Levanto

Whilst scrolling through Instagram (as one does), I happened upon a photo of a beautiful beach dotted with colorful umbrellas and filled with surfers with a geo-tag of Levanto, Italy. I had no idea there was surf anywhere in Italy! Intrigued, I did some research and found that Levanto is the doorway to the Cinque Terre and also home to the ASP World Longboard Championships. More surf + less tourists = win! As we were already tentatively planning to drive down the coast through the Italian Riviera from Milan to Rome, this seemed like the perfect stopping point on our Italy itinerary. And as amazing as all the other stops we made were, Levanto was my favorite. It was charming, chill, and made even more perfect by our incredible B&B – Villa Valentina. Villa Valentina is a family owned bed & breakfast in the heart of Levanto that offers Pinterest-worthy accommodations, delicious freshly made breakfasts each morning, free bikes, and an Amaro bar available at your disposal (perfect after indulging in too much pasta!). They also offer sunset boat tours around Cinque Terre, but unfortunately it was too windy during our stay. Staying at Villa Valentina is like staying with family. Ryan and I enjoyed lunch with the entire family one afternoon to celebrate the youngest daughter Valentina’s first day of her last year in high school. Apparently they make the same thing every year for this special lunch- Milanese style fried chicken breasts, arugula salad, and home made potato chips – as they’re Valentina’s favorite. It was so delicious (not to mention free!) and we felt like part of their home. We also came home late one night after dinner to the owner Paula regaling all of the guests to the story of how many years of struggle it took them to get the inn opened. We enjoyed amaro around a fire with the other guests and traded stories.

During our first afternoon in town, we stopped into Brothers SurfHouse to inquire about renting boards the next morning. Unfortunately the same wind that cancelled our boat trip was blowing out the surf as well. No worries! We hopped on the complimentary bikes and cruised down the bike path that runs the length of the town just along the beach and into the neighboring towns, cutting through tunnels and offering glorious views. That afternoon, we discussed hiking to Cinque Terre but were told the hiking paths were mostly rained out from an especially rainy summer season. We had the option to hop on a 5 minute train ride, but since we had the car, we wanted to explore the nearby mountains and towns. Regardless of whether you hike, train, bike, or drive – there’s no wrong way to explore Levanto and the neighboring Cinque Terre towns!

Breakfast at Villa Valentina was an event each morning, and the most incredible way to start our adventures of the day. And the complimentary amaro bar was the perfect end to each night.