I am writing to you from the Italian Riviera di Levante. This ancient village in the province of La Spezia, Monterosso al Mare, is a municipality that is part of the National Park of the Cinque Terre and of the Mountain Community of Riviera Spezzina. The extraordinary beauties that can be admired here are impossible to explain with words. The activity that most intrigued me is that of fishing with lampara: on 29 June, on the day of St. Peter, an impressive fishing trip for anchovies takes place with this particular technique.

The lampara is a type of lamp used by fishermen at night to attract fish to the surface to catch them. This activity was recognized as the Presidio of Slow Food. The festivals where typical local products are known worthy of tasting. Among the most important are:

Monterosso Lemon Festival held on the third weekend of May.

Anchovy Festival of Monterosso that takes place on the occasion of the celebrations for the patron saint, Saint John the Baptist, on 23-24-25 June each year.

Salt Anchovy Festival on the third Sunday of September (the event will occupy the weekend) of each year.

Now I'll leave you, because I'll be busy doing the Monterosso-Vernazza pedestrian path 1 hour and 30 minutes of treking... not bad.