Ostello Cinque Terre

Let's face it. After spending some time in what most people consider less than desirable holiday destinations as well as staying with friends, the sticker shock from Western Europe is a little much for a budget traveler. Not only is everything more expensive, you have to pay for more perks like internet or a longer shower or towel service, for example. For someone completely unfamiliar with the area, finding a suitable hostel in Cinque Terre left limited choices. Upon arrival, there seemed to be many houses offering homestays or room rentals, but option was not clear.

Ostello Cinque Terre sits on top of a small town called Manarola, one of the five that make up the "five lands." It is distinguished by its friendly green paint job. Slightly discouraging was that the hostel advertised that there is a curfew and lock-in during the night. Hm...Well after a long day of extrenuous hiking, this may not be so bad because there is a greater chance of being overpowered by exhaustion in the late evening hours. The dorms are also made single-sex, so it would be difficult for co-ed groups to stay in one room together. The rooms and bathrooms are really clean and large enough to hang out in, though the common area is slightly uncomfortable to lounge in due to being lined with picnic-style tables. This choice of design must be due to the fact that the hostel operates its own restaurant and doesn't really give its lodgers the chance for any other option. The "Pasta Pesto & Co" menu is simple and cheap highlighting popular Italian dishes and the use of organic ingredients. Excellent.

All the hostel reviews and the majority of the notes in the guest log say - more demand - that you try the gnocchi al pesto. Pages and pages of guest notes rave about this dish. Is it really that good to try that out of the rest of the selection? Convincing does not take that much effort, especially since the heavy rain and streams of water moving down the street make it less enticing to venture outside. Let's give it a go.


The plate is absolutely huge with a large helping of gnocchi coated in pesto and topped off with a healthy grating of reggiano. Looks delicious and extremely filling. A good night of sleep after this meal can be foreseen. The little pillows of potato were creamy and rich, but not too heavy. The pesto was light and not too oily, though could be a little thicker. Together, the combination created a simple decadence easily filling a stomach worn out from hiking the five lands. Although the plate was so large, it would be a shame to leave a couple lonely gnocchi bites behind so all must be consumed. You could feel the food coma settling in and only had to worry about making it upstairs to fall asleep in your bunk to the sound of the soft wooshing of the river passing through the town and the trickle of water from the rain. The gnocchi al pesto was not as life-altering as the reviews implied, but incredibly savory and filling reminiscent of a enjoying a hearty meal when your body is about to retire.

Ostello Cinque Terre. Via B. Riccobaldi, 21, 19010 Manarola, La Spezia, Italia. www.hostel5terre.com