A Popular Restaurant In Italy's Cinque Terre Offers Scenic Coastal Views While Dining

Few dining experiences capture the soul of Italy's coastal beauty like the restaurant Nessun Dorma. This small eatery is in the village of Manarola, which is on a cliff about 230 feet above the water. So if you want to savor Italian treats as you enjoy picture-perfect views of the Ligurian Sea, this is the place to be. The restaurant embraces the Ligurian way of life with traditional flavors and a menu that showcases the region's culinary heritage. It was founded in 2014 after a local won a competition related to managing a public area in Manarola. Initially, the founder opened the venue as a bar and later introduced pesto dishes, transforming the place into a full-fledged culinary wonder and seaside escape. Today, you can enjoy the restaurant's delicious specialties, taste local wines and cocktails, and even attend special events.

Here is how to find Manarola and Nessun Dorma. Manarola is about 12 miles northwest of the popular Cinque Terre jumping-off point of La Spezia, which is about an hour's drive from Pisa International Airport. Take the train from La Spezia to Manarola. After leaving the train station, turn left until you get to the water, and then turn right to follow the path along the seaside. You will soon see a set of stairs with a sign for the restaurant; the stairs lead to the clifftop and restaurant. When preparing for your trip, familiarize yourself with these essential travel hacks for visiting Italy to make your experience more enjoyable.

Nessun Dorma has to be one of the prettiest restaurants in the world for food travelers thanks to its sea-facing patio with impressive views of Manarola and its surrounding lush vineyards. Marvel at the beautiful views as you enjoy fresh local foods at the open-sky eatery, including focaccia, bruschetta, panini, and meat and cheese platters served with local wines. Then choose from desserts like Nutella bread or sugar-dusted fresh strawberries after your meal. Note that this is one Italian restaurant that does not serve pasta or pizza. 

Since seating in the restaurant is on a first-come, first-served basis, the queue to the restaurant is sometimes quite long. However, you can use the restaurant's app to more conveniently queue for a table. 

In addition to its standard menu, Dorma offers its popular Pesto Experience. This event is 85 euros per person (around $100) and lasts 2.5 hours; it's basically a pesto-making class with local white wine and a lunch of burrata, Parma ham, bruschetta, and your very own pesto, of course. Vegetarian options are also available for lunch. In the class, you learn how to make your own tasty green sauce, from picking the basil to grinding the ingredients together with a pestle and mortar and pairing the completed sauce with fresh bread. Besides the pesto class, the restaurant also hosts a Wine Experience, which involves beautiful local vineyard tours and tasting some regional wines. 

After filling up on pesto and soaking in the panoramic views at Nessun Dorma, you'll want to stroll through the multi-colored village of Manarola and experience its charms up close. Take the stairs down to the harbor area filled with rowboats and tiny fish restaurants. This spot rivals some of the best under-the-radar beaches you need to visit in Europe. It's  not a traditional sandy beach, but you can swim in the harbor here and lounge and sunbathe on the rocks as you soak in the views of the cliffs. It's lovely. 

While you're in Cinque Terre, definitely explore the other villages, too. You can take the train to the neighboring village of Riomaggiore and stroll past the pastel-colored houses, tiny harbor, and marina, where you can enjoy beautiful sunset vistas. Riomaggiore is also a great place to start a kayaking adventure along the Cinque Terre coastline. Rent a kayak in Riomaggiore and paddle to deserted beaches and beautiful caves. Finally, your adventure in Cinque Terre is incomplete without a visit to Corniglia, which sits around 330 feet above sea level and may offer the most authentic cultural experience for visitors. For those who don't want to climb 382 steps to get to this village, there's also a shuttle bus that will take you there from the train station. Expect more beautiful vineyards and picturesque, narrow streets that are less crowded than in other towns in Cinque Terre.