5TerrEx Has Landed in Monterosso (and Brought Us a Discount Code)
Every single week, without fail, someone at reception asks the same question. Usually around day two, right after the trails have been walked and the Instagram photos have been taken. "This is all lovely, but what else is there to actually dohere?"
For a long time our honest answer was: eat, swim, repeat, and that's not nothing. But now we have a better one.
5TerrEx opened at the end of May in Monterosso's historic centre, Via XX Settembre 27, and it's exactly the kind of small, well-run, slightly obsessive local business we like to send people to. Cooking classes, tastings, walking tours, all in small groups, all led by people who actually know what they're talking about. It's run by Francesco, who by his own account started out as a home baker with strong opinions about focaccia and has since turned that into an actual job, which feels like the correct use of a life.
We've partnered with them, which means our guests get 15% off. More on that below. First, the important part: what you'd actually be booking.
The experiences
Genoese Focaccia Baking Experience. Two hours, one Francesco, and a genuine attempt to explain why Ligurian focaccia tastes nothing like the sad rectangle sold as "focaccia" everywhere else. You make it by hand, from the dough to that unmistakable dimpled, oily top, and you leave with a warm one under your arm.
Pesto Cooking Class. Mortar and pestle, not a food processor, because apparently that matters more than we realised. Basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and the kind of patience that doesn't come naturally to most of us. You'll never look at a jar from the supermarket the same way again, which is either a gift or a curse depending on how much you liked jarred pesto.
Genoese Pesto Experience & Gnocchi Lunch. Same pesto class, but with an actual sit-down lunch built in, your pesto tossed with fresh gnocchi at the table. If "make it and then eat it two hours later" sounds inefficient, this is the fix.
Cinque Terre Wine Tasting with Local Bites. Liguria is not the region people think of first when they think of Italian wine, which is precisely the point. This tasting covers labels you won't find on a standard restaurant list, paired with regional bites, in a setting that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Ligurian Olive Oil Tasting with Local Bites. Short, easy to fit into a hot afternoon, and genuinely useful: several local extra virgin oils tasted side by side, so you can finally understand what "peppery" or "fruity" is supposed to mean instead of nodding along at the supermarket.
Monterosso Old Town Walking Tour with Wine Tasting. For when the beach crowd gets a bit much. A proper walk through the old town's narrow caruggi, past architecture most people photograph without knowing what they're looking at, ending with a glass of wine as a reward for paying attention.
If you've already worked your way through our hiking guide on Silvia's Trips and your legs have opinions about it, most of these are the perfect low-effort follow-up. Sit down, taste something, let someone else do the walking commentary for once.
The discount
As guests of the Oasi Eco Boutique Hotel or the Oasi Vacation Rental in Vernazza, you can use the code 5TX15H to get:
- 15% off any experience booked directly at www.5terrex.com
- 15% off anything you buy in the 5TerrEx shop in Monterosso, even if you don't book an experience
The two are independent. Book an experience, buy a bottle of something to take home, or both, it's entirely up to you.
To use it online: choose your experience, date, time and number of participants on www.5terrex.com. The promo code field appears on the next step, while you're filling in your booking details.
To use it in the shop: just show the code 5TX15H at the till. No booking required.
We tend to be fairly picky about who we send our guests to, mostly because we've learned the hard way what happens when we're not. 5TerrEx is the kind of small, local, quietly excellent operation this coastline runs on, and we're glad to have them a few minutes' walk from the front door.
Book direct, mention where you're staying, and tell Francesco we said hello.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 5TerrEx? 5TerrEx is a small local business in Monterosso al Mare offering cooking classes, food and wine tastings, and walking tours, all in small groups and led by local hosts. It opened at the end of May in the historic centre, at Via XX Settembre 27.
Who can use the 5TX15H discount code? The code is reserved for guests of the Oasi Eco Boutique Hotel and the Oasi Vacation Rental in Vernazza. It's a partnership benefit, not a public promo code.
What does the code get me? 15% off any experience booked directly at www.5terrex.com, and separately, 15% off anything you buy in the 5TerrEx shop in Monterosso. You can use one or both, they're independent of each other.
Do I need to book an experience to get the shop discount? No. You can show the code 5TX15H at the till for 15% off a purchase even if you haven't booked, or don't plan to book, an experience.
How do I enter the code when booking online? Choose your experience, date, time and number of participants on www.5terrex.com. The promo code field appears on the next step, while you fill in your booking details.
Do the experiences work for non-Italian speakers? Yes. 5TerrEx's experiences are designed with international travellers in mind, which is also why we like sending our guests there.
Is 5TerrEx within walking distance of the hotel? Yes, it's in Monterosso's historic centre. If you're staying at the Vernazza apartment, it's a short train ride away, easily combined with a day trip.
