Coastal Views / Beaches, Monterey

  Santa Rosalia from the beach below
by Ewingjr98
 
  • Santa Rosalia from the beach below
      Santa Rosalia from the beach below
    by Ewingjr98
  •   Coastal Views / Beaches
    by Ewingjr98
  • Santa Rosalia plaque
      Santa Rosalia plaque
    by Ewingjr98
  • Santa Rosalia cart at the Maritime Museum
      Santa Rosalia cart at the Maritime...
    by Ewingjr98
  • Monterey Bay
      Monterey Bay
    by meteorologist1
 

7 Reviews of Coastal Views / Beaches

Sort by: Most recent | Most helpful

Write a Review
Santa Rosalia Statue
Ewingjr98 profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Ewingjr98 4734 reviews
4 more images

Favorite thing: Near the entrance to Fishermans Wharf, yet seldom noticed, is Monterey's statue of Santa Rosalia. This statue was erected in 1929 "in memory of those courageous Sicilian fishermen whose labors and pioneering spirit, at the beginning of the 20th Century, created and developed a great sardine industry and whose heritage and culture contributed significantly to the growth of the city and its surrounding area." Santa Rosalia has been adopted as the patron saint of Monterey's Italian fishermen.

Monterey celebrates a week-long Festa Italia/Santa Rosalia Festival in early September each year, with the 2007 event being the 74th consecutive year of the celebration. During this event, besides lots of church, food, and drink, a traditional parade moves from San Carlos Cathedral to the Commercial Wharf to bless the fishing fleet. This cart that has been historically used to transport the statue is located in the Monterey Maritime Museum on Custom House Plaza.

Santa Rosalia was born in Palermo in 1130 AD, a distant relative of Charlemagne. A religious woman, she secluded herself in a cave on Sicily's Mount Pellegrino, and died around 1166. In 1624 when the Black Plague was decimating Europe, her image appeared to a hunter who climbed the mountain and found her remains. After her bones were paraded through the streets as she had requested of the hunter, the plague cleared and she was named the patron saint of Palermo. Throughout Sicily she is known as La Santuzza--the little saint.

Updated Apr 7, 2008

Was this review helpful?

Great views of Monterey Bay
meteorologist1 profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

meteorologist1 789 reviews
Monterey Bay

Favorite thing: The 17-mile Drive offers excellent, panoramic views of Monterey Bay (no surprise there). There are lots of parking areas along the drive, some of them located on the hills overlooking the bay. The bay appears really blue in this picture, and this is just beautiful.

Written May 18, 2004

Related to:
 Romantic Travel and Honeymoons
 Road Trip

Was this review helpful?

Victorian Homes along the Rocky Coast
zrim profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

zrim 1665 reviews
I can get you into this for say, $3.4 million

Favorite thing: As they say in the real estate game: Location, Location, Location. Hard to top the Monterey Coast for location. The coastline in this part of town is parklike with generous sidewalks along the coastline and easy access to the rocky outcroppings to get closer to the comorants and other wildlife.

Written Feb 25, 2003

Related to:
 Family Travel

Was this review helpful?

Foggy Sand Dunes at Asilomar State Beach
zrim profile photo

2 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

zrim 1665 reviews
dunes enveloped by the fog

Favorite thing: The weather is an attraction in itself. Most mornings seem to be foggy with the sun burning off the mists by lunchtime. The shrouded dunes are great for a short hike and there is no chance of a sunburn in these conditions.

Written Feb 25, 2003

Related to:
 Family Travel

Was this review helpful?

Drive along the coast. Here...
fewgreek profile photo

1.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

fewgreek 13 reviews

Favorite thing: Drive along the coast. Here is a picture of just one of the many spectacular views from the drive. The ocean and landscape is breathtaking!!!

Written Aug 25, 2002

Was this review helpful?

This part of the california...
Mindjob profile photo

1.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Mindjob 86 reviews

Favorite thing: This part of the california coast is very rocky, there aren't too many beaches here. Just get out and enjoy the views.

Written Aug 25, 2002

Was this review helpful?

Walk along the piers and take...
spartan profile photo
spartan 915 reviews

Favorite thing: Walk along the piers and take in the views

Written Aug 24, 2002

Was this review helpful?

Top 3 Hotels in Monterey

Monterey Plaza Hotel  Monterey

 5 Reviews and 1063 Opinions  This was a family trip for us to celebrate my mom's birthday. We were really looking forward to our... 

 Hotels in Monterey

Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay  Monterey

 5 Reviews and 657 Opinions  The Portola Plaza is one of the best-locating lodging facilities in Monterey. Besides the location,... 

 Hotels in Monterey

Spindrift Inn  Monterey

 1 Review and 771 Opinions  Charming rooms,beautifully decorated,can make for a romantic getaway.Wine and cheese time in the... 

 Hotels in Monterey

The Place

Coastal Views / Beaches

Coastal Views / Beaches tips and photos posted by real travelers and Monterey locals.

  Write a Review  
Experience Monterey
 

The People

117 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 Walk along the piers and take in the views 

117 members live in Monterey

 

Questions and Answers

cali2012 profile photo

Q:  Hi there, Myself and some friends are travelling to California from London, UK for a bachelor party. We then plan to drive down... 

zuriga profile photo

A: For me, the nicest area in the Monterey area is Pacific Grove. There are some really nice old inns to stay in, and they're right across from the water, seal-watching etc.... 

Read 4 Replies

postQuestion_button

Top Monterey Writers

1

Watching the Sunset in Monterey...

Ewingjr98 profile photo

 Founded by Spanish missionaries & soldiers, Monterey was the capital of the old Spanish then Mexican state of Alta California. The area was captured by the US in 1846, and Monterey became the new US... 

2

City by the Sea

Lhenne1 profile photo

 “So my job is sending me to a new office,” my boyfriend told me one evening over dinner in his Delaware home. “Where to? Philly? New Jersey? DC?” “Not quite,” he replied. “Where?” “Monterey,... 

3

Monterey - Beginning of the U.S. tour

rsilva profile photo

 This was our first stop in our first U.S. trip. My girlfriend attended a conference and I gladly joined her afterwards for what turned out to be a great 10-day vacation. Monterey is a small town, 200... 

4

Monterey and Its Beautiful Big Sur Country

KimberlyAnn profile photo

 Monterey lies on a peninsula and ranges in altitude from sea level to 360 feet This town is rich in history and natural beauty, and has a wide range of activities, shops, and restaurants which keeps... 

5

Life's a Kelp Forest...

squidly2 profile photo

 I moved here in 2005, so on my pages I've included some things I've learned along the way. If someone already wrote about a place, I haven't included it in my "tips". I'm just trying to fill in the...... 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Monterey page