Honoring Family Hospitality in Albergo Italia

Moneglia, the quaint tourist town along the Ligurian coast, is a popular summer destination in Northern Italy, right in the middle of Cinque Terre and Genoa.

Many tourists from adjacent provinces, as well as neighboring countries like France, Switzerland and Austria, flock to Moneglia during the summer months of June til August to bask on its fine sandy beaches and swim in its refreshing lagoon.

Being a quaint town boasting of restaurants serving traditional Italian cuisine, including homemade pasta, pizza, gelato and the region’s beloved focaccia, as well as activities and entertainment curated for families and children, many tourists are returning guests from many years, calling Moneglia as their summer home. This includes my family. 

Among the hotels in Moneglia that we frequented was Albergo Italia.

Like most Italian businesses, Albergo Italia was run by a family, headed by the patriarch Signor Alberto, who managed the hotel's operations and books, as well as welcomed guests at the reception area. His wife, Cristina, took charge of the kitchen, while their daughter Veronica oversaw the breakfast buffet and guest requests and inquiries.

Chatting with Signor Alberto and Veronica felt refreshing and welcoming. They seemed to have so much time, patience and dedication to connect with the guests and to satisfy all of their needs.

Like all of Albergo Italia’s in-house guests, we took comfort and pleasure from the care and attention that we’ve received from Signor Alberto and his family. They made us feel like valued guests of their own house, which actually gave us and other guests a good reason to return to their hotel. 

While the rooms were not luxury, they were nevertheless snug, comfortable, clean and completely equipped with bath products, dental kits, clean white bed linens, clean cotton towels and a bathtub with hot and cold water. 

Albergo Italia’s interior design retained its old-fashioned charm with dark wooden flooring and fixtures amid high ceilings and hand-crafted tiles. In fact, it bore the original design of the building, preserving its post-WWII structure, with minimal renovation efforts on the part of Signor Alberto. 

I, personally, liked their style, as it allowed me to experience authentic Italian hospitality, without the fancy aesthetics and complexities of industrialized hotel architecture nowadays.

Through Albergo Italia’s simple and warm amenities, we got to enjoy our holiday in Moneglia effortlessly. We would start our day with a rejuvenating jog along the town’s historic bridge, passing along the still sleepy beach and into the medieval castle ruins. Thereafter, we would return to the hotel to partake of the sumptuous breakfast buffet that was included in our accommodation. 

The breakfast buffet was, of course, typically Italian: simple, integral and nutritious with assorted breads and pastries plus a variety of jams and butter on one side, a couple of cereals with pure fat and non-fat milk jars in the middle, a tray of various yogurt packs next to it, and a line of seeds, nuts, dried fruits, honey and fresh made Greek yogurt at the end of the counter.

After the 10:00 a.m. breakfast cut-off, Signor Alberto and his daughter would clear up the dining area, while his wife cleaned the kitchen. Meanwhile, we, along with other guests, would start walking the 150-meter stretch to the beach, carrying our bags, umbrella, beach mats and ample food to nourish and satisfy us til sundown.

Since neither lunch nor dinner was served at Albergo Italia, we would be compelled to walk around the town and explore various culinary delights along the alleys and the town squares. Sometimes, we would eat at the pizzeria by the hill, other times we would treat ourselves with a traditional three-course meal of pasta, meat and dessert, and on few occasions, we would simply buy some slices of freshly baked focaccia at the town’s infamous focaccieria, taking home those with sumptuous toppings of veggies, cheese and assorted ham to take-out and eat while sitting on the beach overlooking the sea.

Otherwise, we would make our own sandwich with ham, cheese, and tomato inside our room, enjoying it with a bottle of sparkling Prosecco.

During the day, I would ask Signor Alberto about activities to do in Moneglia, like the boat tours to Cinque Terre, day-long hikes, the best spots to go to for pizza and gelato, or even the history of Moneglia itself, and he would provide me with the answers with pleasure and admirable precision. 

During one of my inquiries with Signor Alberto, we ended up talking about the many pristine white beaches in Asia. I remember his face glowing with a yearning to venture to those beaches as well, yet seeing it as a distant dream for he and his family were committed to run the hotel from spring til fall for years on end. He even requested that I send him a postcard from Boracay Island, for he could not think of a time when he would step away from the hotel and take his family on a vacation.

Now, with Signor Alberto and his wife on a pension, closing Albergo Italia for good, they could finally fulfill their plans to venture off to other beach destinations.

As Signor Alberto, his wife Cristina and their lovely daughter Veronica exemplified, running one’s own hotel is like taking care of an infant child. It takes deep love, total commitment, full responsibility, heightened awareness, resourcefulness, a genuine satisfaction to serve others, and a constant intention to cultivate inner joy and peace amidst the daily demands of upkeeping one’s own business.

Thus, I am left with joy and relief for Signor Alberto and his family, given the many decades they have dedicated their lives to Albergo Italia. Moreover, I am honored and grateful to have met them and have received their heartfelt family hospitality at Albergo Italia, which undoubtedly carves a significant name in the lustrous history of Moneglia.