Camogli, Monterosso, Santa Margherita Ligure, Moneglia? Confused!\

We stayed in Comogli a few years ago. The beach was rocky....until a storm came in and covered the beach area with beautiful black sand. Difference totally day and night. Swimmers ran out to the beach to enjoy the soft sands. Comogli is a beautiful beach resort. We really enjoyed it. We even walked back up the road to the larger town. We ate along the beach front, lots of places to eat, and good gelato. Great tonno pizza (tuna fish) I don't think I can recommend the beach, but it didn't seem to bother the locals! Town isn't large, and I didn't hear any English being spoken. We loved the hotel, opening the windows at night to sleep to the sound of the surf.

Kristin, I suspect just about anywhere in that area is going to be "super crowded and touristy" in July, as that's peak travel season. In terms of "a nice beach", a "decent selection of food" and "not upscale", I can't think of a better location (of the choices you mentioned) than Monterosso. I was there last year, and will be back again this fall (and quite looking forward to it). For a "scenic walk", you could hike the trail to Vernazza. It's a bit of a challenge, but the views are fantastic. I don't know if Kayak rental is possible in Monterosso, but it may be available in one of the other towns in the Cinque Terre (possibly Riomaggiore). It's very easy to travel between the towns using the local train. Happy travels!

Thank you for your advice! Ellen, it's a shame because Camogli sounds EXACTLY like what we're looking for, minus the beach :( The lack of English spoken is a plus! Monterosso looks really nice, but it seems like a popular seaside resort town and I'm not sure if it's as quiet and "off the beaten path" as we'd like. I am going to look into it more, though. Anything sort of between the two? Like the equivalent of a working class New England coastal fishing town with a nice beachfront? Ken, I'm DEFINITELY willing to entertain options I didn't mention, though now that I've looked at the map and trains a bit more, I'd like to be somewhere north of Pisa and south of Genoa, as we are coming from Tuscany and will be departing from Genoa airport. Feel free to recommend anywhere else in the area that might be appropriate. Again, I REALLY appreciate that the two of you wrote back to help. It's so hard to choose a place based solely on Googling.

Look at staying in Bonassola (sp). It's north of the CT and is smaller than Monterosso. Beach? I think so. I don't know what "quaint" means. I stopped there on a daytrip a few years ago and the town seemed to have all the necessities, including a train station along the line from the CT to Genoa.

Hi Swan, I was just about to add to this post saying I was also looking at Deiva Marina, Bonassola, Levanto, and Moneglia, so you read my mind with your suggestion :) I am definitely looking into Bonassola more now! I guess by quaint I mean I am looking for something not too commercial or bustling...a handful of shops and restaurants...someplace most non-Italian tourists would not know about, something that doesn't make it to a lot of guidebooks. I see you're from Napa, so I guess something like a northern Cali coastal community without too much tourist traffic would be similar.

If you want sandy beaches you might look at the Versilia coast, a bit south but still north of Pisa. Google Marina di Pietrasanta and look for images. The actual town, 3 Km inland, is known for its sculpture studios and workshops.