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If you like my blog, please leave a comment in the appropriate section. Thanks. I have to credit Rick Steeves for letting the Cinque Terre capture my imagination, especially the village of Vernazza. Once I saw the picture of this quaint village, I wanted to pack my bags. And that is what we eventually did. As we boarded our Turkish Airlines plane in Istanbul for Genoa, I was not to know that some surprises awaited us. Everyone I had met before who had visited the area, raved about it.
We first had to decide where to base ourselves and finally decided on the the town of
La Spezia, located south of the Cinque Terre but giving us both train and sea access to the five villages.
Once in La Spezia, we headed off to find our inn and were warmly greeted by Maria, the owner who answered all our questions. One of our customary enquiries is "Can you recommend good local places to eat where tourists do not frequent?" You would be amazed at the wonderful eating experiences we have had in many countries because of that question. La Spezia was no different.
In fact the place she suggested was owned by fishermen and the menu was the catch of the day plus other favourites like Lasagna, depending on what the kitchen prepared on the day. We ended up eating at the
Dai Pescatori three times and had great octopus, squid and mussels. Every time we were there, the line extended across the street and was mostly filled with Italians.
After a most pleasant night's sleep, we took the local train to the furthest point on the Cinque Terre,
Monterosso. Umbrellas lined the long pebbled beach and many vacationers were already enjoying the Mediterranean Sea when we got there. It was a beautiful place that Jeanette immediately liked. We opted to take the sea route back and visit the other villages on the way, stopping where we wanted to. As it turned out, several ferries plied the route but not all stopped at every village which worked fine for us because they were all most beautiful from the sea anyway.
Cornigilia was perched high up on the cliff and must have offered the best protection from marauding pirates long ago. We enjoyed it from tbe boat and decided not to take the
long climb to the top.
We opted not to stop at
Manarola but that did not prevent our absolute enjoyment of its beauty from the sea.
As we rounded a small peninsular and entered the next bay,
Riomaggiore slowly came into view, growing more impressive with each dip of the boat's bow. We both loved what we saw and disembarked with the others, took lots of pictures and simply enjoyed being there. I wondered what the locals thought, for as much as visitors bring much needed revenue, it must still be a disruption to their simple daily way of life at the edge of the sea. It was an impressive village that certainly lived up to our expectations. There was no beach but just a single street which ended at the water as a boat launch area - spectacular, unique, enchanting!
We had planned our lunch for the village that first enticed us to the area,
Vernazza. Actually on our way up from Genoa we sat next to a student travelling back home to La Spezia from Milan and in answer to our usual question recommended a restaurant in Vernazza. An only child with dreams of living
in New York, a city she has often visited, she must have misunderstood our request for an out of the way non-tourist place, and not that we minded, but we ended up probably exactly where Rick Steves would have suggested - outdoors, right on Vernazza's beach. And so we had another great meal, though priced appropriately for the prime location that it occupied and wonderful!
Sitting there enjoying our lunch, watching visitors with their cameras working overtime, some licking gelato or shopping for souvenirs, I felt like pinching myself to make sure that I was awake and not dreaming.
Eventually it was time to leave, so we boarded the ferry once again but on Jeanette's usually brilliant suggestion we made a stop at
Porto Venere. And what a gem of a surprise it was. Tucked in at the west side of the huge bay that houses a naval base, many homes, boats and of course La Spezia, this stop before returning "home" had an atmosphere that was all its own. There were older buildings mixed in with the more modern and many interesting pleasure boats were either moored or at anchor nearby. Settling at a table on the
water's edge, we sipped our expresso and just relaxed enjoying the peaceful ambience. We watched as an expensive and lovely looking flat inflatable craft approached, its 250 horse power outboard engine purring quietly as its grey haired captain braced alongside, next to us. Out jumped a lady who quickly returned with some gelato for the other two, one being a little fellow who gleefully accepted the delight. Then she was off again on another quick quest. Returning with a shopping bag, she boarded and the boat sped away, disappearing to the far inner side of the bay. Isn't that the life?
Reluctantly, we left to catch the last ferry "home" to La Spezia, passing moored naval vessels and yet more yachts, finally berthing just feet from our favourite restaurant, Dai Pescatori. As we took the inevitably long line that stretched across the street, the aroma of cooking sea food filled the air, driving my appetite to the limit of my patience. I was hoping that mussels would be on the menu and to my delight they were. Jeanette opted for stewed octopus which, truthfully, was nowhere as good as the grilled ones we enjoyed in Greece. On the other
hand, my meal was delicate and a real joy. I counted 41 of the tasty sea creatures.
As our evening came to an end, we took the familiar stroll to our apartment, past well lit shops, cafes, and families walking the pedestrianized street with their children and dogs. We remarked to each other how much we enjoyed this recent second visit to Italy. Even the little grocery store in our block with its surprising variety of products including great fresh baked bread, friendly helpful employees and the constantly singing deli attendant, leave us with very fond memories of a place that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Next morning - the train to the French Riviera!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Italy
The joys of Italy include the people and the amazing foods. You've documented some amazing scenery. Eager to see more.