We arrived at Vernazza mid morning and climbed lots of stairs to find Monica's rooms up atop the hills, next to her family's restaurant. We immediately felt like part of the family. She was so welcoming, introducing us to her family, walked us through her own house, offered us her boat to use whenever we wanted. Nice!
We hiked the Cinque Terre romantic path starting with Riomaggiore and ended a bit past Vernazza (we didn't have the energy to finish at Monterosso and it was getting late). The views are spectacular along the way. The towns seemed to be teetottle above these incredible cliffs that dropped straight down to rocky beaches, sprinkled with fruit trees, various green bushes, cacti, and grape vines. There were areas where one could jump into the pristine blue and warm water. It was at times a difficult hike, and we were glad that we wore our hiking shoes as I did see many with blisters and band-aids.
We took out Monica's family row boat that afternoon/evening after our hike to get a different view of Vernazza. A bit hesitant at first, but once Quoc was comfortable with the boat outside the harbor, we had lots of fun exploring, but still not too far from shore. We swam in the ocean briefly; the water was pleasantly warm and refreshing.
Dinner was at Monica's family restaurant. She reserved a special table for us, overlooking the ocean, at sunset. We could see Monterosso in the distance, lit up as the sun dropped below the horizon. Great food, perfect ambience. It was one of our best meals.
We were sad to leave Vernazza and its welcoming, warm, hospitable local hosts and its seafood. We definitely will return and stay longer next time. Next stop, Roma!
Vernazza, where we stayed
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