Our first task was to find a laundrette to catch up with the washing. We found it was right up at the top of town, out of the hustle & bustle. It was very modern, and to our relief there was a cafe next door. This was run by twin brothers from Sardinia. They were the pushy type, where everything was the best you would ever taste! The place was called Il Pirate, a very apt name! We decided to have a coffee, and then the hard sell was on in earnest, trying to get us to try the world's best everything. To shut him up we decided on the world's best Canolli. I love Canolli, and as much as I didn't want it to be, it was fantastic! The Pirates kept telling us we had to come back for breakfast lunch & dinner. We agreed just to get away! When the washing/drying was completed, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Vernazza, and planning the next few days. Vernazza is lovely, with its little harbour and piazza around it. The church of St.Margherita Di Antiochia is right at the harbour and regularly the bells toll the hour, half hour, the quarter hour and a whole lot more! No rhyme nor reason, just lots of bells! We found a pizza place for lunch and sat next to some Americans, who were a lot of fun. We ate good pizza, and chatted for some time, as the crowds just grew and grew.
Vernazza is full of lanes and stairways, as are all five villages, so the knees get a real workout. We climbed up to the castle to take in the view up and down the coast. Incredible scenery. Carolyn spied a quiet deck hanging out over the cliff, so off we went and eventually found it. Rather than a bar or restaurant, it was a wine tasting venue. We sat right at the rail, and Alessandro served us a white wine from Cinque Terre, and a delicious Red (Barbera) from nearby Piedmont. He brought us the local delicacy, salted anchovies, to have with our wine. The area is famous for anchovies and everyone has their own way of preparing them. Alessandro described how his were salted for 6 months, soaked in local olive oil and spiced with wild oregano, an old lady picked and dried especially for him. They were absolutely delicious, and even Carolyn, who has never been an anchovy fan, was begging for more! That night, we found a cafe down in the Piazza by the harbour, and dined on pasta with scampi and a plate of mixed seafood. All just so simple, fresh & delicious. With of course, lots of bread, olive oil & balsamic. The crowds leave by around 6.00pm, and Vernazza is quiet, unrushed and just lovely.
For Sunday, we decided to leave the crowds behind and spend the day in La Spezia, the largest nearby city. So we hopped on the train and in a few minutes were there. It is only one more stop past Riomaggiore. The town is a big port, housing Italy's largest naval base, so we walked down through the old town to the harbour. We stopped for coffee and local treats along the way, and called into a few shops. Most were shut, which seems to be the custom on Sunday. At the harbour we saw that a huge MSC cruise ship was in, which probably explained the few shops that were open. The town is a lot like Genoa. The marina housed some seriously huge private yachts, and of course the navy. We watched a guy drive along the marina in his Bentley convertible, stop and remove a huge suitcase, which he rolled along the dock to his large & impressive cruiser, and wondered if he would like to adopt us! We continued walking and just taking it all in. It was lunchtime so we found a small cafe, instantly noting that the prices we much cheaper than Vernazza. Carolyn went for a Spaggetti Carbonara, and John went for the local specialty Pizza. The carbonara was good, the pizza was a knockout, smothered in fresh diced tomato, olives, oregano & anchovies! Each main meal was 5 euro, that's like $7.50! We wandered some more, in & out of lanes & churches, having a lovely time away from the crowds. By the time we got back to Vernazza, the big crowds had gone, and we settled in for happy hour by the harbour. It was much cooler, so we decided to eat at one of the cosy little restaurants up in town. Again the food was amazing. Carolyn had a pasta with meat ragu. It was flat round pasta, we had never seen before, explained as being especially designed to pick up the ragu! John went for another local specialty, a baked dish of potato, herbs, tomato and of course, anchovies. Fantastic! We dropped into the Gelato shop for dessert, as we slowly wandered home.
We were blessed with good weather. It was mostly fine & sunny, with temperatures around 20 degrees. The nights were cool, cold if the wind blew. Monday was less crowded, but nontheless still busy. Probably the most famous thing to do on the Cinque Terre, is hike the various trails, the most famous of which is the Via dell'Amore, the Lover's walk, which stretches from Riomaggiore to Manarola. Sadly for us, this walk, as well as the walk from Manarola to Corniglia, were closed due to landslides. These are the two easiest walks, and the ones most people do. There are still walking trails between these towns, but they are more for mountain goats and very exprienced hikers. The quite serious walks from Vernazza to Corniglia, and Monterosso to Vernazza are open. Each is 2 to 3 hours for hikers of our standard, and quite steep and rugged in parts. With so many walking options closed, today we decided to use the ferry service that operates between the Cinque Terre towns, with the exception of Corniglia, which is the hill top town and has no safe harbour. We bought our day tickets and headed out to our first stop, Riomaggiore. Everything looks different looking back from the sea. We could see the landslides that have caused the track closures. When we arrived at Riomaggiore it was a breathtaking scene of coloured buildings squashed in between two cliffs, stretching back up the hill. The streets are narrow, winding and full of cafes, boutiques, galleries, gelato shops, and souvenir shops. It is so colourful. We walked out to the Lover's Walk and posed by the locked gate, then walked the winding streets. At one stage, we found a lift that took us to the lower levels. It was like winning the lottery, until the doors opened and a lady at a table told us it was 1.5 euro each to ride the elevator! No sign at the top, just the ambush at the bottom! It is such a lovely little town and we can understand why it is a favourite of so many. The tunnel from the station to town tells the story of the workmen and the struggle to construct the towns & paths. We had a takeaway seafood lunch which was served in a paper cone and was delicious.
Back on the ferry, the next stop was Manarola. Just enough room to get the gangplank onto the stone wall! There really isn't a harbour! From here it is a narrow path into town. Another ancient village full of colourful houses, tumbling down the hill, with row after row of vineyards stretching above it. Manarola is famous for its wine. How on earth do they work these terraced vineyards? The answer is quite simple. They have mini funiculars that run up and down the slopes on rails! We watched them working at Corniglia. We just enjoyed walking up and down the streets, taking time for gelato. This time the rock melon and mandarin flavours were a stand out!
From here we headed out to Monterosso, stopping at Vernazza on the way. Monterosso has the only real beach of any of the towns. It is the pebbly kind. There is both an old & new part of town. You can walk or drive from one to another through a tunnel. It is also really nice, with lots of alleys and lanes, and some great shops. It doesn't feel as hilly as the others. We walked along the esplanade of the beach, with its colourful umbrellas and bathing pavilions, and stopped off at a beachside cafe for a cold drink. There were quite a few people soaking up the sun. A slow walk back to the ferry terminal, and we were on the last ferry for the day, home to Vernazza. Tonight, we decided to give the Pirates another go, so headed up town. The place was packed, and we got the last table, reminded by one Pirate, that it had taken us a while to get back! I told him we could easily reverse our decision! He was more welcoming then. He sent over the waitress who was really big on "personal recommendations". The Pirates must run "pain in the arse" classes! We managed to eventually order, avoiding the expensive recommendations, and had a delicious meal. The food was excellent. The experience wearing!
For our last day we planned a day of hiking. First stop was the hill top village of Corniglia. It was only one stop on the train, and when you arrive it is 377 steps up to the town. The zig zag stairway has been well designed, and it is surprisingly easy going. It is a little different to the other towns, perched high on the hill. Lovely little laneways, with cafes & shops scattered all along. We found a lovely little terrace cafe looking out over the hills and out to sea. Carolyn was craving eggs, something we haven't seen much of. They advertised omelette, so we ordered one to share. It was really good, as was the coffee, and it had the best and cleanest toilet we have seen! We cheated and found the park bus for the trip back to the station, where we found that the trains also take siesta in the middle of the day, and we had an hour to wait! So, we sat & ate our fruit. There are fruit stalls everywhere, and we have been buying melons, strawberries, pears, peaches apricots & bananas to have mostly for breakfast & snacks with yoghurt. It hasn't been all bad! Every village has a market day, and today it was Vernazza's turn, so we stocked up before leaving.
The train eventually came and we were on our way to Monterosso to do our 2.5 hour walk back to Vernazza. We had spoken to so many people and got so many conflicting opinions, we decided we would never never no if we never never went, so armed with John's hiking pole, off we set. It was pretty steep, but hey, we made it to Jim Jim Falls, so we can do this. The track is well formed with lots & lots & lots of steps, and there are sections where passing is impossible, but the views are worth it. One magnificent panorama after another. For John's knees, going down was worse than going up, but given that the estimated time was two hours, our two hours forty minutes was pretty good! We will never forget the view looking down on Vernazza, all colourful and sparkling against the blue Mediterranean. We sure earned happy hour today! For our last night in Vernazza we decided to go to Gambero Rosso Restaurant. The Pirates would get over it! This is a quite famous restaurant down by the harbour. We share a lovely meal, all beautifully cooked. We shared Mixed Anchovies( Fried, Salted & Marinated), Trofie Pesto(the local small pasta designed to collect the pesto), and Steak & Fries(it has been so long since we had steak!). We washed it all down with a local red, and it was such a delight watching the sun set over the harbour, and seeing the lights of the town come alive. Bellissimo!
In the morning we took one last leisurely stroll down to the harbour for a coffee & pastry breakfast, then it was off to the station via 100 steps, to board our train for The Eternal City, Roma.
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