Lat. 44° 06.2'N  Long. 09° 50.3'E                 September 2001.

 There are some places you must visit and meals you should eat. Cinque Terra is such a place and Keith’s Miss Lizzy cocktail followed by his salmon in foil drunk with a very cold Orbieto Classico is an experience not to miss.

On Monday Keith, Cilla, Liz and I had sailed from Viareggio up the Golfo dei Poeti to La Spezia. On Tuesday the weather forced a postponement of the trip to Cinque Terra but there was plenty of time  for shopping, reading and hanging about. Wednesday dawned bright and beautiful and the train took us through the 3km tunnel to  Riomaggiore - the most easterly of the five villages. Riomaggiore to Manorola is the shortest and the easiest of the walks along the Via dell Amore with spectacular views of the sea on one side and lemon trees on the other. Manorola is impossibly beautiful. Approaching from the east we looked down on this village stuck to the sides and summit of a rocky headland.

 The next path to Corniglia is longer and more testing with steep paths down to the sea on the way and lung busting steps up to the village at the end. We rewarded ourselves with lunch in a garden restaurant at the top.

 The sea was always beautifully blue, around each headland there was another bay with vertical cliffs falling down to the sea. Can a place be so beautiful without becoming a cliché? We picked our way down the steep descent into the charming Verna and after a cold beer caught the train back to La Spezia.

Miss Lizzy Peach Cocktail.

1 part white rum.

1 part peach sirop.

Dash of orange juice to taste.

Mix and add champagne or demi-sec sparkling wine.

What you will need for Keith’s salmon. ( 4 people )

4 salmon steaks or pieces of filet.

1 cabbage chopped into thin strips.

Parsley, chopped.

Mixed herbs.

Butter.

What you need to do.

Make a bed of the chopped cabbage on the foil.

Put the salmon on the cabbage and season with salt, a little pepper and mixed herbs.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and a piece of butter on each.

Fold the foil over and seal the edges tightly.

Bake in a hot oven for 20 mins.

When they are done, open the packets carefully and serve the salmon on the cabbage along with the couscous and possibly a sauce.

What you need for Cilla’s cous cous.

Cous cous for 4 people, read the packet.

Handful of parsley and mint, chopped fine.

1 orange pepper, 4 tomatoes and a bunch of spring onions all chopped fine.

tin of tomato pulp (good quality)

Pepper to taste.

What you have to do.

Cook the cous cous according to instructions on the packet.

Cool and fork it over in a large bowl.

Add the other ingredients, fork them in and leave the cous cous to absorb the flavours.

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