied by bread and a fresh green salad, lightly dressed in olive oil and lemon. Our white wine was a La Felce Vermentino that paired brilliantly with the terrine. Daniella's homemade, gluten-free crackers and biscuits were so good, the gluten eaters ate them too..

The pasta dish, sautéed zucchini, thyme and saffron, was served with either spelt or non-gluten pasta. It was a simple dish, and spectacular. A regional red wine was served. The Liguria region is not known for its red wines, but this was lovely.

We had two secondi courses. The first was orata, a white fish we call sea bream, baked with olive oil, lemon, garlic and thyme and served with grilled asparagus. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned, as was the asparagus.

The next secondo course consisted of chicken cooked stove top in a Ligurian style typically used for cooking rabbit. The spices and olives complemented the flavor of the chicken. We had a delicious Chianti with this course.

Dessert was sparkling - we celebrated Scherry's upcoming birthday with not just a candle, but a Roman candle in a gluten-free, lemon sponge cake served with lemon curd and fresh strawberries. The dinner ended with a taste of Daniella's homemade lemoncino, not as sweet and viscous as the lemoncello we're more familiar with.

A special thanks to Daniella and Piero for creating a dinner worthy of the heavenly setting in which it was served.

It had been hot on the hike, and the weather turned chilly as the evening came on. Karla dressed for warmth with a black t shirt dress over blue jean leggings and a sage colored wrap.