Go Here Instead: Moneglia
A Ligurian beach town worth the white-knuckle drive
Full disclosure: there is no way I am impartial about Moneglia. I have been spending every summer, countless weekends, and most important holidays here for over twenty years. I was married in its ancient church, the same one that saw the weddings of Emilio’s grandmother, mother, cousins, and more generations than anyone can count. I’ve watched my children grow up on these beaches, from eating sand to flirting with boys.
To say we are deeply rooted here would be an understatement, and it would be easy to dismiss my affection for the place as personal attachment. But it is also, objectively, fabulous. Over the years I’ve welcomed many guests here, all of whom have fallen in love with it just as much as I have.
Moneglia, located about 50 km (~30 miles) southeast of Genoa, is a laid-back, family-friendly town frequented primarily by Italians, with sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and steep, forested hills great for hiking. Most international tourists use the town as a jumping-off point for exploring the Cinque Terre. What many travelers discover, however, is that they prefer the natural, relaxed vibe of the town compared to the more famous, overcrowded villages down the coast.
Post-World War Two reconstruction resulted in the occasional modern monstrosity alongside Moneglia’s historic architecture. That, combined with some questionable urban planning choices over the years, has left the town overshadowed by its famous neighbors. But Moneglia is full of beauty and charm, in a real and unglossy way that has been unaltered by time or mass tourism.
Part of Moneglia’s saving grace is the difficulty of getting there. While it’s an easy train ride from neighboring towns, driving there is a bit tricky. Typically, there are two roads into town. The most direct route requires passing through a long series of extremely narrow old railway tunnels.
After the rail line was moved to a parallel route, the tunnels were converted for automobile traffic in 1930. Emilio's grandfather, Moneglia’s mayor at the time, oversaw the project, connecting the isolated town more directly to the outside world.
Back then, cars were small enough to pass in both directions. Now, traffic lights direct one-way traffic through the tunnels, turning green for just two minutes every twenty, alternating directions.
For many, this is an unwelcome obstacle, but I love the tunnels. Driving through them feels like zooming through a wormhole into another dimension. After ten minutes, you break through the other side and Moneglia stretches out in front of you like the promised land.
Unfortunately, the tunnels have been closed for what we’re told are renovations for the last couple years, with no re-opening in sight.
Which leaves you one other option for arriving in Moneglia: a torturous, switchbacked, impossibly narrow road twisting over and through the hills. Our back seat is stocked with sick bags for the kids.
However harrowing the road to Moneglia may be, it’s more than worth the journey. And this little obstacle is what keeps the swarms of day-trippers away.
Once you’ve settled in, here are a few of my usual haunts and favorite stops in Moneglia.
